Leg stretching machine

[johnwang]

In the past couple weeks, when I swung my leg over my head, my toes could not touch my hand above my head any more. I don't want to lose my leg flexibility that I have spent all my life to develop it. I started to use my wife 's TKD leg stretching machine daily. But since I can't pull my upper body forward, it still doesn't give me the stretching that I need.



I'm thinking about to get this leg stretching machine (since I can pull my upper body forward). Has anybody ever use this machine? What's your comment on this machine?

[Trick]

back in the heydays of martial arts magazines(before internet) Chuck Norris used to be in the ads for such machines, together with that his(Chuck) Action Jeans where also on the ad.....I see things has changed

[Dmitri]

Lay on the floor, place your legs on the wall, and let the gravity and friction be these machines. For free; no equipment needed.

[Giles]

Could be useful. But I think you have to be VERY careful with this sort of equipment, in which a metal frame moves your body by a mechanical process. I believe there is a greater danger of overstretching and hence damaging yourself than when you use 'just' your own body and gravity. Especially if you are driven by the ambition: 'I must get back to where I was before.' If you overdo it and tear or 'traumatize' tissues, then at the end of the day you may even end up with less mobility than before.
Still, you know your own body best, so good luck.

[Trick]

Back when I trained in karate , loads of stretching we did and one stretching exercise was using a fellow karateka acting kind of of as the devices showcased in the OP, here the human”machine’s” legs work exactly as the mechanical device number 2 however then also the partner pulls the stretch victims arms so his/hers upper body being pulled forward increasing the stretch ..
Also when legs can be sufficient spread apart have the training partner push on your back to strive for the chest to touch the floor

[Caution to be observed - always have an qualified instructor around to observe exersices being done right to prevent injury]

[meeks]

Lay on the floor, place your legs on the wall, and let the gravity and friction be these machines. For free; no equipment needed.

my daughter did that for her dance classes... really great results and I like how it works on letting the relaxation of the soft tissues be a part of the stretch, while I find the machines tend to cause tension in the tissues (due to ouch factor) which can lead to micro-lesions in the tissue

[meeks]

also, a lot of good stretches are based on relaxation. Get into a stretch that you're working on... and now relax and let the stretch occur. That can often be challenging as 'ouch factor' tends to cause us to stiffen up to protect ourselves from the pain

[wayne hansen]

This question emphasises the difference in understanding between internal and external more than any other I have seen recently