Let me say that I have been using a hurley 2000 stretcher religiously for the past 2 months. I have gone from 90 to 160 degrees. I found the stretch machine to be infinitely useful because I weightlift, do cardio & martial arts for 1 hour 6 days a week in addition to working FULLTIME. I just don't have the energy to add in a painful stretch workout.

I read Kurtz's book at barne's noble tried it and it didn't work period. Maybe I was doing it wrong, I don't know but I felt like I just wasted time. Luckily I got a full refund...

The side split stretch is one of the most difficult stretches because it is hard to relax and get a full stretch. If you do not have a partner, there is always a certain amount of tension involved no matter how you do it. In my opinion the sitting V-sit is the best way to stretch for the side splits but it is very difficult to hold the legs fully extendedwhen leaning down, your legs naturally want to come together giving you an incomplete stretch. The stretch machine allows you to totally RELAX, and focus on the stretch. That's the key to flexibility, relaxing. If you are tense and fighting the stretch you won't make gains.

If you have a reliable partner or can make stretching a workout of its own, then yes you probably won't need a stretch machine. I don't partner stretch because the martial arts schools around my area are all McDojo's. For me the key to making gains was a relaxed V-sit and the stretch machine has helped me greatly.

Glad to hear your machine helped you gain flexibility. But do you think it will help you throw a kick, when cold? I can do the splits, and it was witout a machine, and just my own body weight. Also, I did read kurz's book and it had valuable information, if you actually took in the information. Any event, congrats on the new flexibility....

I agree..

Something is wrong if the stretching is painful. I came from old school, where warm-ups were static stretching. I wish now i could tell my sensei not a good idea before class. Since I have incorporated dynamic stretching into my workout, I can see the benefits and can sure kick head high when cold.

1st I would like to say I do agree stretching machines CAN help greatly. I have one that I use regularly for a reading chair.

With that being said, Kurz book is not something that you read in the store, from my experience with his book it is a very slow read with use in between reading. I personally needed to read his book a couple times through to make sure I was getting things right. Unless I am mistaken and you spent a whole lot of time at Barne's and Noble I do not believe you gave it the effort it needs to be sucessful. I am sorry if this seems bashing, and I am by no means a Kurz wannabie, just making a point not to shoot it down without proper research and use. Beyond that great advancements, I hope you continue to see the benefits of your stretching routine.

Hey guys, if you can READ i said i got a full refund. Even though I didn't state it explicitly I would think you guys had enough intelligence to realize that I took it home as well.

I read the book and I frankly wasn't impressed with it.

Well we can't read minds. You said you read it at borders and got a refund. Anyway, agreed you didn't understand what you read. If you are happy with the leg machines, then so be it. That machines offer a felxibility that really is not beneficial to MA.

Oh, and I would'nt be to quick to insult everyone intelligence. We are replying to what you posted and like I said, you didn't say you took the book home. And you can't just READ the book, you have to put the techniques to good use.

Enjoy the machine...

My lack of flexibility is a running joke at my MA school--so much so that I've bought Kurz's book and thought about buying a stretching machine. I'm even more encouraged to do so having heard about CobraLionz' progress--man, I would LOVE to double my range of flexibility.

But, I'm also encouraged to hear about others' success with the Kurz book. So, could someone please tell me exactly what stretching routine you did, how many times a day/week, and what kind of progress you were able to make? How long did it take before you noticed a difference in your flexibility?

I see the "Sample Workout Plans" in the book for, say, kickboxing but I'd like to see some examples of other people's routines.

Based on the sample workout routines, here's what I've been doing for the past couple days:

marching w/ joint rotations = 2-3 mins
jumping rope = 3 mins
dynamic stretching = front, back, & side kicks 3 sets of 12

knees = 3x12
muay thai round kicks = 3x12

***Do my martial arts class - either FIGHT, BJJ, or hapkido OR lift weights***

Cool Down
front lunges (no weights) = 3x12
side lunges (no weights) = 3x12

"frog" stretch = 3 mins
hip flexor (piriformis) stretch = 3 mins
front split stretch = 1 min
side split stretch = 1 min

Thanks all.
Todd