Total Stretch 2

As you know from my last post, getting my needle was and is still one of my main goals. I have tried to pull my leg up into a full splits position again hoping that I would get my leg higher because of the back stretches that I have done from the book Total Stretch. As I attempted to pull my leg up with both hands, I was unsuccessful because my back was beginning to ache and I didn't want to injure my back by trying to force my needle. Instead of doing a full needle I decided to just use one arm to pull my leg up into a splits position so I would not put a lot of strain onto my back. To reach my main goal of getting my needle, I have made a smaller goal to help me reach my main goal. My smaller goal is to get my back more flexible so it won't ache when I try to pull my leg up into a full splits position with both hands.

I began to look deeper into the Warm Up section of the book, and as I looked at the section I decided to add some of their warm up suggestions to my regular warm up routine that I have created which is jogging and jumping jacks. In the book Total Stretch, Roscoe Nash states "A gradual increase in the heart rate will enable the warmth of the blood, passing more and more rapidly through the muscle to steadily improve the muscle's pliability (13). I found this really interesting to see how warming up really helps our muscles. I added squats and lunges to my warm up routine. My warm up routine consisted of jogging, jumping jacks, squats, and lunges. 

I also looked at the different techniques on stretching. I decided to focus on one stretching technique which was called "Static Stretching" (20). Nash states, "Static stretching is the most common and safest form of stretching" (20). Static stretching is when you hold a stretch at a point where the muscle is under a full stretch (20). Overall, static stretching is great if you want to stretch without wanting to risk an injury since it is the safest form of stretching. This type of stretching was great for me since my back was aching and I didn't want to risk a injury to my back by going overboard with stretching. 

I warmed up first with my warm up routine, next I did the stretches that I did in my last post ("Back Arch" (47), and "Looking at the Ceiling" (49)) and then, I began these new stretches. 

The first stretch I did was called "The Parachute" (49).

In this stretch, I did not pull all the way up due to the fact that my back was aching, but I still did feel a really good stretch in my lower back that would help me reach my goal of getting my needle because I need to get my back leg as close to my back as possible to make it easier for me to pull up my leg. This was a moderate level stretch (49).

The second stretch I did was called "The Extended Prayer" (39).

This stretch was a very easy stretch. It stretched my lower back but did not hurt my back. It was very light on my back but still gave me a nice stretch for my lower back that would help reach my goal of getting my needle. This was a easy/moderate level stretch (39). 

Stretching can go beyond the fact that it can just make you more flexible, Nash states in his book that "Stretching enables you to become more aware of your body" (11). I learned this while I was stretching because I learned that sometimes my body can not handle certain things at certain times and I need to be aware of that so I do not injure myself. 

Questions:

What is a goal that you have been working on or a goal you want to work on? 

What have you done to try to reach your goal?

Citation: 

Nash, Roscoe. Total Stretch. London: MQ, 2003. Print