Posted 11 February 2013 - 11:34 AM
from talking to Beth Caldwell, one of the trainers at the place I workout at, her solution is simple-
Make it a daily routine
She spends 5 to 10 minutes, stretching every single day. She does it before bed, sometimes in the middle of the day, but she is incredibly flexible and she's in her 30's
Also, a foam roller can help smooth out your muscles, lengthening them and making you more flexible as well
You just have to make it priority, and do it every single day. But flexibility comes in millimeters, and it takes months to get those couple of extra millimeters of extra flexibility. You're stretching out a muscle, with is pretty much 3+ pound hunk of meat and tendons (for instance your hamstring). Take a piece of sirloin steak and try to stretch it out, see how hard that is? Add the pain and discomfort of stretching, and you can see how much work you have ahead of you
Personally, I would purchase a "stretching dvd" and start doing that daily. This way, you are doing the same routine, and you can notice your gains over time. If you're just telling yourself "I'll just stretch out my legs today... whatever", you'll never get any gains in flexibility. A structured, stretching program is the key to flexibility in my opinion. Look at martial arts, they have a structured stretching program they do, every time you go to the dojo (usually). That consistency is key
I would find a DVD that last about 5 to 10 minutes, and always make sure you warm up your muscles slightly before stretching. Some basic burpees is usually enough to get the blood into your muscles, or some walking lunges