I'm not really getting contradiction, they seem complementary to me. And if they make me ask questions about my own body, that's a good thing.
I'm a great fan of Athlean-x videos (once I get past the off-putting titles), and fascial release is very important too.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
So the upshot of these videos is do not stretch your hamstrings if you have anterior pelvic tilt. I am fairly sure I do not have anterior pelvic tilt. I do find rolling tennis balls under my feet releases tension especially in the arch area.
I tore my left hamstring in rugby training about 23 years ago, it was not a major tear. I saw a physio at the club for a few minutes before a training session, and had a quick ultrasound and deep tissue massage which made it feel very loose. This was a week after the initial tear, when it had almost healed but had a few knots in it.
It is that same hamstring area which gets tight now that I do a lot of running. I suspect it is caused by one hamstring being slightly weaker and shorter than the rest. So stretching it helps me. (I accept that some people should seek advice about stretching muscles, particularly if they are elderly or infirm)
I have a back stretcher which actually makes you tilt your spine more when you lie on it. This also does help in releasing tension in hamstrings, and lower back. I have not needed to use it recently, since I have been using resistance bands to stretch my hamstrings with a resistance stretch.
Don't stretch the hamstrings while bending forward, i.e. don't tilt the hips while stretching.
For anterrior pelvic tilt (hips tilt forward & bum out) = don't strech but strengthen the hamstrings.
For Posterrior pelvic tilt (hips sloping back,bum sucked under) = Stretch but an elongated stretch (see stretch @ 4:30 mins into the second clip)
The final clip says forget about about conventional methods use a tennis ball instead - not sure if this method would work for everyone or just those without an anterior pekvic tilt.
A severe pelvic tilt is probably not great for a skier.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sat 21-10-17 21:28; edited 2 times in total
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Mat-based Pilates, well taught, covers most of these bases, no need for gadgets.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Hurtle wrote:
Mat-based Pilates, well taught, covers most of these bases, no need for gadgets.
??? Pilates is full of gadgets (e.g. Cadillac, Reformer) loads of pilates clips showing pilate experts using balance balls, foam rollers, weights and other gadgets.
I like Pillates, never taken a class but have done many of the exercises in other fitness classes (Yoga, boxing, core workout). You have to admire a man (Joseph Pilates) who boxed, was a skier and escaped England.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Hurtle wrote:
Quote:
balance balls, foam rollers, weights
These are not gadgets. (I also use therabands.)
What gadgets are you referrig to then? in the clips I see weights and a tennis ball plus back stretchers were talked about. Are you saying something used to stretch your back is a gadget but something used to stretch your leg & back muscles (foam roller) isn't
I do most of these excercises after a jog/run. I find the best benefit comes when your muscles are well warmed up, and so any foam rolling really gets any rust out of the system. I do have a yoga ball, and I find it particularly useful for back lifts as doing back lifts on the floor is very difficult for me and results in jerky movements.
I think the mistake many people make, me included in the past, is to concentrate core strength training on the abdominal muscles. You need your muscles to be in balance, and so for each set of crunch sit ups, I also do back lifts and child pose is a core part of my yoga routine. I would also add "thread the needle" after child pose to twist the spine as this can also release some rusty bits from your muscles.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Bigtipper wrote:
I think the mistake many people make, me included in the past, is to concentrate core strength training on the abdominal muscles. You need your muscles to be in balance, and so for each set of crunch sit ups, I also do back lifts and child pose is a core part of my yoga routine. I would also add "thread the needle" after child pose to twist the spine as this can also release some rusty bits from your muscles.[/img]
Yes great point been guilty of that myself so invested in a simple roman chair but it does give me a lot of lower back pain when I use it excessively. Because it was cheap I also bought a peanut shaped balance ball too which enables me to do many back exercises without chipping a tooth (side spin-out).
This time last year the cross trainer broke (bolt sheared - not because I'm beefy but because something worked itself lose and the bolt couldn't take the play) so instead of using that as an excuse to do nowt I decided to buy a book on core training and did a regular 30 min core training session which worked core muscles I never knew I had (front back and sides). When time and weather permitted I went winter hill walking and even bought some snowshoes for the local mountains. When the ski-touring season started I couldn't propell myself up the hill as fast but in the powder on the way down I felt much much better balanced.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
The first video make the very pertinent point that sitting down is the main reason or cause of tight hamstrings. (as well as bad posture)
I got 3 of these for 99p each (prices have gone up), many years ago. Two are still unused in the attic, one is in constant use and never seems to need replacing. I have made an adjustment to the product, by stuffing either an inflatable neck support behind it or a memory foam neck support (the type advertised for long bus or plane journeys). This really forces me to tilt my pelvis correctly when sitting down. As the video points out, if you straighten the leg with the tight hamstring (either by using a recliner or a poofy or just by resting the foot on the heel) the tightness evaporates. (difficult to do on a cramped space cheap flight or bus journey)
So, avoid causing the tightness in the first place, and stretching appropriately helps
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Yes lots of stuff on the internet about sitting causing tight hamstrings. As the hamstrings cross both the hip and the knee joint many sources say the hamstrings may be fine but the lengthening or shortening of other muscles (e.g. Calf) could be causing problems which makes the hamstrings feel tight.
The ones you referred to - Cadillac and reformer. These are machines, not things which you can pick up and use on a mat. That's what I meant by mat-based. Obviously.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Mon 23-10-17 22:09; edited 1 time in total
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Bigtipper,
Quote:
child pose is a core part of my yoga routine. I would also add "thread the needle"
Agreed. Both amazingly useful poses.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
My big stretching problem is my quads, it's more difficult when full knee flexion is painful.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I have tried the cat cow repetitions are suggested, and it does not have any significant effect on my hamstrings. (they are not especially tight, so I suspect others may have a better result).
I tried frankensteins in preparation for a run after warming up. Dynamic stretching is more of a preventitive measure and does not make them more relaxed.
Diet is another thing which many articles never look into. For example increasing magnesium in your diet, and calcium will relax muscles. Having a magnesium bath, epsom salts, might work too (nothing happened when I did it). Reducing caffeine in your diet does help me significantly with all muscle tension. (I tend to overdose on too much coffee)
The ones you referred to - Cadillac and reformer. These are machines, not things which you can pick up and use on a mat. That's what I meant by mat-based. Obviously.
???? You mentioned gadgets before I mentioned the cadillac & reformer as if my first two posts / 4 first posts of this thread contained gadgets.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@DB, oh FFS, I can't be bothered trawling your posts any more for what you wrote and when.
drink milk, eat nuts (I eat a lot of peanut butter), redbush tea instead of coffee or tea, cook and eat spinach (to reduce oxalates), do not drink fizzy soda, reduce alcohol, fortify vitamin D or eat more mushrooms
with haloween coming up, get a large pumpkin. Extract all the seeds, wash, cover in olive oil, and roast at a low temperature. High in magnesium, low in oxalates. Make a pumkin pie, with ground roasted pumkin seeds in the base.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Hurtle wrote:
My big stretching problem is my quads, it's more difficult when full knee flexion is painful.
These are the main quad stretches that I do. If you have painful knees, then it might be better doing it like this
Using a foam roller on your quads can be done without flexing your knees.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Bigtipper, thanks.I know there are ways round, but the best method is the first and I'm sad I can no longer do that.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@DB, makes sense. But I can't do his way either - the leg being stretched won't bend that far.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Hurtle,
Heard that quite a few american Football Players have bad knees but as their leg muscles are so strong they can still function pretty well.
The same guy as above even offers exercises for people with knee pain as do quite a few others on youtube. (although I suppose not all will work for you)
Suppose as we get older we gotta keep making the most out of what still works otherwise we risk even further immobility.
Read your age in another thread, good to see you are still exercising in your advanced state of young age.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@DB, some good suggestions there, thanks. I shall be trying some of them, especially the backwards lunge: what a great idea! Luckily my knees don't hurt when I'm skiing, or not very often anyway, only when I stop. And I don't use a mojo. Ice packs on my knees as soon as I get back from a day's skiing usually sorts me out. So, although I've been told there is some arthritis going on, I guess it can't be that bad. And, as Jonathan Bell once pointed out on here, you don't actually need that much knee flexion to ski.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
When the weather gets cold like it is now, hamstrings tend to tighten. One thing I find helps keep them warm is a pair of neoprene shorts (maybe padded ones might help when skiing to protect hips from a fall). Obviously anything from skins to compression shorts will help increase the warmth and therefore hamstring flexibility.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I've struggled a lot with hams and very upper rear calves after my knee ligament injuries. Really reduces pain and increases mobility and extension to do some quick ham stretches. Easiest for me is to do standing, one leg out front with heel on floor, toes raised, weight on rear foot. Just try to raise toes and straighten front leg, bending forward at waist - and hold and gently increase tension. Do it standing in queues, waiting for kettle to boil, after sitting, any time it feels tight.
Don't find any great benefit of any other type of ham stretches. Sometimes push through the pain of nose to knee ones (hurt before injury!) but the standing one's much easier.
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Poster: A snowHead
