Stretching for Super-Stiff People - How to Get into Position

How flexible are you? A great tutorial on stretching and how to work into some of the deeper stretches. 
Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. 

4 Simple Gymnastics Drills For Strength And Mobility

Gymnastics strength training provides countless benefits to those willing to commit to the process. By focusing on bodyweight progressions, athletes have the opportunity to increase relative strength, strength endurance, mobility, proprioception, kinesthetics awareness, and more. 

Additionally, the intense full-body muscle contractions and significant time spent under tension lead to great gains in hypertrophy, lean muscle mass, and fat loss.

The Road to Gymnastic Success

The greatest benefit from gymnastics strength training is not directly related to either ability or physique, but rather to your mindset and approach. In the fitness industry, just as in life, it is all too common to encounter people who want instant gratification and immediate results.

“Stretching, high reps, and joint prehab. There’s no time for that,” they think. They just want to hold a handstand, climb a rope, or learn a back flip. The big problem, though, is that these people often end up injured, plateaued, or both.

Successful trainees are those who take gradual, consistent steps on the path towards long-term growth by prioritizing quality and mastery. Coach Sommer, the founder of Gymnastic Bodies, likes to compare this shift in mindset to the difference in maturity between a child and an adult.

"Successful trainees are those who take gradual, consistent steps on the path towards long-term growth by prioritizing quality and mastery."

A child wants things right away, and if a task takes hard work, discipline, or commitment, the child is likely to give up and shift attention to something new. As a person matures into an adult, they are more likely to realize the potential benefits of focusing on one task for longer periods of time, even if it does require significant amounts of energy.

Four Basic Gymnastic Strength Training Tests

Here are four basic gymnastics strength-training tests to get you started toward long-term growth. 

For many of us, modern lifestyle and one-sided training have stolen our ability to complete these relatively simple bodyweight tasks, so do not be surprised if these end up being a bit more challenging than you first presume.

1* Hollow Body Hold

The hollow body hold is a foundational position in all of gymnastics, and as such it is one of the first positions you should master. Begin by lying down on your back, with your legs outstretched and together. Completely straighten your legs by flexing your knees, and ensure proper form by pointing your toes as far away from your body as possible. Also reach your arms overhead, completely straightening your elbows and looking up towards the ceiling.

From this outstretched position, engage your entire anterior core by lifting your arms and legs off the floor. You should focus on pressing your lower back into the ground while squeezing your entire abdominal wall. Be sure that your shoulders are slightly lifted and your ribs are tucked in rather than protruding from your chest. Ideally your body shape should be smooth and round, almost like a banana.

Hold this hollow body position for a full sixty seconds. To ensure there is no cheating, use a timer, metronome, or stopwatch to count your minute. If you cannot hold the position with integrity for the full time, then you might need to start with a scaled version such as tucking your legs in towards your chest or bringing your arms down by your side.

2* Arch Body Hold

This is the complete opposite position as the hollow body. Where the hollow body works the entire anterior core, the arch body position will expose any weakness along your posterior chain. Additionally, many people are chronically tight in the front of their bodies, and the arch body hold will open up tight areas such as your chest and hip flexors.

"This should serve as a wake-up call for you to strengthen your posterior chain and stretch your chest and hip flexors."

To start, lie facedown on your belly with your arms outstretched overhead and your legs straight and together. As you can imagine, the goal here is to completely arch your entire body as much as possible, so lift both your upper and lower body as high as you can towards the ceiling. Focus on engaging your glutes and mid-back so you are not exclusively arching from your lower back.

If you are like most people who try to hold an arch body position for sixty seconds, you will begin to tremble, shake, curse, and drop to the floor before the minute has expired. This should serve as a wake-up call for you to strengthen your posterior chain and stretch your chest and hip flexors.

If necessary, break down the arch body position in a similar fashion to the hollow body hold by bringing your arms down to your side, bending your knees, or both.

3* Bent-Arm Chin Hang

So now that we have thoroughly tested (and trashed) your core strength, we move on to the bent-arm chin hang. The key phrase here is time under tension, as you will attempt to hold your chin over a bar for, you guessed it, sixty full seconds. Grip the bar with a supinated, underhand grip, and pull yourself as high above the bar as you can. Keep your legs together, make sure your body is not swaying excessively, and hold on tight.

"The key here is that training your strength endurance at slightly lower intensities builds more than just muscle."

If you cannot yet do a chin up, then this bent-arm chin hang might help you get there due to the amount of time you will spend holding on above the bar. If you cannot hold this position for any significant period of time, then you might need to start on an incline by holding onto a set of rings set approximately to shoulder height.

If you can already do strict chin ups, then you may be wondering why bother just holding the top position for time? The key here is that training your strength endurance at slightly lower intensities builds more than just muscle. Your connective tissue needs longer to adapt, and as such you should spend time mastering the bent-arm chin hang before moving on to more advanced (and potentially injury-inducing) pulling movements such as muscle ups and rope climbs.

4* Standing Pike Stretch 

Finally, you get to relax and stretch. The standing pike stretch will assess flexion through the hips and spine, and those of you with tight hamstrings might struggle a bit here. Stand up tall with your legs completely straight and knees locked out, and completely fold over forward, placing your hands on the ground as fully as possible. Your goal is to reach your hands behind your feet to the point where you can press your bodyweight up onto your toes.

"The standing pike stretch will assess flexion through the hips and spine, and those of you with tight hamstrings might struggle a bit here."

If this position is unattainable for you right now, then try doing a partner seated pike stretch. Sit up tall with your legs outstretched in front of you, knees totally straight, and have your partner gently push forward on the middle of your back. Inhale and exhale with your partner’s pushes, and reach your hands towards your feet, all while pressing the backs of your knees into the floor.

Conclusion 

In any endeavor in life, you get out exactly what you put in. Impatient, shortsighted efforts will yield incomplete and poor-quality results, if not long-term injuries. On the other hand, a consistent work ethic, when paired with world-class programming and coaching knowledge, will allow trainees to continue to experience progress for months and years on end.

Chris Garay

https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/4-simple-gymnastics-drills-for-strength-and-mobility

How to Wake Up Feeling Wonderful!

The key to feeling good all day is to wake up feeling well-rested and refreshed. And the key to that top-of-the-world feeling in the morning is to get a good night's sleep.

Unfortunately, sleep, like love, never seems to come when we desperately want it. But it helps to know what contributes to a full quota of those 40 winks... and what can doom you to another bout of wide-eyed wakefulness.

Here, from the experts, are well-tested tips on how to get good night's sleep... and what to do if you don't.

We'll call him John, but his mornings could be uncannily like yours. As the alarm buzzer t-r-I-n-g-s into his consciousness, John stretches out a sleepy hand, depresses the button... and hits the pillow again. Most mornings he has to make three attempts before he can drag himself out of bed. After dragging himself again through the brushing-shaving-bathing-breakfast routine, he gets into his clothes without much enthusiasm or energy. When he finally does make it to his office, more often than not, he's already feeling depressed and defeated. The work load has been piling up for weeks, and he's just wasted a good part of another day.

Natasha could also be another 'you'. Natasha gets up of bright and early, but she doesn't feel bright at all. The only reason she's up at dawn is because she has no other choice. The children have to be packed off early to school; her husband's tiffin lunch has to be prepared. When the kids and her husband have left, Natasha, already feeling sapped and drained, stretches out on the bed to rest - and ends up actually sleeping for another hour or so.

But if John and Natasha - and you - could beat the morning blahs, the rest of your day would be more pleasant as well as more productive. The best way to begin is to make sure you get the right amount of restful sleep (what's right varies for everybody, but is between 7 and 8 hours for most).

Develop a routine you can stick to

Your body sleep will sleep well through the night if it's well synchronised. How do you achieve that? By keeping regular hours, rising and retiring at the same time everyday. Avoid the trap of weekend naps - sleeping till noon on Saturdays/Sundays. That will disrupt your internal clock and your sleep cycle and you'll wind up losing more rest than you gain.

Support yourself

The wrong type of mattress or worn-out springs can result in tossing and turning - every night. When you buy your mattress, be very selective - if it's too hard, your body could be fighting to relieve uncomfortable pressure at the shoulders and hips. Too soft, and you may be putting your spine into positions it was not designed for.

Also, remember that you need to replace your mattress/springs when they have outlived their usefulness - if they're 8-10 years old, they're probably not giving you the right support or comfort.

Exercise - but at the right time

Avoid really strenuous exercise right before bedtime. Instead of wearing you out, it's more likely to invigorate your body.

Because it takes your body several hours to cool down after exercise, working out in the early evening is best - when your body temperature drops, you'll begin to feel drowsy.

Watch what you eat

Heavy or spicy meals late in the day will make your digestive system balk during the night as your digestion is forced to work overtime.

On the other hand, a starved body can also register complaints during the night, so, don't decide to skip dinner to make up for the mid-day snacking you indulged in.

Avoid stimulants like caffeine 

Caffeine can stay in the system for many hours after your last sip of coffee, tea or cola. It's a stimulant that can prevent restful sleep and keep you awake - so, avoid it, especially in the late evening and night. If you are especially sensitive to the effects of caffeine, drastically limit your intake at all the times. (Many over-the-counter drugs contain caffeine - and, do not forget, so does chocolate!)

Alcohol is tricky too 

While alcohol may relax you at bedtime and help you get to sleep, you may wake a few hours later with a pounding heart, a dry mouth and an aching head. And thereafter feel restless throughout the night. (Of course, one small glass of wine at dinner should not cause you any trouble).

Certain drugs can disrupt your sleep cycle 

Over-the-counter cold and cough remedies, amphetamines, hypertension drugs, cardiac medications for irregular heartbeats and anti-asthma preparations can disturb your normal sleep-wake pattern. If possible, limit your use of these drugs; or consult your doctor about what you should do.

Wind down... and let go

If your body is overtaxed or your mind is tense, try these physical relaxation techniques to help you wind down for the night:

Yoga

Gentle yoga postures can ease the tensions away. Lie down and inhale to a count of five. Raise your arms over your head until they touch the mattress. Make two fists and raise your buttocks. Tense every muscle. Then just "let everything go."

PMR (Progressive Muscle Relaxation)

Starting with your toes, alternatively tense and relax your muscles in groups. Feet, legs, lower back and buttocks, upper back and chest, arms and hands, neck, head and face. Tighten each group for 5-10 seconds, then release for 15-20 seconds.

Stretch 

Raise your arms backward over your head and point your toes upward. Stretch... until you're as tall as you can possibly be. Relax.

Deep breathing

Take five deep breaths (from the diaphragm) and as you count, think, "I'm getting more relaxed, peaceful and sleepy". Make sure you inhale and exhale very slowly.

Foot massage

Gently massage each foot, paying special attention to the soul.

And if, after all this, you still end up with an occasional 'bad night', then what?

Fortunately, there are other ways to make mornings work for you:

Stretch yourself awake

Begin while you are still lying in bed. Imagine that you're a cat: stretch, reaching out with all your limbs and waking up your muscles. Bring your knees to your chest to stretch out your back.

Even after you get out of bed, give your muscles time to wake up properly. Be gentle with your body. Walk out to the balcony. Take in the early-morning sights and sounds - let nature give your senses a little nudge.

When you feel somewhat more awake, try walking around the house, swing your arms a bit, spot-jog for a few minutes, stretch a little more... By now you should be feeling definitely more alert, and ready to take on the day!

A little indulgence... gets you going a long way

To stop thinking of mornings as the worst part of the day, start the day by doing something you really enjoy. Put your favourite tune on the stereo. Take an extra-long shower, and sing right through. Tumble around with your kids. Go and admire your favourite potted plant. Read a few pages of a book you're enjoying (yes, we know the morning newspapers are likely to make you want to go right back to the bed).

Eat breakfast

Don't skip it. And don't rush through two cups of coffee and imagine that's enough to fuel your body till lunch time. It's not. A good (not heavy, and not fat-laden) breakfast will give you a morning boost and rev you up for the day.

Make sure nothing else is bothering you

Remember John and the workload awaiting him each day in the office? Anxiety about this workload is probably a factor that keeps John awake at nights or enables him to have only is restless, fitful sleep. It's also probably the reason he drags himself awake and then drags himself to work - whether he consciously recognises it or not, he does not want to face that growing workpile.

John should catch up with his workload - or get a new, less-demanding job. As long as he fails to confront what's a really bothering him, he's going to have trouble getting up.

Understand - what go along with - your own sleep-wake cycle

In Natasha's case, the fact that her early-morning activity doesn't wake her up, might just mean one thing - she's an 'owl' (someone whose body would prefer to miss mornings but can stay in high gear till quite late in the night). 'Owls' are opposed to 'larks' - those naturally early risers. Since Natasha can run on well into the night, she should try to complete some of her early-morning chores the previous night itself - such as ironing and laying out the children's school clothes.

By Andy Gibson

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Wake-Up-Feeling-Wonderful!&id=9531952