The Stretching Post: Part 1.1 — Please read!

Yes, it’s here.  I finally got off my lazy virtual ass and decided that if I couldn’t take the rest of the pictures right now, goddammit I am going to make the post in more than one part.

Some things to remember about these posts:

-I’m no doctor — I’m simply telling you here what I know is safe, and works for me and other dancers.

-These stretches focus mainly on your legs; quite honestly, they’re the only thing I know how to stretch really thoroughly.

-These pictures aren’t quite as comprehensive as I’d like them to be, but alas, that’s what you get for having to rely on self-timer.  I’m going to try to have more detailed descriptions that tell you what you’re not seeing, or things to try to go for that may not be illustrated perfectly well in the photos.

-I was, for some reason, really inflexible the day I took these pictures…so I guess it’s good that the rest of the post will be posted another day soon, when my muscles are a little looser.

Some things to remember about stretching safely; VERY IMPORTANT:

-Warm up, warm up, warm up.  And stay warm.  This means layers — legwarmers, yoga pants, sweatpants, comfy stuff.  Jog in place/prance/do jumping jacks/whatever for a few minutes until you feel your temperature starting to rise a bit.  By no means do you have to get sweaty and out of breath, just make sure that your muscles are getting and staying warm.

-Listen to your body.  Nobody’s body is built the same way.  You may have never stretched a day in your life, but find you’re able to do the splits easily (though I don’t recommend trying it) just because your body is put together for it; the same way, I know girls who’ve been stretching for a decade and they still can’t get a perfect split.  If you find that some way of stretching is painful, not just uncomfortable, don’t do it.  Your body isn’t made to bend that way, and that’s alright.  

-Be patient.  If you haven’t stretched that much before, it could take months to build up flexibility.  This is because most of our flexibility comes from the way our joints, tendons, and ligaments are set up, not from our actual muscles; since your muscles haven’t been used to stretching very far, they’re going to have to make up for a lot of time.  If you get impatient and try to push yourself too far, you’ll obviously run a high risk of injuring yourself.  Stretching is something that takes time, just like toning or burning fat.

-In the same vein of being patient and listening to your body, take care of yourself post-stretching.  You’re probably going to get sore.  Ibuprofen (and other anti-inflammatories) and ice/hot packs are your friends.  Those, and lots and lots and lots and lots of water and tea to flush out all that lactic acid.  If you feel extra tight the day after, that’s normal — a good way I find to get rid of this is also if you’ve got a foam roller, just roll yourself out on that.  You can also roll tennis balls over your sore parts; it’s like giving yourself a massage.  That said, know what’s normal and what’s not: being tight and sore=normal.  Having extreme soreness and pain, especially concentrated into certain smaller areas, is not.  This is where extra ice, ibuprofen, and doctors visits (if needed) come in.

Alright.  I think that’s all I’ve got to say.  Ready for some pictures?