2007 GOALS

Thank you for your detailed stretching program and suggestions! I gave your program a try today, it was wonderfully short but directed. Do you do any warm-up exorcises before you begin stretching?

After speaking to several people who have attained the flexibility goal of the side split (and those who didn’t), I am finding a common theme. The secret is consistency. Those who accomplish their goal have a very simple and short stretching regiment that they follow on a daily (or almost daily) schedule. Those that fail have a very aggressive plan that is very time consuming. They fail because it is too unrealistic to stretch that long or often. They end up skipping days, or even weeks because their program is too intimidating. Of course, good technique should speed up the process.

Anyway, that's what I like about your program as well, Bushido 134. It is short, simple and proven effective.

good luck with your stretching routine Everyone. You should join the thread Stretching buddy it basically is a way to help motivate others and the more members involved the merrier as we can share tips.

Anyway keep it up and like you say you are very correct it is all about consistency

Thank you for the invitation Tezza.

I have noticed while tracking my results that it is also important to stay consistant with the clothes I wear. My various work-out pants have significantly different inseams, which gives inconsistant results. I know I have made progress, but I am not sure how much (at least until those original pants get out of the laundry).

I have also found a good way of streaching that seems to work well for me. I have a long strap that goes from one foot then behind my back to the other foot. Each end is looped around the foot with a buckle. I lay on my back with my feet up and the strap helps pull apart the legs. I can adjust the tension by shortening the strap, raising it up on my back or putting pressure on the strap with my elbows. It's cheap to make and works well.

I definately agree with clothing. I have a certain pair I always use when stretching as the inseem is much wider making it much easier.

As for you little contraption. Sounds interesing. have you got any pictures?

I was referring to the measurement from the crotch to floor being affected by the inseam, not how far I stretched. For an accorate reading, the same clothes have to be worn.

I don't have any photos of the stretching strap but there's not much to it. A rope with loops for your feet at each end will work. You will just have to experiment with the length. It has to go from one foot to around the back to the other foot. It is a more comfortable and controled stretch compared to a regular side split. I still do both though.

Well, my official measurement for the first month is 12.75 inches starting from 14. A success, but not as enough to stay on track with my goals. My plan was to drop 1.75 inches per month, this month was only 1.25.

My plan for this month is to increase the intensity of the isometric stretches and exceed the 1.75 goal by .25 inches. I can still reach my overall goal of full side splits by August.

After breaking my own rule of consistent effort toward attaining my flexibility goal, I am back at it. I did manage to make some progress over the last couple of weeks. Only 10.75 inches to go now. To make my August deadline, I will need to drop about 2.75 inches per month.

Although reaching my goal seems like a far stretch now, I believe it can be done. I have added some different stretching methods recently that so far have shown some dramatic results. More on that later…

Nice job on the improvement.

Well, it seems that my enthusiasm for stretching waned after about 4 months of consistent effort. I continued to stretch enough to maintain the gains I had achieved. My starting point for 2008 is 10.75 inches.

I am setting a goal of full side splits by the end of May 2008. I am giving less time then the previous year based upon how long I was able to devote to consistent effort. I will have to make flexibility gains of 2.15 inches per month to achieve this goal. It seems very attainable. I am also expecting the Kurz DVD to arrive within about 10 days. I believe following along with the instruction will raise the intensity and effectiveness of my routine.

Flexibilty doesn't come easy for me. I am making progress, down to 10". The Kurz DVD was not what I was expecting. I was hoping for a follow along stretching routine. Instead it was more of a strength tutorial. Building leg strength is said to lead to leg flexibility. I did add these exorcises just in case the theory is right. In any case, it's a good warm up for the stretch.