Need advice on ***STRETCHING***

[!nFr@r3d]

So I've finally decided to start doing a stretching routine because I have come to realize that I am very inflexible and am putting myself at high risk of injury in the weight room. My two main areas of concern are:
1. My Shoulders: I have done some research on the shoulder joint and have added rotator cuff exercises to my routine after going through a "frozen shoulder injury". I think with proper stretching and corrective exercises, my shoulder will stay pain free.
2. My Hamstrings: I have pretty tight hamstrings coupled with long femurs which makes movements like squats, deadlifts, and bent rows hard to maintain a tight lower back arch. I can barely touch my toes with straight legs and can only spread my legs in the splits to about 75 degrees.
*** My question is what are the best stretches to include in my routine and how long and how often should they be performed. Also how do the different types of stretching, active, passive, isometric compare? Lastly how long will it take to see results in general?

Thanks for reading

[IamanEsh]

Originally Posted by !nFr@r3d

So I've finally decided to start doing a stretching routine because I have come to realize that I am very inflexible and am putting myself at high risk of injury in the weight room. My two main areas of concern are:
1. My Shoulders: I have done some research on the shoulder joint and have added rotator cuff exercises to my routine after going through a "frozen shoulder injury". I think with proper stretching and corrective exercises, my shoulder will stay pain free.
2. My Hamstrings: I have pretty tight hamstrings coupled with long femurs which makes movements like squats, deadlifts, and bent rows hard to maintain a tight lower back arch. I can barely touch my toes with straight legs and can only spread my legs in the splits to about 75 degrees.
*** My question is what are the best stretches to include in my routine and how long and how often should they be performed. Also how do the different types of stretching, active, passive, isometric compare? Lastly how long will it take to see results in general?

Thanks for reading

exact stretches you can look up, maybe somebody else might describe them but a quick google will give you an image on how to stretch

You should stretch post workout, and do 2-3 "sets" for 20-30 seoncds each holding it isometrically. Nothing too intense, this should be done 2-3 times a week.

As for getting results, you should notice some flexibility results quickly then they diminish after that. If you're really into it you can look up PNF stretching which is the best for flexibility

[forklift]

hanging from a pull up bar can help upper body a lot

for hams, just keep working on those toe touches and relax your low back as you go down

[generalkeyes]

as far as streching goes i woudn't do static streching before a work out becuase of risk of injury, do little streches just to get warmed up but don't hold it for more than 3 seconds...try rolling out your hamstrings and I T bands on a plyometrics roll...those foam rolls. your I T bands are located on the outside of your leg..just roll it around till you feel the tension go down bout 75%..it hurts like a bi*ch but it will work..trust me....then after your work out roll it out again and then do your static streaching...take some glutimine and make sure your getting all your bcaa's

im not a doctor but this is what i do and it works for me...just figure out what works best for yourself..everyones diff

Originally Posted by !nFr@r3d

So I've finally decided to start doing a stretching routine because I have come to realize that I am very inflexible and am putting myself at high risk of injury in the weight room. My two main areas of concern are:
1. My Shoulders: I have done some research on the shoulder joint and have added rotator cuff exercises to my routine after going through a "frozen shoulder injury". I think with proper stretching and corrective exercises, my shoulder will stay pain free.
2. My Hamstrings: I have pretty tight hamstrings coupled with long femurs which makes movements like squats, deadlifts, and bent rows hard to maintain a tight lower back arch. I can barely touch my toes with straight legs and can only spread my legs in the splits to about 75 degrees.
*** My question is what are the best stretches to include in my routine and how long and how often should they be performed. Also how do the different types of stretching, active, passive, isometric compare? Lastly how long will it take to see results in general?

Thanks for reading

[thedestro]

Perhaps one of the best stretches is merely the exercise itself, through the complete ROM.

[CPX]

Originally Posted by !nFr@r3d

So I've finally decided to start doing a stretching routine because I have come to realize that I am very inflexible and am putting myself at high risk of injury in the weight room. My two main areas of concern are:
1. My Shoulders: I have done some research on the shoulder joint and have added rotator cuff exercises to my routine after going through a "frozen shoulder injury". I think with proper stretching and corrective exercises, my shoulder will stay pain free.
2. My Hamstrings: I have pretty tight hamstrings coupled with long femurs which makes movements like squats, deadlifts, and bent rows hard to maintain a tight lower back arch. I can barely touch my toes with straight legs and can only spread my legs in the splits to about 75 degrees.
*** My question is what are the best stretches to include in my routine and how long and how often should they be performed. Also how do the different types of stretching, active, passive, isometric compare? Lastly how long will it take to see results in general?

Thanks for reading

Buy Stretching Scientifically by Thomas Kurz. It will answer all your questions.

But the short of it is...
-after your warm-up pre-WO, do joint rotations (neck circles, arm circles, hip circles...) & dynamic stretches, focusing mostly (but not entirely) on the muscles you're going to WO
-after your WO do relaxed (static passive) stretches for the muscles you worked. This should last at least 5 minutes, but ideally 10.

Dynamic stretches are not swinging the limbs, it's a controlled motion. You should be able to google to find more information about it.

Same goes for relaxed stretches. If you need ideas, just google.

Don't worry about when you'll see results, just be consistent. Stretch everyday, even on non-WO days just do what I mentioned above except of course there will be no workout.

[twfishback]

I read an article written by a kinesiology professor on static stretching, (holding a painfull muscle stretch) Not the way to go. (I sugest you google that. The amount you will learn will help you in my than just getting ready. You can increase your "pump wells" and get rid of a lot of lactic acid during a workout, increasing overall call and recruitment of muscle fiber.) But he basically explains how you should always work up with first getting blood pumping through your extremities. (running.. I prefer a slow jog) fallowed by 2 to 3 sets of a low weight, on the motion/exercise your doing, then your off.
======COMPARE YOUR WORKOUTS======
Try your regular routine for squats. Then wait 48 hours, eat like us man beasts do. Then on that 3rd morning/night go jogging with a long sleeve or something to keep you warm. (remember blood flow is key) do not set your self a time, since you don't know how this will affect your workouts yet, jog untill you feel your self getting to sweat point, do not go up hill or sprint, just keep it at about 2500 rpms, once home go to your basement, and within 3 minutes of bringing your jog to a "walk/leg loosening shakes, start a low weight set of 10 - 15 fallowed by your regular routine. write me back on your experience. blue skies!

[Mikael92]

maybe your hamstrings feel "tight" because your pelvis is tilted the wrong way....and there are things you can do to correct that....but stretching the hamstrings statically isn't one of those things

go here:

http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/articles/

and scroll down until you reach the neanderthal no more articles...and read all five. i too used to think i had "tight" hamstrings that needed to be stretched. turns out they were just being pulled upward by my pelvis. it's very very common in americans.