Is flexibility important to remain youthful? Does it clash with bodybuilding?

[SurfSteve]

Does flexibility clash with bodybuilding? Is flexibility important to remain youthful?

I've been asking myself this as I get older and more rigid, getting more aches and pains and trying to figure out what to do about it.

I've been reading lots of articles that say your flexibility determines your age in terms of how long you will live and even been wondering whether yoga classes might do me some good. My gym offers them for free but I would have to do some major rearranging of my schedule in order to attend them.

I've also read that flexibility exercises and strength training conflict with each other and that persons who are good at one are miserable at the other. How true is all this?

Another thing I been working on is dissolving calcium deposits. Below are some links I found, suggesting DMSO can be combined with vitamin C or vinegar to dissolve them. I tried this last night before bed. Not sure if it did anything or not. While I was waiting for the DMSO I tried experimenting with things I already had on hand. #1 has been TMG. I started taking it again which helps with pain and thus flexibility and has also given me more strength and endurance. Could TMG be the answer to both strength and flexibility?

I've been totally off supplements for many months trying to do everything totally natural but maybe there are some supplements that I actually need that can't be gotten from food!

What do you guys do to combat the symptoms of old age?

Melting Calcium Deposits Like a Boss
https://remedygrove.com/remedies/Mel...ts-like-a-Boss

Melting Calcium Deposits with
Transdermal Dimethyl Sulfoxide/
Ascorbic Acid Mixture
https://ionhealth.ca/wp-content/uplo...xture-25.4.pdf

[SurfSteve]

Just found this:

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/weis13.htm

[SurfSteve]

Yoga: Enhancing The Art Of Bodybuilding And Supercharging Your Workouts!
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/yog...g_benefits.htm

the infamous example of a bodybuilder who can squat over 500 lbs but throws out his back picking up a pencil off the floor.

[OldFartTom]

I've been able to shift unwanted calcium salt deposits with either lemon juice and scrubbing or a commercial cleaner with dilute hydrochloric acid. The taps in the kitchen come out sparkling.

On to bodybuilding, IMHO flexibility is valuable (especially for me as I lack it), and doing both is a good idea. However advice I was given to keep running, long-hold stretching and weights apart from each other works well. Just keep the three apart as best you can even if it's just separating by a few hours

[SurfSteve]

I've been able to shift unwanted calcium salt deposits with either lemon juice and scrubbing or a commercial cleaner with dilute hydrochloric acid. The taps in the kitchen come out sparkling.

On to bodybuilding, IMHO flexibility is valuable (especially for me as I lack it), and doing both is a good idea. However advice I was given to keep running, long-hold stretching and weights apart from each other works well. Just keep the three apart as best you can even if it's just separating by a few hours

Not sure what you are trying to get at. Are you insinuating that unwanted calcium deposits are only a concern for your household plumbing and not your body?

Seems like unwanted calcium deposits are one of the major factors in old age. Not just in your muscles. They are also in your arteries and responsible for heart attacks. Calcium is also in plaque build up on your teeth and a major factor in gum disease. Seems like we need to get it out of all the places it doesn't belong and put it back into our bones. I'm under the impression that all old age is, is calcium and other stuff forming where it doesn't belong instead of going where it does.

The yoga article I posted said if you do yoga AFTER weights it wont have negative effects on bodybuilding but that it will mess it up if you do it before. Funny. I always thought that you were supposed to stretch out before lifting though I hardly ever did. So I had it backwards all these years?

[supramax]

... The yoga article I posted said if you do yoga AFTER weights it wont have negative effects on bodybuilding but that it will mess it up if you do it before. Funny. I always thought that you were supposed to stretch out before lifting though I hardly ever did. So I had it backwards all these years?

Stretching momentarily weakens the muscle.

[supramax]

Does flexibility clash with bodybuilding? Is flexibility important to remain youthful?...

Ask someone that has injured their back and has trouble putting on their socks, how important flexibility is.

[OldFartTom]

I understand that calcium is deposited as part of the gunge on stiff blocked blood vessels https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/...therosclerosis but I'm just not sure calcium is either the underlying cause or the correct focus of prevention, especially since calcium is involved in so much other stuff in the body.

Also on topical treatments, skin is very effective at blocking entry and exit of the vast majority of stuff (especially inorganic chemicals), sure not everything... but it's pretty good. Not convinced ascorbic acid for example is going to cross the skin to the blood. But hey.. if a study shows the stuff works I'd be happy to listen.

Definitely stretch after weights. As I'd done martial arts as a kid I'd always thought it was stretching before weights until I learned otherwise

[drjoe]

As we age, stretch and roll more, not less.

[etet1919]

Stretching momentarily weakens the muscle.

There's a degree to how just flexible the average person needs to be. For example, your hip flexors and rotator cuffs tend to be less stable joints (or areas), and if someone is "excessively" flexible, they may be more prone to injuries here. I'm talking gymnasts, dancers, contortionists ..... and people trying to force natural flexilbility to quickly. How the hell do these street "lockers" (dancers) do those stunts? Genetics (naturally flexible)?

[supramax]

There's a degree to how just flexible the average person needs to be. For example, your hip flexors and rotator cuffs tend to be less stable joints (or areas), and if someone is "excessively" flexible, they may be more prone to injuries here. I'm talking gymnasts, dancers, contortionists ..... and people trying to force natural flexilbility to quickly. How the hell do these street "lockers" (dancers) do those stunts? Genetics (naturally flexible)?

There's a number of possibilities, but usually it has to do with long tendons. Hold your arm out in front of you, palm up and upper arm parallel to the floor. If you lower arm slants downward, you have long tendons. If the lower arm is parallel to the floor like the upper arm, you have normal length tendons. If the lower arm slants upward, you have short tendons.

[etet1919]

There's a number of possibilities, but usually it has to do with long tendons. Hold your arm out in front of you, palm up and upper arm parallel to the floor. If you lower arm slants downward, you have long tendons. If the lower arm is parallel to the floor like the upper arm, you have normal length tendons. If the lower arm slants upward, you have short tendons.

If I'm being objective about what I see, then I have "normal" length tendons, at least in my arms. What does that say about flexibility?

[supramax]

If I'm being objective about what I see, then I have "normal" length tendons, at least in my arms. What does that say about flexibility?

I don't know. I have short tendons and I achieved phenomenal flexibility, although currently I'm struggling to regain lost flexibility due to a non weightlifting related back injury. I have a very strong and muscular friend who has long tendons and without any flexibility training he can do things that are impossible for me. Like the man said; you get a certain deck of cards and you have to play with what you got. Or something like that.

[adamgentile]

I believe stretching is overrated. I never stretched, even when younger. I'm 48 and doing fine. I was big time runner for years and never stretched once before or after a run. Too much stretching can actually weaken the muscle, especially when it comes to bodybuilding. I'd rather have tight and rigid muscles, then stretched out rubber bands for muscles.

[Farley1324]

I believe stretching is overrated. I never stretched, even when younger. I'm 48 and doing fine. I was big time runner for years and never stretched once before or after a run. Too much stretching can actually weaken the muscle, especially when it comes to bodybuilding. I'd rather have tight and rigid muscles, then stretched out rubber bands for muscles.

You're fortunate. As alluded to above, suffer a back injury and then tell us you want tight and rigid muscles lol

A distance runner I knew, back when I was a distance runner, was the most inflexible (uninjured, young) person I ever met. He was a great distance runner...jogging requires very little range of motion.

[etet1919]

I believe stretching is overrated. I never stretched, even when younger. I'm 48 and doing fine. I was big time runner for years and never stretched once before or after a run. Too much stretching can actually weaken the muscle, especially when it comes to bodybuilding. I'd rather have tight and rigid muscles, then stretched out rubber bands for muscles.

You've never done dynamic stretching before or after running??? You don't have tight hamsrings or calves?

[SurfSteve]

I'm not sure either Tom: I do think it better for me to take a two pronged approach of both diet and stretching. As we get older we definitely loose flexibility. I assume we also get crud in our joints and it seems logical that calcium is one of the major components of this crud.

The rubbing vitamin C with DMSO article and the one about vinegar sounded good to me and is cheap enough to try (the article claims that vitamin C molecules are small enough for the DMSO to allow them to pass through the skin. Don't argue with me if you don't agree. Argue with the article. I have no idea if it's true or not.)

Like I said in earlier posts, I am having good luck combining betaine TMG with various acids; mainly malic acid and the hcl form of betaine. They seem to give me more flexibility without pain but not so much more flexibility in general. I been doing a little stretching at home but I think a yoga class will help a lot more.

In the past I was taking TMG alone but large quantities of it gave me bad body and breath odor. I had read somewhere that acids like vinegar, lemons, malic acid and betaine hcl all work to fight odor. They even help with aches and pains so combining them with TMG seems like a double win. I also tried combining both forms of betaine yesterday and the TMG seems to cut the taste of the acid in the HCL form.

So the plan for me seems to be: TMG, acids and yoga. I don't know how much longer this 60 year old can go around acting like I am in my twenties but I'm going to do it as long as I can. Only got a few more months to get in shape for my 61 year old avatar!

[Gabbar99]

I've never stretched regularly. I'm more of a runner and the data is real clear that stretching is not only not helpful for performance or injury prevention in distance running, it may actually be detrimental.

Not that my decision is that clinical and intentional. It's more that I don't want to and never quite get around to it. Been running for 30 years without being injured. If it ain't broke...

I have very inflexible hips. I got scolded in kindergarten because I couldn't sit cross-legged. I kinda intend to work on my range of motion, but I never get around to it.

[OldFartTom]

If You enjoy yoga and it helps You then definitely do it. A lot of people enjoy doing it and find it helps them reducing aches, pains, stress. In a previous job my old boss had a lot of lower back issues and anterior pelvis rotation which caused him problems if he didn't do yoga once or more a week. He was also a bodybuilder but very much of the biceps curls and never squat variety I've done a few classes in the past and enjoyed it, but just don't have enough time for it +a very low priority for me).

Try it and see...

[SurfSteve]

The quote about someone being able to squat 500 pounds and throwing their back out while picking up a pencil off the floor rings truer than ever after reading through this thread.

I don't have to worry about the part about being able to squat 500 pounds as I'm not even close... but I still have to worry about picking up the pencil...

[OldFartTom]

Well, you could also be a Yoga instructor and hurt your back picking up a pencil. **** happens in life sometimes.

The only thing I can conclude is that if you see a 500lb pencil... don't try to pick it off the floor.

[adamgentile]

You've never done dynamic stretching before or after running??? You don't have tight hamsrings or calves?

Never. I have had tight calves and just would let time take care of that and stay hydrated. I have never experienced tight hamstrings though.

[adamgentile]

You're fortunate. As alluded to above, suffer a back injury and then tell us you want tight and rigid muscles lol

A distance runner I knew, back when I was a distance runner, was the most inflexible (uninjured, young) person I ever met. He was a great distance runner...jogging requires very little range of motion.

I have had back injuries, yes that's a different story. Just talking about general stretching, I don't do it. Maybe down the road I will need it.

[bodyhard]

I've been doing both for over 30 years now. Although I am not into martial arts anymore (I stopped going to classes years ago) I am still pretty flexible, not as much as I would like, but still more than most folks, especially folks my age.

I never found one (lifting weights VS flexibility) to be a detriment to the other, in fact they compliment each other very well.

[Jtbny]

What's the goal of stretching? If it's to solicit blood flow to the area then 15 second holds seem like a good idea for bodybuilding. For powerlifting I'd rather warm-up under a load through ROM steadily increasing the weight until I'm loose. Or use bands ect.

With that said I don't see stretching to get loose a bad idea. Rolling is good too.

[Farley1324]

What's the goal of stretching? If it's to solicit blood flow to the area then 15 second holds seem like a good idea for bodybuilding. For powerlifting I'd rather warm-up under a load through ROM steadily increasing the weight until I'm loose. Or use bands ect.

With that said I don't see stretching to get loose a bad idea. Rolling is good too.

My goal for stretching is to increase or maintain flexibility to allow necessary range of motion for life and lifting. Tight hamstrings for a time kinda of tormented me and my back.

Warming up and then performing lifts under load is good, but it's not an either/or with static stretching...especially if you are tight to where you can't do the full range of motion with proper form under load. Obviously that won't ever apply to a lot of people, thankfully for them...but static stretching (not before training!) can certainly (in my experience and others as well) aid with having that free range of motion while training.

When my back was bad and my hamstrings were tight as hell, only static stretching fixed it. Now that it's fixed, I don't static stretch often, keeping up on squats does most of the work for me.

[etet1919]

My goal for stretching is to increase or maintain flexibility to allow necessary range of motion for life and lifting. Tight hamstrings for a time kinda of tormented me and my back.

Warming up and then performing lifts under load is good, but it's not an either/or with static stretching...especially if you are tight to where you can't do the full range of motion with proper form under load. Obviously that won't ever apply to a lot of people, thankfully for them...but static stretching (not before training!) can certainly (in my experience and others as well) aid with having that free range of motion while training.

When my back was bad and my hamstrings were tight as hell, only static stretching fixed it. Now that it's fixed, I don't static stretch often, keeping up on squats does most of the work for me.

Can I ask you exactly what static stretches you did for your lower back and hammies (it's only one of my issues)?

[Farley1324]

Can I ask you exactly what static stretches you did for your lower back and hammies (it's only one of my issues)?

Variations of this, starting with lying on the PT's table with them doing it, and using a doorway or upright of the power rack myself. It's about stretching my hamstrings (mostly the right one) without stressing and pulling on my lower back in the process

[etet1919]

I usually sit in a pike position, lean forward and flex my feet- the opposite of what you're showing. Thanks, Farley. Maybe my time's not up yet. I'll try it tomorrow.

[Plateauplower]

Don’t stretch enough crew checking in, pulled a hamstring a couple weeks ago in jujitsu and it’s been wreaking having on my squats and deads until it heals completely.

Another good stretch if you have someone to work with is to lay on your back with your feet up. Then put your feet on the other persons hamstrings just below their butt. Then they step back and slowly sit on your feet like a chair and it pushes your legs back and down. Knees (flexed) end up near armpits. It stretches your hamstrings, gluteus and lower back all at the same time. Really effective. Could probably do something similar with a vertical leg press (but not a angled leg press).