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Resistance stretching–how long did it take you to get the hang of it?
I just started resistance stretching today, and feel like I'm huffing and puffing more than I should. My hands also get really slippery when grabbing my feet, legs, or behind the knees.
How long did it take you to feel comfortable with the moves? For reference, I'm using the Dara Torres app.
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6 Replies
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Hey akkis
It’s really common to take a while to get the hang of it. It’s also really common to be resisting too hard. Dont fight yourself too much. You want to be moving smoothly in every direction. Even with a small amount of resistance you will see results.
You can use a yoga strap or even a towel to pull with. But yeah, if I have lotion on, I slip off too! -
Thanks for the advice! I probably was resisting too hard. And I did use lotion! Mental note to not do that again…
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Resistance stretching is hard work and I always do it cautiously. It's a lot like strength training so it can be pretty tiring, and like ottersocks said, a little goes a long way. Maybe it's the yoga teacher in me, but I would try to let go of your expectations with resistance stretching and listen to your body. Let your breath be the keystone of your stretching and pay attention to each moment without forcing. The resistance serves to strengthen your muscles to better support stretching… it's not always going to result in a deeper stretch. I'm as anxious as anyone to get more flexibility, but I learned the hard way that going too far with resistance stretching can result in serious injury. After using resistance stretching in the side splits, my hamstrings were damaged and I'm still really tight there after a few months.
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Gawkpop's right, it IS hard work! People I stretch cannot believe how tiring it is and how much they sweat. It's normal to be as sore the next day as if you had done a big weight lifting session.
Be sure that you never take the stretch further than you can hold the resistance. As soon as you can't resist any longer, stop moving, and go back to the strengthening part of the move. If this is done properly, with slow steady motion, never going beyond the point where you can resist with the muscle being stretched, it is very hard to get hurt.
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I'm definitely sore! I'll definitely push myself a little less next time, and work on the flow and breathing.
I'm using the Dara Torres app. Do you have any other suggestions for good apps, dvds, etc. to learn about resistance stretching? Or is this one good enough?
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Dara's DVD is great, but I believe you're getting it all via the app.
The method is based on Bob Cooley's book, The Genius of Flexibility. People have very mixed reviews about this book, as he focuses a lot on meridians and much more "eastern" ways of thinking about health. That said, if you can follow what he means, there are some great stretches in there. Maybe check it out from the library and see what you think.
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