What to do When Stretching Doesn’t Help
Sometimes Tight Muscles Need Strength Instead Muscles are tight for a reason. They are not tight because they hate you and want you to fail, or because they want you to be in pain. Your body is your devoted partner in this life and everything it does, it does because it believes that it’s helping you. So why do muscles get tight, since it is so clearly unpleasant and painful? Why do some muscles seem to be impervious to stretching? Even if they relax for a few blissful moments, not long after
The Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) Can Cause Hip and Back Pain: Here are Some Ways to Help
WTFL???? What is the Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) The Tensor Fasciae Latae, or TFL to its friends, is a small muscle in the outside front of the hips that works very, very hard. The TFL is a multi-tasker. It does hip flexion, hip abduction, internal rotation, and it even internally rotates the lower leg through its attachment to the IT band. Because the TFL has so many abilities, it is often overworked. It’s just so easy for other muscles to lay back and let the TFL take over. The TFL is also
You Can Be a Bendy Badass with Any Body Type
“A cultural fixation on female thinness is not an obsession about female beauty but an obsession about female obedience.” ― Naomi Wolf Sometimes I get my body type shamed. At the time of this writing I am just shy of 5’2”, 43 years old, and 138 lbs, which is on the upper side of what is considered a “normal” body type for my height. I have a lot of muscle—I can load up the leg press with 700 lbs and still get a good range of motion for 10 reps. I also have some
Ask Fit & Bendy 11: Backbend Flexibility Q&A
We just finished up another action-packed Q&A on back flexibility for the Worldwide Splitters' Network January Backbend Challenge. This one is jam packed with juicy tidbits on alignment, control, and how to backbend safely in various common poses.
What Should I Feel When I am Stretching?
You will learn to abandon, modify, or correct stretches that aren’t right for your body and find a deep joy in the stretches that are, even when they “hurt.” Listening to your body ensures that you are doing stretches that are good for you and helps you to enjoy your flexibility training instead of just suffering through it! One of the primary objections to a regular stretching practice is that stretching hurts. While there is no magic to prevent all challenging sensations from occurring during your stretches, it is important to distinguish