American Parkour

I have had several people ask me about stretching tips, which inspired me to put together an article on stretching and parkour. As I started doing more and more research, and coordinating that with my own stretching habits and philosophy, I discovered an immense amount of information that I thought would be helpful. Rather than wait until I had a chance to sift through all the information, put it together into an article, proofread, etc; I decided to do it in parts.

This is definitely a work in progress and I am by no means any sort of "official" authority on stretching. I'm just someone who enjoys stretching and has done it her whole life being a dancer and yogi. If it seems I'm misinformed, or if anything in an article is unclear, please let me know either in PM or here in the thread. Many heads are better than one, as the saying goes.

In any case, I present to you the first installment of "Stretching for Parkour."

I welcome your feedback.

Introduction
We very often neglect flexibility in our training, because the quests for strength and speed require so much of our attention. However stretching and flexibility training have their place in parkour practice. Flexibility can help with injury prevention, reduction of soreness following a workout, and a general sense of well-being. Flexibility training can also enhance your proprioceptive skills (your sense of body awareness and personal space), which are very important in the practice of parkour, and increased flexibility can also help enhance skills in various parkour movements.

Before we start, I would like to point out that I am neither a medical professional nor a fitness professional. I am simply someone with a great deal of personal experience in dance, yoga, and martial arts training. I enjoy stretching and often neglect other aspects of my training (e.g. strength and endurance training) in favor of flexibility practice, which seems to be the opposite approach of many members here and was a motivator for getting this article written. This article is simply the organization of my personal approach to stretching and flexibility training, based on a lifetime of regular stretching and on coaching others to enhance their flexibility for various activities, as well as reading I’ve done on the subject.

There are two critical things to keep in mind when stretching: one is to pay strict attention to alignment, placement, and form; and the other is to relax. For many people, stretching is uncomfortable, and so they respond by either shifting position (thereby changing their form), or by “gritting their teeth to bear it,” which only places tension in the muscle and does not allow it to lengthen. Either response is detrimental to developing flexibility, and in many cases can also lead to injury.

Stretching should feel good. It is a relaxing and calming activity, as any dedicated (or even fair-weather) yogi will tell you. You may feel some slight discomfort, particularly if your flexibility is limited, as your body gets used to moving in a new way. You may feel as if “something is happening” in the muscle you’re stretching, but it should not hurt and it should not be unpleasant. If it is, stop! Check your form and check your breathing. Many people find stretching to be an unpleasant activity because they are either incorrectly holding a position (thereby straining something), or because they are tensing and clenching up, and this is why many people avoid stretching. But if you approach it as the relaxing, pleasant activity that it is, you may find that you experience less discomfort in doing so. Who knows? You may even find that you enjoy it!

Biomechanics
As you know, the frame of the body is the skeleton, and the muscles enable the skeleton to move in certain ways. Places in your body where “bending” takes place (such as the elbow or knee) are, of course, joints. Joints are areas where two bones are connected by ligaments, which are flexible enough to enable movement. Your muscles contract and relax in certain combinations to essentially push and pull your body parts through space. Muscles are connected to your bones via tendons.

Each muscle is made up of different types of fibers that can contract and elongate based on what your brain tells your body it needs to do. If more power is required to accomplish a task, the muscle will “recruit” more fibers within a muscle to get the job done, sort of like pushing a stalled car up a hill. You will exert your maximum effort, and will call as many of your friends as you can to help you until the car moves.

Muscles will often work in cooperative groups. For instance, the bicep and tricep work cooperatively: the bicep contracts as the tricep lengthens, and vice versa, to bend and straighten your arm at the elbow. Other muscles in the arms, shoulders, or back may pitch in as needed, to stabilize this action and to lend their strength to the cause, depending on the job to be done. Understanding these cooperative relationships can help you maximize your stretching by contracting certain muscles to allow for lengthening of others. This is where form and placement come into play. I will describe this in more detail when describing the stretches proper.

When you stretch, you are lengthening muscle fibers. Just as a muscle will “recruit” as many or as few fibers it needs to contract to accomplish a strength task, when you stretch, individual fibers lengthen and others may remain at rest. The goal is to engage all the muscle fibers in the stretch; to get all the muscle fibers lengthened to their safe maximum at the same time. The more fibers you can get lengthening in cooperation, the greater your flexibility. As with anything, this comes with practice.

When a muscle lengthens, proprioceptors in the muscle communicate two things to the brain: how long the muscle fibers are getting, and how quickly they are lengthening. Your brain makes a decision based on this information and directs the muscle to either contract (say, if the muscle is lengthening too quickly), or to relax to enable further stretching. This is designed to protect the muscle from injury. For instance, when you slowly and gently pull a hunk of Silly Putty, it stretches but does not break. However if you pull on the Silly Putty too quickly, it will snap.

This brain-muscle communication is known as the stretch reflex. The stretch reflex communication goes on for as long as the muscle is lengthened. Part of what regular stretching accomplishes is habituating the proprioceptors to the level of lengthening, and the number of muscle fibers lengthening, so that your brain becomes used to the idea that the stretch is okay and safe for the muscle. This is also part of the rationale for holding (I prefer to call it “relaxing into”) a stretch for a long period of time. The more slowly you can lengthen a muscle, the more okay the brain feels about the stretch being safe, and the more your brain will allow the muscle to relax its contraction and allow for lengthening.

We have all seen dancers and martial artists kick their legs above their heads, or leap into the splits, with lightning speed. In general, the faster a muscle is lengthened (as in a sudden high kick), the more drastic the contraction will be in the stretch reflex. However martial artists, dancers, and other trained athletes have spent so much time habituating their proprioceptors via regular flexibility training that they are able to quickly lengthen a muscle without initiating a stretch reflex. High, fast kicks and split leaps are things that take time to build up to safely.

Over time during a stretch, the proprioceptive communication will tell the muscle to relax rather than contract, once it has been determined that the lengthening is not happening to a harmful degree. It’s as if the communication went something like this:

Muscle: OMG! We’re lengthening! We’re lengthening! Aaaaah! Danger!
Brain: Contract. Initiate counteractive tension.
Muscle: Okay. But we’re still lengthening. It seems to be happening slowly. I think… I think it will be okay. No damage. Hey, this feels kinda good.
Brain: Relax. Cancel tension.
Muscle: Ahhhhh.

This is another strong argument for holding stretches (and consciously relaxing into them) for a long period of time, to get over the contraction point of the stretch reflex.

Of note: Muscles can, and should, stretch. Tendons and ligaments, however cannot, and should not. There is a danger to over-stretching, particularly if the muscle is stretched to its maximum length. If at any time you feel a pulling deep within a joint, as where a tendon or ligament may be, STOP and rest the body part you are stretching.

Now that you know what happens in your muscles when you stretch, it is easy to learn how to “feel” those communications happening as you stretch. Learning what this feels like, knowing when your muscle is contracting in a stretch reflex and when it is relaxing, will help you learn to ride it out and gain the maximum benefit from your stretch. In order to do this, it is important to bring a deep awareness to your stretching: put your mind inside the muscles being stretched, experiment with the breath and the stretch to learn what your body is telling you. Remember, stretching should be a pleasant, relaxing activity. Practice feeling and interpreting these sensations as you go along.


Stretching for the traceur/traceuse.

There are several different kinds of stretching. It is possible to stretch prior to working out, for example, but this type of stretching is meant to accomplish something other than overall muscle flexibility and post-workout muscle care. As such, in this article I will only be presenting a program specifically designed for after parkour workouts. However be aware that my approach is neither definitive nor exhaustive. There are benefits to other types of stretching which, in the interest of simplicity, I will not address here. Depending on your goals, you may wish to research other types of stretching on your own. In future articles, I will present programs that incorporate other types of stretching, designed with other parkour-specific goals in mind.

In commencing a parkour-specific post-workout stretching routine, consider the most important things to keep in mind when stretching:

1.   Stretch after a full workout/parkour training session, when the body is fully warm. Ideally every parkour workout should end with a stretching session like the one outlined here.
2.   Pay attention to form, placement, and alignment when stretching.
3.   Relax into the stretch. Breathe. Stretching should be a pleasant, relaxing activity.
4.   Be mindful of your body’s sensations while stretching. Let your body “invite you into the stretch.”


The post-parkour stretching program.

This program is designed to be used after a parkour workout; either the WOD or a day spent parkour training at a favorite spot, or both. The body should be fully warm. The goal of the stretches is to relax and quiet the muscles after their activity, to help the muscles eliminate waste that could lead to soreness, to re-habituate the muscles to their “lengthened” range of motion to enhance healing and muscle-building, and to habituate the stretch reflex to longer muscle fiber lengths and sustained lengthening, developing increased flexibility over time.

I have chosen stretches for body parts that tend to get used a great deal in parkour, namely the chest and arms (from all the climbing and grabbing we do), and the posterior chain in the legs (from all the jumping and shock absorption we do). I have also designed the exercises to flow in an order that makes the most sense biomechanically. Remember to hold each stretch for several seconds. Opinions vary, some say 30-60 seconds; I encourage you to learn to feel when your muscle relaxes and lengthens, and stay in the stretch for as long as your body tells you it needs to. Relax into it (deep breaths are a great way to do this), and let your body invite you into the stretch. Obviously if you have an injury or if a body part needs some extra attention, modify as needed, either by using blankets or yoga blocks to support the stretch, or by eliminating certain stretches altogether, setting them as goals for the future. Only you can make those kinds of “body decisions” based on what your body tells you and what you know of yourself. Train smart.

For some of these stretches, I have provided an explanation along with photos to help describe the stretch. For others, I have provided a link to the pose at yogajournal.com. The explanations and details at yogajournal.com are excellent; at the bottom of each pose they also have drop-down menus with details for beginners, suggestions for modifications, and other helpful points. Because we are all at different places in our flexibility, I have a mix of basic and more advanced stretches in this routine. I strongly encourage you to read these explanations thoroughly and adapt as necessary based on what works for you. Do not simply look at the picture and try to mimic the pose. Be aware that some poses may not work for your body at this time. Keep your ego out of the stretch as much as possible. Breathe, breathe, breathe.

By the end of this series, if you are relaxing into the stretches, you should feel refreshed as if having awakened from a comfortable nap.


Back/Sides
1.   Move the spine in six directions:

• Start on all fours, in a “table” position. Engage the abs to support the spine. Weight should be evenly balanced among all four limbs. Legs should be directly under hips, arms directly under shoulders. Keep the collarbones broad and the neck long and easy. Fig. 1 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0363.jpg)
• Exhale, and curl the spine up towards the ceiling like an angry cat. Let the head and tailbone arc downward, feeling the space and broadness of the back. Breathe into the lower back lungs. Hold the pose for 3-5 breaths.Fig. 2 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0364.jpg)
• Inhale, and arc the spine in the opposite direction, bringing the neck and head, and tailbone, up, feeling the openness of the chest and the suppleness in the spine. Breathe naturally. Hold the pose for 3-5 breaths.Fig. 3 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0365.jpg)
• Return to neutral. Continue to breathe as your body invites you to. Be mindful of the breath.
• Curve the right shoulder and right hip towards eachother, so that if viewed from above, the spine would look like a letter “C.” Look over your right shoulder. Feel a stretch along the left side, and a gentle “squeeze” on the right. 3-5 breaths.Fig. 4 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0367.jpg)
• Repeat on left side.
• Reach the right arm under the left, lowering the right shoulder to the ground as if trying to reach something from under the bed. Feel the gentle twist to the spine. Reach; hold the pose for 3-5 breaths. Fig. 5 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0368.jpg)
• Repeat on right side.

2.   Bharadvajasana I (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/487_1.cfm)

Arms/Hands

1.   Tricep stretch (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0371.jpg). To deepen the stretch, press down on the elbow of the stretching arm and widen the shoulders away from the body.

2.   Bicep stretch. Step 1 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0372.jpg) and Step 2 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0373.jpg). You may have to experiment with the arm position and the rotation of the hand. In Step 1 you really want to point the thumb towards the floor. In Step 2 you should feel the stretch in the “belly” of the bicep muscle. Adjust until you can feel the position for your body.

3.   Namaste hands (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0375.jpg). To deepen the stretch in the wrists and forearms, keep the hands pressed together, widen the chest, and lower the wrists towards the ground. You can also rotate the hands so that the fingertips are pointing out from your chest.

4.   Forearm/wrist stretch Step 1 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0376.jpg) and Step 2 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0377.jpg). This is a variation for a bit of a deeper stretch than the one above. Especially helpful for carpal tunnel issues. Keep the fingers splayed and spreading along the ground. If you feel any tingling or pinching, stop immediately.

5.   Lion Pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/1705_1.cfm?ctsrc=posesearch) You don’t have to make the goofy face (although the extended tongue sometimes can really relax your facial muscles). The splayed hands are key, here; after a long day of gripping ledges, this hand stretch feels good!

6.   Namaste hands behind back, between shoulder blades (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0378.jpg) This is a difficult stretch, but is a good one if you want to go deeper with the wrists. It also incorporates the shoulders and chest. Just be sure to keep the neck long and the chest broad, shoulders back. Sit with your very best posture to be sure you stretch all those places.

Chest/Shoulders

1.   Single-arm chest stretch View 1 (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0379.jpg) and View 2. (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0380.jpg) You can deepen the stretch in the chest by leaning forward and keeping your opposite shoulder reaching back. Vary the height of your arm to feel the stretch migrate to different places in your pectoral muscles.

2.   Sphinx pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2464_1.cfm?ctsrc=posesearch)

3.   Extended puppy pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2476_1.cfm)

Buttocks

1.   Reclined glute stretch (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0383.jpg) Let the top leg fall open. You should feel this along the glute and outer thigh of the top leg. Be sure to do both sides.

2.   Reclined twist with leg extensions (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0385.jpg). This is a great one for engaging the lower back also. You can experiment with the angle and extension of the top leg to feel the stretch move to different places in your gluteal muscles.

3.   Fire Log pose (with cow face arms) (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0386.jpg) Again, let the top leg fall towards the ground. Incorporating the arms will sneak in a nice tricep and upper back stretch if you feel you still need to give them some attention.

4.   Cow Face pose (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0387.jpg) A deeper stretch. Be sure you are sitting up tall, feeling your “sit bones” under your bottom. Reach the knees towards the floor. If they come up, you are missing the stretch. You may widen the feet away from the body if it helps you, as well as use your hands to help hold your feet or knees into position.

Calves/Feet

1.   Standing calf stretch with a wall (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0388.jpg). Be sure the legs are completely parallel and the back heel is reaching towards the floor. Keep the pelvis pressing forward and the back knee straight, but not locked. Bend the back knee, keeping the heel reaching towards the ground, to move the stretch into your Achilles tendon. Be sure to do both sides.

2.   Seated ankle circles, clockwise and counterclockwise each leg. You will get more of a stretch in the ankle if you use your hand to gently rotate your foot, pushing the stretch a bit.

Hamstrings

1.   Single-leg seated forward bend (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/476_1.cfm)

2.   Staff pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2480_1.cfm) into Seated forward bend (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/477_1.cfm)

3.   Reclining Big Toe pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/483_1.cfm)

4.   Downward Dog (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/491_1.cfm)

Groin

1.   Baddha konasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/486_1.cfm)

2.   Garland pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2472_1.cfm)

Quads

1.   Prone quad stretch (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0396.jpg). In this stretch, it is critical that the legs be absolutely parallel to protect the knees. Keep the inner thighs together and the knees together. The knee of your stretching leg needs to point straight down in a laser line towards the foot.

2.   Standing quad stretch (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0397.jpg) Again, pay attention to the knees. Do not let the knee of the stretching leg splay out to the side or come up in front or in back of you. Your knees should both be together in all planes. Be aware or your lower back; it should not be engaging at all in this stretch. If you need to deepen the stretch, reach the knee towards the floor, let the ribcage grow up and out, and lean the pelvis forward and up, slightly. Be sure to check your knees.

3.   Bridge pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/472_1.cfm)

4.   Camel pose (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0400.jpg) Think of the back lengthening rather than arching. You should feel this in your quadriceps. The spine should be long, not pinching in the lower back. If grabbing your ankles is a challenge, you may use yoga blocks to lean on, or support your arms on a chair or low table behind you.

Full-body restoration/relaxation

1.   Dolphin Pose (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/Muse_of_Fire/APK%20Stretching/PICT0401.jpg) Be sure to lengthen the spine and keep the shoulders away from the ears and the neck long. Feel the stretch all along the entire back body. Let the chest and shoulders be broad and the abs be drawn up in support of the spine.

2.   Child’s pose (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/475_1.cfm)

3.   Legs-up-the-wall (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/690_1.cfm)

4.   Savasana (http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/482_1.cfm)


Lastly, the key to increasing flexibility is to stretch regularly; at least every-other day, if not daily. Because stretching is a relaxing and pleasant activity, I personally find it very easy to stretch daily as a way of managing stress. If nothing else, as a traceur/traceuse you’re probably working out on a daily basis for the most part anyhow; so tacking on an extra 20 minutes or so at the end of the workout for this stretching routine should be an easy thing.


UPCOMING ARTICLES:

Flexibility: Myths and Facts
Pre-workout stretching
Training to increase flexibility
Training for splits
Troubleshooting/specific body parts/customizing your flexibility program

For more information:

http://people.bath.ac.uk/masrjb/Stretch/stretching_toc.html#SEC38

You are the best!

Nice.

Message Mark and tell him to post up on the main page.

good job....looks like you put alot of work into it...
You are a great contributor to this forum.....

Wait a sec, Muse_of_Fire were you at the national jam, cause you look familiar in one of the pictures for the stretching?

Yes I was, Brotha. :)

And Pat13, thank you for your nice comments. :) I appreciate it.

Excellent Muse.  I thank for your hard work, and will definitely be utilizing this "write-up".   

That was awesome muse :) very informative.  the only thing that i would add is that stretching in itself has been shown in many studies to actually increase the chance of injuries.  What decreases injury is the warm up.  The best combo is warm up and THEN stretching.  So never stretch cold, always warm up the body first with large muscle slow and low intensity exercises, then move on to these stretches before and after training.  Otherwise, you colud be doing more damage.

Agreed. That's why I emphasized that in the article. I have seen far too many people stretch "cold" and it just makes me cringe in fear for their muscles!

:)

Thank you for your comments.

Very nice guide Muse, thanks for the considerable effort you must have put into it.  Here's a small addition:

http://www.ironsports.tv/flexo.html (http://www.ironsports.tv/flexo.html)

It has a nice discussion of the strength and structural side of flexability and more importantly shows that men can be flexible too ;)

This is Sweet Muse -Well Done!!!

heh, sorry muse, must have missed it :), my bad

I tried a few of the stretches you described earlier today, actually I tried just about all of them, and on a few of them I wasn't really feeling any stretching, that pleasant pull and tightness that you feel when you are stretching.  The first stretching that comes to mind was the back and sides one where you curve your back.  I don't know if I was doing it wrong or what, but I wasn't feeling too much in the way of stretching.  One that I do for my side, well more for the side of the hip is were you stand like you are about to stretch your calf (hands against the wall, one leg back, it's explained in your article) and you bend at the hip.  If you have your right leg back you would protrude your hip to the right, and vise versa for the left.   Thanks.

Not to worry, Cheetaur; it's a point that can't be over-emphasized anyhow. I'm glad you mentioned it. :)

BobT: That link is very helpful! Thank you! I see it more as a "how to train for flexibility" resource, and as such I will definitely be researching it in more detail when I write my "Training to increase flexibility" article. Some good information in there. Thank you!

Canman: without seeing you do the stretch, I'm not sure why you didn't feel a stretch. It's possible your form wasn't right. It's equally possible that you're flexible enough in the side waist that you wouldn't feel a stretch. I sort of picked stretches that were all over the board so that people of different levels of flexibility could benefit. If you are a regular stretcher and have a good handle on body awareness and flexibility, it's possible you may not feel the stretch in all of these. It sounds like you have some stretches that work for you, so that's good. The important thing is that you're using what works for you.

Thank you very much for the comments, everyone. Happy stretching!

This is incredibly helpful!  You're a superstar!

Just a note:

Yoga Journal re-did their site. I checked the links in my article and they all redirect, but some of them take a long time. If you're having trouble or if the links aren't working, let me know either here or in PM and I'll try to fix them and post the fixes here.

Just an FYI.

Excellent, very helpful. Thanks for putting this together.  ;D

Awesome stuff Muse...funny that I finally get around to reading this immediately after posting Zeus' stretching article...is there a common thread of thought here...a few people with lagging flexibility? If you don't mind, I'll try to add this along the same lines to the main page. Excellent job as usual!

I am having some problems with stretching, I never stretched much as a kid, but I already know that just makes it that much harder to get flexible.  But after stretching for three months, I have barely got any more flexible.  So since it is hard for me to get flexible in the first place, should I be stretching twice as hard to get flexible, or what? Like should I do deeper stretching, so that I trully feel a good stretch?

When you say "stretching for three months," do you mean daily? Weekly?

If you are stretching after you are fully warm (and I mean *fully*, like at the END of a full workout), and are doing so daily or at least every-other day, AND are "relaxing into" each stretch for at least 30 seconds to a minute, you will get more flexible. The keys are warmth, consistency, and relaxing.

Sorry, gear, for taking so long to respond to this. I think my cookies were goofy on my computer or something. Thank you very much for the feedback. It means a lot. :) Feel free to add/delete/modify whatever as you see fit. I appreciate your willingness to do so. Happy to help out any way I can.

I'm aware (both previously, and after reading this thread) that stretching before warming up isn't a great idea, but what about when you're not going to be doing anything physical? Examples, stretching before and after bed, and at various times throughout the day. If I'm stretching for the sake of stretching without warming up before, would this be counter-productive? Dangerous?

Go for it. If you want good/best results for flexibility, you need to stretch 3-5x a day. :) Mostly obviously when you're not working out.

Also, it's mainly passive or excessive amounts of dynamic stretching that shouldn't be done before workouts. Doing some dynamic like leg swings, rotating the arms.. really anything to warm up the muscles without jerking them to their range of motion or holding them stretched will work.

What Steve said. And to clarify: you should still warm up before "stretching for the sake of stretching." Anything to raise the body temperature a degree will do: jumping rope, jogging in place, jumping jacks, squats & pushups. This makes the muscles more supple; a warmup should only take 5-10 minutes at most. I would also recommend stretching with warm clothes on (e.g. sweats or a jogging suit as opposed to shorts & a t-shirt), and in a warm room, especially if you're doing static stretching.

Occasionally, say if you've been sitting for a long time, your body will "nudge" you to stretch. Getting up and stretching the body parts that are asking for it, without warming up first, is no big deal; kind of like a dog or cat stretching after a nap. However if you're preparing to do "a stretching routine" for the purposes of developing flexibility, you should warm up first.

I'm currently working on a follow-up article that should clarify some of these details.

Happy stretching!

Very helpful, both of you.

Can't static passive stretching be done cold or warmed up? I have been doing cold stretching at night for about a year now and I have not harmed my muscles, only made my splits better and what not. I agree that dynamic stretching and THEN static stretching is great for gaining flexibility, but I don't see cold stretching affecting anyone.

Yes and no. The thing is, your muscles are more supple when they are warm and therefore you get the most benefit out of stretching warm (no matter which kind of stretching you do). Also, you are more prone to injury when stretching cold. Being more prone to injury does not guarantee that you will get injured; as a result I know plenty of people (myself included) who static passive stretch cold and do just fine. It's a matter of knowing your limits and knowing how to feel and understand your body. Typically I get a better stretch when I'm warm, though, so to me it makes more sense to stretch warm. Why do a thing if it's not going to be done as close to the ideal as possible? :)

Since most people don't know how to stretch properly, I'm giving advice on ideal conditions for stretching as a starting point.

You say that you "don't see cold stretching affecting anyone." I assume you're speaking from experience here--as some kind of trainer or coach? It sounds like you observe people cold stretching a lot and have information to add. If that's the case, awesome! I'm always looking to expand my knowledge--especially since I'm not officially a personal trainer or anything like that. I'm just someone with a lot of personal experience with movement and flexibility training in a general sense. So if you have other evidence to support cold stretching, let me know. I'd be interested in reading up on it.

You guys describe stretching as pleasant, I’ve never heard that before, for me its quite painful. I never heard anyone complain so i figured it hurt for everyone. Does this happen with some people and not others?

It depends on one of two things:

1. your level of flexibility
2. your technique

It could be a combination of both. It depends a lot on what you mean by "painful." Is it a sharp sudden pain? Dull pain? A general "uncomfortableness" in the muscles? Tightness? Or is the pain more in the joints? Does the pain go away as you sit in the stretch, or does it get worse? If you are incorrectly holding a position you may feel pain in certain areas as things get yanked on. If you are simply inflexible you may be pushing too hard.

The key is to relax, and to stretch daily, with proper alignment.

Most people feel that "something is happening" in the muscles they're stretching, and it may be a bit uncomfortable, but after a few seconds it should be pleasant. I tend to feel very refreshed after a full stretching session, and in fact feel out-of-sorts if I can't get a good stretch in before or after a ballet class. At the COPK jam I led a handful of guys through a general stretching session at the end of the day. Most of these were guys who didn't stretch regularly and they were a bit uncomfortable for a while but afterwards they said they felt really good, and they all noticed a difference the next day: they were among the few who weren't sore for the next day's jammage!

well I’m not very flexible(I never been able to touch me toes), and the pain is about the pain of stubbing your toe. Not excruciating but a sharp pain none the less.

I would avoid doing standing stretches for a while until you get more flexible. If you want to be able to touch your toes, for example, do static stretching daily (or 2x/day if you can) using seated stretches. Seated forward bend is a good one. Relax into the stretch for at least 30 seconds, then rest, and repeat. Focus on your breathing. You have to train your muscles not to panic and initiate the stretch reflex. Basically you are training the muscle that this kind of movement is safe, and you are also training the muscle to lengthen as many fibers as it can during the stretch. You have to give it time to do so. The more fibers that lengthen at a go, the more flexible you are.

If you are getting a sharp pain you are probably dropping into the stretch too fast. Get into the position slowly, and then relax and breathe until your body invites you to go further. When your body is ready, it will let you know; you will feel a slight "release" in the muscle and will just go a bit further into the stretch automatically. If you are "trying" to get flexible you will just work against yourself.

sounds good thanks :)

As a percussionist, my instructor has told me that rotating your hands so your fingertips point out from your chest (horozontally) is bad for your wrists.  Instead, my instructor suggested that you point your fingertips up or down with the sides of your hands touching your chest, never horozontally.

Hope this pertains to parkour as well...

Interesting. I have never heard this, but as mentioned I am hardly an expert; just someone who likes to stretch. Did your instructor say why? I would be interested in hearing about this.

I'm not entirely sure why...

What are the yays and nays about stretching when you feel sore?
Right now we have track conditioning and I'm stretching before and after and throughout the day. But I'm still getting sore (I expected this, lots of explosive movements [sprinter]), and what are the guidelines for stretching when you're sore?
It's a lot harder to warm up because you want/need to rest your muscles, but at the same time, stretching helps make them feel better and (to my knowledge) recover/"un-sore" quicker.
Thanks ;D

Awesome article Muse! Thank you.

I got a good giggle out of the Brain/Muscle conversation.

I already said this is another forum but I'll say it again here. The problem is that most people do not understand the difference between flexibility and range of motion. Just being flexible is not only NOT productive, it is down right dangerous if you don't have the muscular integrity to back it up! You need to be proportionally strong in every position (this is known as range of motion) otherwise you are only flexible and this makes you physically vulnerable to injury. Don't think about stretching to improve your flexible, think of becoming more proportionally strong to improve your range of motion.

You posted it twice and I am going to correct you twice.

If you feel like nitpicking semantics then you are going to be in for a small battle here...

Range of motion is the minimal to maximal degree of your muscle joint to move, regardless of the force able to be produced AT that range of motion

Flexibility is a subjective term that people use to describe their range of motion.  Loosely speaking, functional ROM is considered FLEXIBILITY.

What you MEAN to say that you want to improve FUNCTIONAL range of motion.  Strictly speaking now, range of motion without function is considered CONTORTION

As i said before, a good stretching program increases functional range of motion, that is, flexibility.  A bad stretching program increases non-functional range of motion, that is, forces contortion.

Precisely. Which is why this stretching program is designed to be only one part of an overall parkour training program, as I mentioned in the first part of the article. I assume that most people reading this are already engaging in strengthening and conditioning work for parkour. It would be silly for people not to.

Thanks for clarifying that point muse. Great article! Keep it up.


I only realized how important stretching is during this past week with NYPK and the Ladies Clinic at Primal.  If you do it properly, it can really decrease DOMS, and keep you in good shape to preform the next day.    I'm now completely addicted.  In fact, I'm off to stretch right now!

thx muse this is just what i was looking for. i guess i am stating the obvious but would then suggest doing yoga in general as flexibilty training?

Ah yes yoga works wonders. I myself do it every morning and it does increase balance, flexibility and state of mind!

Yoga is great because it simultaneously works strength, balance, flexibility, and coordination, as well as mindfulness. The trick is to find the right kind (there are TONS of kinds of yoga out there) for your overall performance goals. I would also suggest working with an instructor who has a keen awareness of body alignment, and who stresses that in his/her training. If you are achieving asanas with poor alignment, you are missing a lot of benefits (at best), and hurting yourself (at worst). Furthermore, attention to proper alignment will help your overall proprioception and coordination for everything (including parkour!)

I'm interested in these two articles
Pre-workout stretching
Training to increase flexibility


Can't wait to read them: for now I stick to t his until I can read what you have http://trickstutorials.com/index.php?page=content/flexibility

I don't want to seem demanding, but Muse: when are we going to get these?!?!  I loved your first article, and I'm really looking forward to "training to increase flexibility."

Lol.

I'm glad people are so interested. I feel terrible, I keep saying they will come in a few months and it's been like a year.

I've been going through some rough stuff lately... this is pretty far down on my priority list. That said... maybe over winter break?

I *do* want to get them done but as anyone who has read my recent training log entries knows... I've been kind of holding myself to a (ridiculous) superhuman schedule lately.

Thanks for your interest, though. I'm glad people are looking forward to them! And I appreciate the occasional "nudges" to action, so don't worry. I'm glad you posted. :)

I just saw your training log, and wow.  Don't even worry about these: what info you've given already is plenty to tide me over for a long time to come.

(Double post oh no!)

So let's conduct a thought experiment wherein a guy named ilE wanted to do the side splits.  What might be the best way of stretching for this?  Seated butterflies?  Standing with the legs apart?  Seated with the legs apart?

Eli,

Pick up a book called Relax into Stretch by Pavel:
http://www.amazon.com/Relax-into-Stretch-Flexibility-Mastering/dp/0938045288

If you don't want to invest...which would be kind of silly cuz its a cheap book thats worth it....in short u need to stretch 60 minutes a day holding stretches for 1 minute or longer using proper breathing/visualization.  YOu really need a wide variety of hammie stretches for the split, and that book has a whole list with pictures.

Chris has great advice, as always. In addition to hamstring flexibility (which you will need to keep your spine properly aligned in the side splits and the stretches leading up to it, so you can get the most gains), here are a couple of other suggestions that I'm only recommending because you already seem to have good body awareness and a good head on your shoulders with regard to training (i.e. you are not about to go hog wild and hurt yourself with these stretches).

Note to others: these stretches are pretty "advanced" (for lack of a better word). They put quite a strain on your body and I don't recommend them for everyone. If you try these, listen to your body, scale back if you need to, and STOP if anything pulls/hurts.

Make sure you are warm before doing these. I also recommend doing these after you have done some basic hip-opening stretches like butterfly, seated straddle, etc.

1. Supine straddle: lie on your back on a bed that is up against a wall. Scoot your butt up against the wall and put your legs against the wall so your body is making an "L". Relax, breathe deeply, and let your legs slide apart into a V. They will stop when they are at their limit. Breathe, relaxing into the stretch, letting gravity take over and letting your legs give in to gravity as your muscles relax and release.

If you feel any twisting in the knee, or tightness/pain in the hip sockets, either adjust the rotation of the leg, or stop the stretch all together depending on the sensations you feel. Listen to your body.

Hold the stretch for at least a full minute. I had a (hardcore, BAMF-type) dance teacher who had us do this for 30 minutes a day, but I'm not sure that was too wise. Those with more knowledge than I can tell you how long is a good idea to sit in the stretch.

To come out, use your hands to help draw your legs back together. When they are together, bend the knees towards the chest and roll over onto your side.

2. Trestle stretch: get on all fours on the floor. Make sure your thighs are directly under your hips, so your body is at right angles like a table. Spine is neutral, core is engaged to support the torso, spine is long.

Slowly spread your knees apart from one another, letting your pelvis get very heavy, drawing towards the floor. You may have to go down to your elbows to keep your body level.

Your legs will stop spreading when they are at their limit. Breathe, relax, let gravity help you.

3. Frog stretch: From trestle stretch, walk the hands forward until you can comfortably lie down on your belly on the floor with your legs still spread apart. Very carefully, draw your feet together as closely as they will allow, so your legs are making a diamond on the floor. Be very mindful of the knees on this one and adjust as necessary. The goal is to get the legs totally flat on the floor in the diamond shape, with the soles of the feet together.

4. Supine one-legged side stretch: On your back, with spine neutral, core engaged, put your feet on the floor with your knees bent. Bring one knee in to the chest and slowly straighten the leg, as straight as it's willing to go. You may need to use a strap around your heel to hold your leg in place. Let the bent leg drop to the side (as a counterbalance) as the straight leg also opens up to the side. Breathe, relax, stretch. Repeat on the other leg.

5. Wall straddle: Sit in a straddle with your heels against a wall. Scoot forward slightly, just beyond what's comfortable but not to where you're hurting yourself. Breathe, letting the wall help you. Take care to be sure your knees are in line with the center line of the leg, over the middle toes, and there isn't any torquing or twisting. As your muscles relax, continue to scoot towards the wall a bit more, using your hands to push, to try to increase the ROM.

6. Progression to side split: Using a heavy chair or other stable object for support, stand on the floor and slide into a side split (wherever yours happens to be), resting your hands on the chair to help support your weight. You may also want to hang onto an overhead bar instead. The point is to keep a portion of your bodyweight off your legs, but still allowing some weight so that you can increase your stretch. Over time, you want the distance between your legs/pelvis and the floor to decrease until you are in a full side split.

7. Standing side split stretch: Holding on to a countertop or other stable surface for balance, stand with your heels together, legs outwardly rotated from the hip to their natural limit. Be sure you are not twisting your feet beyond the rotation of your thighs/hips. Knees should be directly over middle toes. You should be in ballet first position. :) Bend the knees slightly, keeping the torso erect. Lift one leg, maintaining the outward rotation and the bent knee. Reach down and grab the inside of the heel with your hand, and stand up. Lift the knee to the side as high as you can, keeping the working knee bent (standing leg is straight). Use your hand to help pull the foot up and, consequently, the knee.

Be mindful of the rotation of the standing leg. Make sure you are not bending or twisting that leg. Keep the glutes engaged to stabilize the pelvis and protect the knee.

As you gain more flexibility, gradually work towards straightening the leg. You may find it easier to hook the arm under the hamstring of the working leg, pulling the thigh in towards the torso, and the knee towards the armpit, before straightening the leg.

Pelvis should be dropped, lower back long, and lower core very engaged in this stretch to stabilize the pelvis and ensure proper alignment for the stretch, so that you are stretching the right things to get into a split. Otherwise you are working against yourself.

Kind of what these little dudes are doing starting at about 0:30 is the end product you're working for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1cqS8W45sY

Here is more, to help with general hamstring flexibility and front splits (kind of basic but it's a good starting point). If you can get these, then the side splits are just a matter of hip opening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8D7R8QxJL4

The biggest key is the alignment of the back and pelvis. The lumbar curve should be preserved. Very often in seated stretches people tuck the pelvis, curving the lumbar out and back. This ends up stretching pretty much nothing; although for most people this is a result of a lack of hamstring flexibility.

I hope that helps you for now. I would love to do a full-on article with pictures and video, because for these stretches the alignment is so important.

All in due time. I need to win the lottery so I can quit my jobs and just train myself and others full-time, and collaborate and write articles!

:)

Good luck! And thanks for your patience.

Thanks for the help!  I still can't even touch my toes, so I've got a long way to go, but I wanted to learn this stuff so I could be thinking about it in the meantime.  I try to keep my back as straight and properly-aligned as possible, but I think I need to be a little more flexible before I can do that effectively.