How to Increase your Flexibility : Leg Stretches & Exercises to Increase Flexibility

[TheMikeyPie]

yes guys, she said expect changes immediately, so after doing the once you will be able to clear your ears out with your big toe

[chayson11]

She's sleeping right?

[Kaidathewhale]

Lol, I'm pretty sure she can touch her toes guys. I've seen her stretch in other videos; she just shows what level the average person watching this video would be able to do.

[BLoodyALiceXseriX]

I can touch the floor and do stretches that you touch your toe etc but if its stretches to reach backwards like the bridgei cant do D:

also i cant do the splits XD really weird

[kahalalineke]

@RandommStuff she said let your weight fall forward, not touch your toes. jeeez, don't you listen?

[DestroyXXL]

one fucking important thing...

you got to be warm

you call this expert?????

[minermax4444]

FUCK expert village!!!

[DigitalCupcakes]

Sounds like she's in dire need of new lungs. O___O

[bazooka1hitko]

lol i did this 2 minutes and i was pulling from my toe now i got a funny feeling oh funny feeling at the stretch place i kinda itches.

[CheezyChewbacca]

i like your butt

[Brutaka921]

I'm 12,and I can do better than that.

[philbjust]

@Brutaka921

Of course you can... You're 12. Kid's are much more flexible than adults.

[dreadxxx990]

i can touch my feet!!

[scottisherenow]

This is like learning how to run from listening to a fat guy sitting on a couch.

[minermax4444]

@scottisherenow HAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHA! Great one!

[stryfe1000]

People listen to what she fucking said, she says don't force your way down, just let your weight fall, obviously if she forced more she'd reach her feet or floor, if she could reach her feet without forcing it she must have fucking long alien arms....sigh

[ninja1646]

I can't get within a foot of my toes ()_()

[ipathbomb92]

@ninja1646 I have the same problem, :(

[TheScottDeezy]

ya this chick is not even flexible AT ALL you cant even touch your toes expert my ass

[desutascx]

@RandommStuff

you don't know she can't touch her toes, fool.

[Cryptically]

doesn't look good for the back, is it okay for it to bend like that?

[UniversalHere]

@RandommStuff she probably can but just is trying to show those who cant how to begin so they dont pressure themselves and immediately try to to touch the toes

[LordTJ666]

so by doing that one stretch, and no other leg stretches, i will be flexible? Got it!

...psh jesus christ put some more fucking effort it in any idiot knows theres not only one leg stretch.

[maxambi]

wtf? I can do a better job! lol

[yamabukiknight]

expert village SUCKS

[yousahil]

you laymans are a bunch of COCKHEADS. just because she is PRETENDING not being able to touch the floor so as to satisfy your stupid egoes, does NOT mean she cannot touch it in reality. remember u came sniffing for stretching tips which means ur no good anyway. so weep about ur own sorry incompetent states rather than criticising others.

[lissabear22]

she doesn't seem very happy to even be doing these clips. her sigh of boredom really makes me want to try it. uh yeah right.

[Lrdvltr]

Shut it cunt.

[TheCobraPr]

@lissabear22 LOL!

[stephclr]

I'm already pretty flexible but I was looking for some more tips, but why would I take tips for a woman who can't even reach the floor without bending her knees

[katerynavelychko]

totally agree, I was looking for more stretches because I've been done with ballet for 4 years and haven't stretched, started again and was looking for different exercises. I need to go back to splits and crazy stretching but my mom won't do it she's scared that she'll hurt me

[LO000L]

@stephclr you din't listen to what she said :D...

[fpp4life23]

@stephclr she said let your weight fall never anything about trying to touch your toes....it is meant for beginners who can't touch their toes. don't be an ignorant bitch

[jewsmakingmovies]

@stephclr She's not doing that exercise, to touch your toes involves actually stretching and trying but this is just being relaxed and letting the natural weight of your upper body do the job

[yzujq]

@stephclr why bother watching? your already there my friend!

[yandykun]

this is bullshit, i have been two months and i see no improvements in my legs, little by little u will see that u have improved ur flex,bullshit im tired of all this shit im gonna do it my way i dont care if i tear a muscle or 30 muscles im tired of no seeing improvements

[Gabi24492]

@yandykun

you're fucking right i'm gonna do the same this only worths if you want to lose your time

[Classikev]

typo corrections below..[ "AbstractS"...."meaning" ..." announcers" & "You're" preaching to the choir....]

[Classikev]

Goodnight and good luck. I must sleep.

As I said..if you refute ANYTHING I have said...go to any professional worth their salt..such as Dr. Steven D.Stark MD. or read his book/s. "The Stark Reality of Stretching". It is readily available everywhere...Barnes and Noble....Borders..everywhere.

Bye.

[Classikev]

cont. >> back the proper current rsting length of the muscles SO THAT the joints are not pulled out of their correct alignments which if not stretched regularly and correctly throughout life, will lead to joint problems..>/osteo arthritis/tenosynovitis/compar­tment syndrome/Osgood Schlatter of the knee/s/plantar fasciitis/etc..etc..etc..etc..­etc..etc..etc..

A muscle MUST be loaded GENTLY for the fibers to RELAX BACK TO THEIR CURRENT RESTING LENGTH..so that the sliding elongation can THEN begin.>

[HisTruthbeUNKOWN]

A stretch force must be applied to the muscle for it to elongate. You could lay on yer back, use a belt and pull yer leg back to get the stretch. OR, bend over and uses your body weight to do it.

I'll agree that this might not be the best way to start training hamstring flexibility, but it will work. And it will also stretch the lumbars & errectors. It's a matter of degree and how long you stretch for. Common sense is needed.

I fail to see how this is not a stretch.

[Classikev]

Ok, now you're ignoring all I've said and talking about something completely different. (Politicians do this). You are now talking about GENETIC differences in length of tendons & muscles between individuals. Know this fact: Great degrees of true flexibility in individuals is GENETIC. People who are VERY flexible did not get that way from stretching. They were born with those lengths of tendon and muscle. SOME...SOME people with high degrees of flexibility can certainly bend over forward>cont.>

[Classikev]

cont. >> at the hips and waist and even touch the ground with their palms flat against the floor and only just slightly be beginning a stretch at that far extended point. These people are the GENETIC few.Of course for them...they would need to go much much further before starting a stretch than most others...however, people with this type of flexibility do not really need excess length in those muscles where they have extreme naturally flexibiity. In fact, further PROPER stretching>>cont>>

[Classikev]

>>cont. for them might lead to the problem of hyperflexibilty which can cause other problems such as hypermobility of the lower lumbar spine among several other joint issues.

And no, you are incorrect, this method will NOT work. it will not give ANYONE sliding elongation of the muscle fibers resulting in a longer current RESTING LENGTH of the muscles. The real benefits of stretching are not GREAT DEGREES of flexibility..no, that is genetic. The purpose of stretching is actually to get>>cont>

[Classikev]

>> THEN and ONLY then are you getting a STRETCH (sliding elongation of sarcomeres). When you are STANDING..the hamstrings are first of all..ALREADY flexed to help keep you standing. If a muscle is FLEXED it is NOT relaxed and CANNOT relax into sliding elongation. It is FLEXED. when you then bend forward the hamstrings are flexed even MORESO to help stabilize the pelvis against gravity..they are therefore WORKING & EXPENDING ENERGY...they therefore can NEVER relax back to their current ..>>cont>

[HisTruthbeUNKOWN]

Do you even know what happens when the hamstrings flex? IT CAUSES THE LEG TO BEND!

FLEXION is the DECREASE in angle between orgin & insertion! When you bend over the hamstrings are definitely NOT flexing! They're extending!

You best look up the definition of flexion, cause yer giving out misinformation here.

[Classikev]

No no no...You misunderstand..I used the "colloquial" term of "flex"..which may be called a static "flexing".. To be more clear I will say it this way. The hamstrings when even just STANDING upright are already TIGHTENED a bit >>>WORKING to keep you standing. If working..IE: expending energy to support & stabilize your weight while standing...they ALREADY would NEVER be able to achieve a TRUE SLIDING ELONGATION( STRETCH) within their fibers....so if you bend FORWARD where they are in an>>cont>

[HisTruthbeUNKOWN]

There is no colloquial term 'flex' called *static flexing*. You are confusing istonic contractions (of which there are 2 parts: concentric & eccentric) & isometric contractions in which no movement occurs.

All muscles are under some 'tension' (and why they are firm to the touch) and it is called normal muscle tone, otherwise we'd be nothing but a pile of jelly.

Isometric contractions have myosin cross bridges but the force of contraction does not exceed the opposing weight, and nothing moves

[Classikev]

I know in detail all about isotension and isokinetics etc. I in fact have textbooks on them...one as thick as a phone book with loads of abstract regarding isotension and isokinetics and etc. Your preaching to the choir. But, "flexed..or flexing is used COLLOQUIALLY all the time as menaing "Tensed"..or "Tightened"..or "Hard". Such as in bodybuilding competitions where even if a bodybuilder is standing onstage with legs completely straightened..(but every muscle TIGHTENED as hard as the..cont>

[Classikev]

..cont.>> bodybuilder can TIGHTEN them)..the annoucers will very often say.." Look at Haney or Look at Levrone...standing their with every muscle in his legs flexed tightly"..etc. Or.." Schwartzenegger was standing onstage flexing every muscle simultaneously as tight as he could for maximum hardness and definition for the judges here tonight"..and so on and so on. So, in strict human physiology, clinically, flexed would mean one thing, but......>cont.>>

[Classikev]

..cont #2 >> ..as I noted to you, I was

using it in a "colloquial" way.

Anyhow, you are wrong, there is/are colloquial uses of the term, "flex/flexed/flexing" which do equate to isotonic and/or isometric contractions as you can see with the bodybuilding examples I have given you here.

Ciao.

[Classikev]

>> even deeper contraction where they are working and contracting even harder..they ABSOLUTELY cannot be STRETCHED. (They will EXTEND and EXTEND LONGER>>TEMPORARILY..as you hang forward..reaching your hands toward the ground...yes! Your hands will slowly drop more and more toward the floor..BUT when you stand up..they will go right back to where they were..NO STRETCH will have occured..only a TEMPORARY CONTRACTION where they extended/contracted longer. But NO NEW CURRENT RESTING LENGTH ACHIEVED.

[Classikev]

cont. > ..resting length where the sliding elongation(the TRUE STRETCHING) can begin to occur. What DOES occur is that because the hamstrings are FLEXING/WORKING against the resistance of gravity AND the improper position AND the weight of your upper body leaning AWAY from them which they must counter balance so you do not fall flat on your face..they are not relaxed but rather CONTRACTING/WORKING...they therefore cannot relaxe back and begin sliding elongation.They only EXTEND in CONTRACTION.>>

[Classikev]

>> And the problem with that is that when you stand back up..they go right back to where they were before you bent over. You achieved NO NEW RESTING.....got that? RESTING length of the hamstrings. You also run the risk of tearing other structures in the lower lumbar in this position which can have devastating effects on the back, sciatica and other nerves as well as ligament lengthening over time causing other issues with disk and etc..Never load OTHER structures in a primary stretch like this.

[Classikev]

Another thing, that statement which said some people can bend forward wll bend right over with NO contraction is in fact a biomechanical impossibility....because the hamstrings are first off ALREADY slightly contracted just because of the simple fact that you are STANDING up! if they were not flexed a bit and slightly contracting (at LEAST) you could not stay standing! And when EVERY person..no matter how flexible, bends over forward they cannot help but get even MORE of a contraction in >>cont>

[yandykun]

inmediate results huh ? everytime i stretch my hamstrings i feel like im dying and i dont see any results

[and1f34]

exactly, i'm fucking tired from this shit. but i'm will still need to do everything to get flexible. i don't think this exersice will do your hamstrings flexible, you need to do a stetchs. like Classikev said.

[Classikev]

>> relax into stretch where the sliding elongation of sarcomeres would occur, giving a new current resting length of the hams. When the ham muscles are locked up as they are here when you bend forward, because they are tight & stabilizing the pelvis you also run the risk of tearig the hams at the muscle tendon junctions because you are PULLING on them. When doing ANY stretch you must start from a proper position then from a zero tension point move to GENTLE 1st tension and STOP.

[Classikev]

She's says you'll see immediate results..yeah, but 5 seconds later after you stand bakc up the muscles will get tight again because what she is shwoing here is NOT a stretch..it is an ECCENTRIC CONRACTION. The hamstrings CANNOT be stretched in any standing position. Why? Because when you bend forward the hams flex to stop the pelvis from rotating any farther forward so that gravity doesn't pull you off balance flat on your face. Therefore the hams are working,expending energy and cannot>>

[HisTruthbeUNKOWN]

1, Hamstrings origin is the ischium, & 1 bicep head, femur. Insertion is the tibia,biceps femoris, fibula.

2. Flexion results in a decrease of the angle between origin & insertion In this case, the lower leg bends backward (like on the leg curl machine)

3. Eccentric contraction is the opposite of the concentric (leg straightens in this case),angle increases, ends at full extension

4. Stretching is the moving of the insertion as far as possible from the origin.

That is the stretch here.

[Classikev]

I don't know what point you're trying to make...because this video is showing an ECCENTRIC contraction of the hamstrings..leg biceps. It is not a "stretch"..not a "true" stretch where a sliding elongatioon of the sarcomeres is achieved. This video is a contraction where the muscles supposedly being "stretched" are unable to truly achieve sliding elongation (a true stretch) because they are working,expending energy to stabilize the pelvis from rotating forward so she doesn' fall flat on her face.

[HisTruthbeUNKOWN]

My point that this is indeed a hamstring stretch. The insertion points of the hamstrings are being moved far apart from their origins.

Pelvis stability comes from the abs, illoasis, the gltues, tensor fasia latae & illiotibial band.

The danger with this is lumbar injury.

But's incorrect to say this is not a hamstring stretch. It most certainly is by the definition of what a stretch is!

There are vaying degrees of stretching & different types. This one requires solid back muscles.

[Classikev]

Just because the insertion points are being moved far apart, does NOT mean a true stretch is occurring. Unfortunately, you are quoting outdated training misinformation. A TRUE stretch will leave the muscles longer with a new CURRENT RESTING LENGTH than they had before a proper stretch was done. This video shows a CONTRACTION..where flexed muscles LENGTHEN in the contraction but will go back to exactly the SHORT length that they were vefore the CONTRACTION was performed..as soon as the>>(cont)

[Classikev]

cont)>> ..stands back up. In a simplistic ex. the contraction(non-stretch) would be akin to pulling a rubber band out to a longer length. When you release the pull on it, it returns immediately back to the original length it was...whereby a TRUE stretch would be akin to an old TV antenna pulled to a longer length. Te difference being that it willRETAIN that longer length...just as the muscles would do.(They would of course tighten/shorten again after 4 to 6 hours of normal activity.) The >cont)>

[Classikev]

cont #2) >> next problem with this CONTRACTION and it's position is that it damages other structures. (You see her rounded low back). A close look at what the hamstrings do involuntarily in reflex response to standing and bending forward explains why ALL standing hamstring stretches are not only wrong, but damage other structures. FACT: When a person is standing and bends forward from the pelvis, the HAMSTRING muscles involuntarily contract (myotactic reflex) to stabilize the pelvis against>cont

[Classikev]

>>cont.#3> ..gravity. The hamstrings will remain contracted, stabilizing the pelvis, as long as the person remains bent forward from the hips. When the hamstrings have contracted to their longest eccentric length (eccentric capacity), the pelvis STOPS rotating forward. If the person continues to bend forward,they do so by using the WAIST and rounding the lower back as they reach towards the ground. This transfers loading force into the posterior longitudinal ligament of the lumbar spine. This >>

[Classikev]

>cont.#4.>> ..will cause tearing, weakening and lengthening of the posterior longitudinal ligament that stabilizes the spinal vertebrae and spinal disk/s. As this ligament weakens over a period of years, the instability can lead to hypermobility of the spine and secondary damage, such as a herniated disk. The damage to these ligament structures is insidious, cumulative, and permanent. The resulting spine and sciatic nerve problems may not become symptomatic until years after the initial.. >cont>

[Classikev]

>>cont.#5> ..damage began. Other standing hamstring stretches such as the ballet bar stretch are also incorrect and damaging and have other consequences of their own. Remember that to achieve a true stretch which is sliding elongation of the muscle fibers where microscopic actin and myosin protein strands extend perpendicularly causing the larger sarcomeres(muscle fibers) to slide past one another extending HORIZONTALLY gives a NEW CURRENT RESTING LENGTH (true stretch)..a contraction as in>>

[Classikev]

..cont.#6...does not. As soon as one stands up from a contraction such as shown here in this video, after about 5 seconds, if the person bent forward again reeaching toward the floor, they would feel the muscle resistance of the hamstrings at the same POINT that they first felt it when they did it the first time. Why? Because they achieved NO stretch in the hamstrings..only a momentary elongation which was a pulling CONTRACTION and not a true stretch. If one stretches correctly, the muscle>>cont

[Classikev]

>cont.#7>> .. fibers are then a segment longer in their myofilaments than before the stretch was performed. A stretch should be performed twice by the way in immediate succession. If you feel I am incorrect or you do not believe what has been said, there are thousands of medical professionals in human biomechanics who can set you straight. So, rather than nudge me again, as one example,call Dr.Steven D.Stark MD. who is a podiatric/orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and>>cont.>

[HisTruthbeUNKOWN]

I'll refer you as well to Therapuetic Exercise 5th edition 2007. The hamstrings will contract as a stretch reflex as a reaction to tight muscles. A person with good flexiblity in the hamstrings will bend right over with NO CONTRACTION of the hamstrings due to the extensilbility of the muscle group. I personally have done stiff-leg deadlifts with knees locked & knuckles to instep & round with 240lbs for reps with NO trouble.

That would put a sedentary person in the hospital.

[Classikev]

>cont. #8..functional control. Dr. Stark is also on the Sports Medicine Council of British Columbia. I suggest you read his book which I've mentioned or call his center. He's helped professional athletes/dancers & people of all ages who've traveled to his center to recieve help so that they could perform athletically to their fullest potentials again. If you feel that you know more than a biomechanical expert & decades long physician/surgeon/researcher such as Dr.Stark then well.....good luck.

[Classikev]

..and by the way, the glutes are only a POSTERIOR stabilizer of the pelvis to any extent and the illiotibial band being the TENDINOUS structure of the glutes actually much moreso than being any kind of "stabilzer of the pelvis" ..rather, stabilizes mainly the knee from the lateral side. Just FYI.

[HisTruthbeUNKOWN]

Any shortness of the TFL, IT band, or gluteus maximus will cause hip problems. Therefore, they are crucial in maintianng proper hip alignment. And they are synergists in this clip. You can't islolate one muscle in this movement and lay claim that it's doing all the work, i.e. hamstrings.

It's far more complex than just that.

Knowing the origins & insertions of muscles reveal their functions.

[Classikev]

>> cont>> their hamstrings. NO ONE can stop this involuntary reflex response(myotactic reflex) from happening. it is what keeps you from falling flat on your face from gravity pulling you forward when you bend over forward. The fact that you can do a heavy SLdeadlift does not mean you have a proper RESTING length of your hams. It means that either you have good genetic flexibilty OR you simply do that movement alot and so have reset daily your ABILITY to go into that postion when in MOTION. >

[Classikev]

>>this second possibilty I mentioned is a NERVOUS system resetting of the muscle which in effect is a dynamic type "stretch"(not a TRUE stretch) where by repeating a motion many times in succession, one can reset the nervous system which works in harmony with the muscles and will even 4 hours after intially doing the movements, allow one to reach,swing,move quickly,or burst into that extended position with no real damage occuring. HOWEVER, this resetting is NOT a true stretch and therefore>>

[Classikev]

>>cont. will not give you a new and proper current resting length pof your muscles and therefore will NOT keep your joints from improper damaging wear and tear from improper resting length of your muscles.

BTW. The ONLY ways to stretch the hamstrings properly are in a sitting or lying postion ONE leg at a time in the sitting position to avoid loading other structures and to get good biofeedback during the stretch..OR lying on the back stretching both legs up on a wall or with a towel.

[Classikev]

In response to your comment...I did not say at all that the hamstrings were the ONLY muscle group "doing all the work" to stabilize the pelvis in this postion(vid clip. I never said that. Anyhow that is a non-issue that other groups are helping in regards to the issue. The point and fact of the matter is that the hams ARE contracting and working to stabilize the pelvis(with the help of other gorups of course!) against the pull of gravity as one bends forward & even just to stay standing upright!

[Classikev]

Oh I must address your statement about shortness of the IT band causing problems. The IT cannot shorten unless...UNLESS it is extremely unhealthy in the first place and the person perhaps never ever moves for years. Anyhow, if you are insinuating that the IT band could or should be "stretched" to keep it from "shortening" you are sorely mistaken. The IT band is a tendinous structure made of COLLAGEN. You CANNOT stretch it. If you try..you it would only go IMMEDIATELY back. You cannot achieve a>

[Classikev]

STRETCH in a TENDON. IMPOSSIBLE.

Tendons are inelastic collagenois material and you can NEVER...NEVER do a stretch on a tendon where it will stay stretched..not for an hour...a minute or even 2 seconds. PHYSICALLY impossible. And any medical person who tells you that you can or gives so called "tendon stretches" for the achilles or IT band or for ANY tendon...should be AVOIDED...run to another professional..QUICKLY!!! If you try to do regular "stretches" to a tendon you will soon cause DAMAGE.

[wade4d]

i can only touch my shins lol im hopeless bet im willing to get better lol

[soeasy79]

do u have any boob job expert in your expert village? just asking...

[dfan26]

I can bend down and touch my toes, it's easy for me.

[xShimmyShimmyx]

Actually, you should force it. Your body does not control you. You have to control your body in order to get what you want from it.

How is this "Expert Village", when all you teach is horribly flawed?

[Suppperpig]

I LIKE THE WAY U THINK!

[xShimmyShimmyx]

Thanks ;)

[JoeFoSho90]

She sounds like Cameron Diaz but shouldn't a flexibility instuctor be more flexible than that?

[cartmanxxx]

Do you think that instructor / trainer must be better than athlete he trains? I didn't noticed that there are leagues in which competes trainers instead of athletes ;) And every professional athletes has his own coach (or even more coaches ;)).

[JoeFoSho90]

This isn't athletics, this is stretching. The more you practice the more flexible you get. This is nothing like athletics, in which you are cooked at 30.

[cartmanxxx]

But you didn't answer my question ;) I provided only example in sport. Instructor/teacher/trainer of any kind must be able to teach and explain technique at first! There is need for the teacher to show some extreme poses. It's a lot safer too because somebody can try go too far and injure himself only because he or she tries to repeat excercise after teacher. And as far I understand stretching she doesn't made any mistake in explaining this basic legs stretch.

[cartmanxxx]

I mean there is no need to show some extreme poses ;) I always miss some words when I type in english :D Sorry for that.

[JoeFoSho90]

If an 'expert' is showing a technique then they should be proficcient in that technique. For example, if you are showing how to take a free kick and you scuff it into the wall then no one should take your advice, or if you're showing how to do a handstand and you can barely do one for more than 2 seconds then why would someone take you seriously?

You don't need skill to explain but you DO need skill to prove your explanation is valid.

[TerryTarget]

What a beautiful voice, the best!

[jacobsaunders81]

lol its a slight discomfort..and when u hear a rip, i think you may have gone too far...

[zachstigall]

LOL

[pdrProductions]

How many sets a day?

[786lexus786]

sounds gd

gonna try it

thanx

[kyliedoodle]

seems a little too easy...

just the way i like it thanks

[bluerain137]

cool