simple flexibility indicators

[everything]

still working on flexibility. what are some other simple indicators besides touching toes?

I don't mean difficult ones like chin to toe or full splits, although I'll keep trying to go beyond toe touches to other milestones like palms on floor. Just basic ones for "normal" flexbility that don't need a PT or someone to measure. For example if I'm bending forward to touch my toes, what about back bends and side bends? But there isn't any obvious indicator so I can easily track my progress, afaik. Hopefully there are some obvious ones I just don't know about.

[Trick]

To easily squat down into an Asian toilet squat.

[everything]

Ah yeah I need to fix some thigh tightness.

Thought of more:

Hands behind back one up one down

Yoga down dog (cannot do)

Full lotus (probably cannot get to)

Others that come to mind like splits are too hard

[P. Li]

Lie on the ground. With legs strait can your spine be flat on the ground? Can you touch knees to chest comfortably?

[Yeung]

[everything]

Lie on the ground. With legs strait can your spine be flat on the ground? Can you touch knees to chest comfortably?

hmm don't think so. Good one for me to work on, then.

nice chart, thanks - for the most part I do all these.

[robert]

The stretches from 9:44 - 18:54 in CZQ's warm up set are good for the hips & lower back. Bouncing is not required.

[Ian C. Kuzushi]

Good topic. Hopefully Simon will chime in. He teaches all sorts of cool movement stuff.

Not an indicator, per se, but laying spread eagle on the floor on your back, bring your foot up and across with a straight leg to your opposite hand (hand remaining where it was, on the floor). Grab toes, then push out/straighten leg to get stretch. Your head should face the opposite direction as your grabbed foot.

I also have a really easy and comfortable set I do after my airdyne warm up and before lifting. Basically a bunch of circles. Head circles (start small and get bigger); small arm circles (always start underhand first), big arm circles, waist circles, torso circles, leg pendulum swinging.

Then, I have a different set of sung exercises I do after lifting to keep me from getting to tight.

[everything]

so my right foot goes to my left hand with both straight, but I face the other way? That does sound like an indicator, because I'm not sure I'm flexible enough to do it. I like that it's a twist, too.

[everything]

Hmm ok I can’t do that. I don’t think my opposite hand can grab my toes without the twist so I guess that’ll be a good next marker of progress. I can touch my opposite toes with no twist. We’ll see how it goes. Tiny baby steps.

[everything]

I think what made me touch my toes again was rolling out my legs quite a lot, then lifting a light weight from the stretched position.

Stretching alone wouldn’t have given me as quick progress from earlier experiences when I stopped touching my toes and had to go back to it. Really unscientific but I tried just daily stretching and it didn’t work that well. I guess the Tom Kurz book explains it, but didn’t go into foam rolling.

After hitting a first (very modest) goal, I want to hit some other goals.