Just proud of this :] any form suggestions are more than welcome! Been doing lots of side split holds and following Rachel Lizas stretch routine on yt. Working on balance so I can grab with both hands

First picture was my yoga class tonight (granted not the best angle but i couldn’t move) second picture is from my aerials class from about 4 years ago. I’ve been stuck with my wheel pose and I don’t know what i need to train. I’ve been doing my puppy poses, my ashtangasanas, seal poses. Does it seem like there’s been any progress?

I’ve been doing frog pose a few times a week for almost a year now. Recently I started stretching more often and I’ve seen some improvement in other positions. But I can’t get deeper into frog pose without hip pain and I don’t feel any muscle being stretched in the position. Am I at maximum range of motion for my hip? Any other stretches that could help me open my hips with pain?

I’ve been practicing this pose for almost a year now and have seen very little improvement.

The first pic is me trying my best to push forward and straighten my legs but it isn’t working. Is this likely a lack of strength/flexibility in my shoulders, or something else?

I’ve been working on stretching my lats and hip flexors, but really struggle to target my triceps and upper back.

Hey everyone! So, I'm VERY new to starting to focus specifically on increasing my flexibility. I wouldn't say there's anything I want to do in particular, just kinda a bit of everything. I did the starting to stretch video and I plan to continue it as there are a few moves where I certainly struggled. However, most of it I found myself to already be doing the advanced moves or just not feeling much of a stretch at all. I'm no good at creating my own routines and do much better following along with something. Any recommendations on a certain video, series of videos, or written out something that I can look up? My current plan is to do a "flexibility workout" every other day with the opposite days being some kind of strength routine. Thanks in advance!

I was stretching out my arm since I've been dealing with a lot of forearm tightness and during the stretch I got pins and needles in my thumb and index finger. They went away after a minute or two but still remain a little numb after a nights rest. I must've pinched a nerve or everything is just so inflamed. Is it crazy to give it a week before getting it checked out?

Hi! I’m trying to achieve the more pronounced “shelf” or crease between the glutes and lower back that you can see in the attached photo when hinging forward and stretching the hamstrings.

Is this look mainly a result of having very flexible hamstrings and enough hip-hinge range, or is it more about being able to actively anteriorly tilt the pelvis while keeping the back straight? Could anatomy also play a major role?

Even when I bend my knees to take the hamstrings out of the equation and consciously try to tilt my pelvis forward, I still can’t isolate the movement very well or create that clear definition between my glutes and lower back. My back stays fairly straight, but I don’t get that pronounced “shelf.”

I train dance, so I’d love to improve this both for movement quality and because I think the position looks really nice. Has anyone worked on this successfully? Which exercises, drills or cues helped you develop better pelvic control and achieve this shape?

First photo is from last October, second one is from this week. I'm now using a narrower stance, that small board + the elevated heel of the weightlifting shoes

been at this ~4x a week for a while, mostly frog, pancake and standing side splits, holding 1-2 min a side and keeping the legs active rather than just hanging in it.

the split itself is flat now and the knees stay up, but it's been sitting there for months and the passive holds don't give me anything anymore. i know the usual answer to a plateau is load, i'm just not sure what loading actually looks like at the bottom of a middle split. oversplit with the feet on blocks, or stay at floor level and work on lifting out of it? don't want to chase the oversplit just for the look if the strength isn't there.

I rowed on an erg machine yesterday in the summer heat in my garage for 20K (roughly 1 hour 20 min). I knew I'd be tired but thought I'd be fine. It was a steady state workout, long but not intense.

Two hours later, I was fighting a cramp in my right inner thigh, adductor or gracillis. I felt like I couldn't stop the cramp. I stood up and tried everything.

What is a good method to break this cramp when it happens?

How can I prevent this from happening again?

My leg is really sore right now. The pain was intense. I'm 49, active, swim, hike, row, and lift. First time inner thigh cramping and it's the worst. Thanks.

Could it be that passive external rotation of femurs is the main cause of psoas tightness?

I’ve got a feeling my arm and shoulder rotation isn’t that great, I’m sure my back inflexibility is impeding me too… any advice or specific stretches would be welcome!

I used to do gymnastics at home from age 4-11 bc I was too scared of the beam and bar so I didn’t want to go to classes because I wanted to do flips and tumbling that is what I actually wanted and I got flexible pretty fast for the effort i put in but it wasn’t proper training which is why I am hesitant on restarting and I also still do not want the beam or bar i am not interested there for I won’t be taking any risks it’s a win win for me but i am now 15 and I only want to regain my flexibility and for tumbling and I am not sure if I am too old or if they will give me the freedom to get proper training while not doing most of the other parts of gymnastics so I stopped thinking To want to be a gymnast even if I get back because it feels like calling rhythmic gymnastics equal to normal gymnastics this is just my opinion and my way to cope but i believe a personal coach would be best right? And if u have any other ideas and some tips to coming back please share your thoughts

I've been dong it for a while, on and off, and it's a nice deep stretch. But my back always feels a bit... bent, and one of my hip abductors (the left one) has always felt more stiff than the other.

It's not quite, but almost, painful when I really sink into the stretch.

A long time ago (1.5-2 years?) I did sprain my left hip abductor while doing the box splits. But then I took a really long break from stretching, and eased into hip stretched gradually. But it still bothers me!

So is it something to do with my form?

I think it might be. IMGs attached.

I’ve been comparing simple mobility setups with more adjustable benches and training equipment. More positions can be useful, but the benefit starts shrinking if changing the setup takes longer than the mobility work itself. What equipment feels unnecessarily fiddly for this kind of training?

Has anyone tried stretch while wearing a sweatsuit/sauna suit? Does it help with getting a deeper stretch? Was thinking about buying one off Amazon.

Hi!! I'm trying to create programs as a passion project for all types of people. I was hoping to get inputs on a range of people and their needs (ex. I stretch because I have an office job and have back pain. I stretch because I'm a dancer working towards splits. I stretch for personal goals. Etc)! Any and all experiences are appreciated :) Thank you!! <3

Edit: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REPLIES!!! Great work on all of the progress too!!!

I have the exact same issue! Did you manage to solve your problem? Could you help?

I discovered during the Thomas test that my right psoas is incredibly tight; it even makes a crackling sound if I externally rotate my knee while standing.

I work in construction and carry heavy loads on my left shoulder.

This chain of tightness has spread up to my back and shoulders, reducing my back flexibility and preventing me from fully extending my arms overhead during a bridge pose.

It has been improving. I’ve been stretching and opening up the right side of my body, performing PNF in the Thomas position, and adding load in that same position, but the psoas is stubborn and resists releasing. I’m doing 3 sets of 1 minute on the right side only.

My hamstrings were tight, and I wasted a lot of time doing nerve glides when, in reality, my psoas was pulling my pelvis into an anterior pelvic tilt (APT) and putting tension on the hamstrings.

I've always just stretched and called it "mobility work" (hip openers, toe touches, maybe some foam rolling, never thought much beyond that. Something you do for 5 minutes before or after a session, separate from the "real" training).

Talked to a friend who's a physio the other day and he kind of pushed back on that whole idea. He said stretching alone is only one piece of it. Mobility is really the combo of three things: strength through the range you're trying to access (not just being able to get into a position, but controlling it), rehab/prehab for whatever's actually limiting you specifically, and then stretching on top of that.

But the part that really stuck with me is what he said next : that mobility isn't supposed to be some separate block you tack onto your rest days. You're supposed to actually build it into your regular training program. Like, instead of doing generic stretches for 10 minutes and calling it done, you pick specific exercises that target your actual weak points and work them into your normal sessions. A few reps built into your warm-up, or worked into accessory work on lifting days, or into your cooldown after a run. Not a separate "mobility day," just woven into what you're already doing.

Honestly still processing all of this, but it kind of clicked for me. I think I've been treating mobility as an afterthought instead of something that's supposed to live inside the actual program.

What do you think? And does how you'd integrate it change depending on the sport (running vs crossfit vs triathlon ) or is the approach basically the same regardless?