Some Workout tips

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:06:16 GMT, Rick B. wrote:

On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:07:26 -0800, Cynthia P
wrote:


Yoga would probably be good for me, but I don't even think I've ever
seen a class in our town. I should check and see if there is anything
at the gym, I know they have had Pilates classes in the past.

The first Hatha yoga classes I ever attended were through a community
college. You might try there. Unless your town is quite small, or
the people think "yoga equals the devil" you should find some help.
Ask around.

Rick

Good idea, thanks.

Yeah, it's a fairly small town and it's not exactly very diverse, but
there might be something. And if not, I might try the Pilates when
they have it again.

--
Cynthia
262/238/152

On Jul 13, 10:14 am, Bill Eitner wrote:
Chris wrote:
On Jul 12, 11:22 pm, Cynthia P wrote:
On Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:04:45 -0700, Chris wrote:
(And, thanks to yoga, which I just started last year, I can
touch my toes -- that took a while, as I have always had tight
hamstrings, and running and lifting don't help much there!) Anyway,
I am living proof that it definitely gets better!
Dunno about that... every time I sit in the leg curl machine, after,
my hamstrings feel tight, and I just lean over and hang down for a
bit. Now that I've been doing that for a while, suddenly I can not
only touch my toes, I'm getting to where I might be able to do so with
my knuckles instead of my fingertips!

--
Cynthia
262/238/152

Well, that's great. But it's the stretching that's doing that for
you, not the leg curls. Leg curls per se will tighten your
hamstrings. People differ a lot in how flexible their hamstrings
are. I know very obese people who can easily touch their toes, but it
has never in my life been easy for me, whether thin or fat. It has
taken the frequent stretching work that comes with yoga to get me
there. (Incidentally, I gather that men generally have tighter
hamstrings than women -- dunno why.)

Chris
262/130s/130s

Many of the single joint (isolation) resistance training
exercises improve flexibility/range of motion if they are
worked through a full range of motion. Becoming "muscle
bound" and/or losing flexibility/range of motion due to
resistance training is a myth. Even multi-joint exercises
can improve flexibility in those who may be particularly
tight. Any exercise that causes a stretch will improve
flexibility over time.

If we're going to throw sweeping generalizations around,
tight hamstrings is most likely due to being sedentary
(sitting) and/or simply allowing it to happen.

I just started back doing squats and deadlifts as part
of my resistance training program. At first my hams
were tight (heels would lift and I would lean forward
and round my back at the bottom of the range of motion),
but in time they loosened up. The only specific
stretching I did was a little high heel work (hook a
heel on something at about hip height and lean forward
for 10 seconds or so and then do the other side) in
between sets. I attribute most of the increase in
ham flexibility to the implied demand of the squats
and deadlifts. And those two are definitely not single
joint exercises.

There's a lot to be said for the SAID (Specific Adaptation
to Implied Demands) principle.

Explain more. What's SAID again?