Strength Vs Flexibility

[Sharla]

I've always believed the saying that people who are flexible are often not very strong and people who are strong are not very flexible. I kind of assumed you could only ever be very flexible OR strong - not both - especially as an adult (since gymnasts seem to peak in their early teens).

However last night I went to see Cirque du Soleil - Varekai (It was Fing AWESOME!) and I see women who can hoist their entire body weight up through a swinging hoop using one arm AND bend their back so their heads back to touch the back of their knees and can go waaaaaay beyond the splits. Most of the performers where both extremely strong and flexible.

So are these people genetically unusual in some way, were they trained at such a young age they have physical abilities those who do not train from the age of 4 could never possibly achieve or is the idea of being one or the other false? Could we all potentially be both strong AND flexible?

[Scrap]

The flexable the muscle the better it will perform. it works on the principle of contraction for power, the more expansion the larger contraction without injury.

[Sharla]

Do you think being hyperflexible is a risk if you don't train your flexibility the right way Scrap?

Could I be at risk of an injury if I didn't balance my stretching somehow?

Do you think there's a maximum amount of flexibility a boxer should aim for?

I've never known a boxer to do the splits or bend their back like a gymnast - is that for good reason or just because it's not a common practice for boxers to stretch a lot?

[Scrap]

In everything theres a balance,our stretch routine takes over an hour we stretch everything. I make a session out of it 3 times a week. In fairness you have to know what youre working with horses for courses. I know Lennox early years spent time stretching and SRL had a background in gymnastics.They are out there the guys that stretch, but keep it to themselves and the media have better questions to ask plus its usually done behind closed doors, its there little secret.

[Sharla]

Interesting thanks for the input Scrap.

I'm not very good at making time to stretch - it always seems like a maintenance thing rather than something that might actually improve/maintain my fitness in it's own right.

Because of that I often think I'll just make more time for it if I get a tight muscle somewhere.

Now I think that might not be a very accurate way to think about it since you say it helps you contract your muscles.

[Trainer Monkey]

Im notorious for not stretching,and Im notorious for coming up lame

[Chris Nagel]

Stretching the legs and including the feet should not be overlooked.

[Scrap]

Its when youre use to doing it then dont, thats when its noticed. I work with a couple of 16 year old atheletes who twice a week do an hours stretch. There PBs are dropping all the time 19 secs a year without injury or even a tweek, there competitors Ive been told are getting injured from a reliable source. this year Im not bothered about cardio.This year Im bothered about strentgh and muscle elasticity, growth is the aim with an eye on 2012 oylimpics. Dont work on the premise it could have been but. As ive said before if you had a Porche youd make sure it got good maintainance, but the most important thing you have YOU you cant be bothered with and without you theres no Porche

[Sharla]

You're right Scrap - I used to think I was immortal before I began to notice injuries - I thought I could push as hard as i wanted and still recover from anything. It's crept up on me now and I'm just hoping i can reverse some of the damage that's done. In hindsight prevention would've been much better than cure!

How do you stretch your feet Chris?

[greynotsoold]

This may be lat to weigh in but, if you check out the workouts of Dempsey, Pep, (Benny) Leonard, Ross and many others... they DID bend over backwards and twist themselves into pretzels. For my dollar, flexiblity over "strength" training any day.
Note that they are anything but mutually exclusive.

[killersheep]

Sharla, maybe you should consider taking a yoga class.

I have been taking them after my boxing training on Mondays.

It's amazing how you become more flexible AND stable after doing it for a while.
I have definately noticed much improved balance and flexibility.
Furthermore, it can be a killer core workout. My abs and lower back
are now strong like bull.

Just a thought.

[Sharla]

Thanks Killersheep

I have looked into yoga before because it does look good but I couldn't find any classes in my city that weren't on either when I'm expected to be at uni or at boxing training. The only exception being a Saturday morning but the cost of membership to go only once a week is a bit too much.

I did find one early morning class at the aquatic centre included in my membership for the pool but it was spiritual yoga which I couldn't get into and I suspect the yoga instructor telling us to yawn while we lay flat and still had more to do with her being tired than us being stretched! I really couldn't picture the crane either!

My brother has done Bikram yoga which sounds good and beneficial like yours but unfortunately I can't get to those classes. If I get a chance to though I'll definitely take your advice CC

For now I'm just trying to teach myself to stretch more before and after workouts so hopefully that will help.

[Chris Nagel]

You're right Scrap - I used to think I was immortal before I began to notice injuries - I thought I could push as hard as i wanted and still recover from anything. It's crept up on me now and I'm just hoping i can reverse some of the damage that's done. In hindsight prevention would've been much better than cure!

How do you stretch your feet Chris?

Just a couple simple stretches that you're probably already familiar with since you're a runner. A calf stretch where you lean against something bending our front knee and keeping your back leg straight. Both of your feet should be flat against the ground and stretching your calfs. I found that this also helped with dealing with shin splints when I started back on running. Good technique helps, but stretching your legs and feet can help reduce the pressure to your feet while also help get the blood flowing in your feet.

Another stretch you can do for your feet and the back of your legs is to find a few stair steps and place the ball of your foot on the step and pushing your heel down.

One exercise that I like but I haven't tried yet is Scrap's own 'wobbly board.' It stretches your feet and helps build up a good sense of balance and coordination. He has a video on it, I think it's in the his stretch topic, definately worth checking out.

[Sharla]

Right CC Chris,

yeah I often get tight calves so I won't forget those. I was picturing something with bare feet maneuvering my big toe in odd directions when you said not to forget your feet. You could've made something up then and had me doing all sorts or weird stuff

[Chris Nagel]

Hah I couldn't I. It would only be fun if I could see it for myself.

I think the wobbly board would be better since it's goes a step beyond merely stetchy your feet/ankles and ingrains the right kind of movement and balance. Like in Scrap's video you can even practice throwing punches.