Reddit mentions: The best stretching & fitness books

You need a multi pronged attack!

First off, stop saying you want to lose weight. You want to lose fat. If you lose fat but gain muscle, you'll end looking sexy and fit. If you cut your calories too much and don't lift weights, you'll look underfed.

Did you know that it takes a month to build a habit? If you can start even one healthy habit now, and stick with it a month, you're much more likely to continue with it, because it will become a part of you.

Pick and choose, decide which will fit with your needs and schedule. You can make one change at a time and still make progress.

• Move more. I'm speaking of walking and stairs. You've already gotten a good start with this on the stairs, continue it! Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk to the mall from there. If you're close enough, walk to work, the store, whatever. This is not a workout, this is the new you. The fit and confident woman that enjoys walking.
  
• Join that gym and use the free training sessions you get. You should get at least one. In that session, talk to a trainer about your diet and what you should be working on. This will be a sales time, they will try to get you to buy sessions. Ignore that if you can't afford it, and use the time to get information. Tell your trainer that you're serious about losing fat, and ask to be shown how to lift freeweights. That will get you the quickest results.
  
• If you have a question on how to do something at the gym or need a spot, grab a trainer that's standing around not doing anything. That's what they're there for. Even if you haven't paid for a session, they'll usually show you how to do something - they don't want to get sued because they wouldn't show you and you hurt yourself.
  
• Cut down drastically on processed foods. If it doesn't come from the dairy, meat, seafood, or produce section, it's a processed food. Well, except nuts. This change will impact your life to a degree you won't believe until you do it for at least a week. Try new veggies! Foreign markets are great for this, you'll discover some really interesting foods you'd never heard of. Asian markets tend to be dirt cheap, as well. Don't be afraid of meat, especially if you're working out.
  
• Instead of thinking of this as deprivation, think of it as a way to broaden your horizons. You don't have to eat less, you can eat more if it's produce. You can learn to make some really wonderful dishes this way, and explore some new cultures. Your friends will start speaking of you as a really good cook, or even a gourmet chef :)
  
• Get a vitamin d test, and supplement accordingly. Vitamin d is necessary to build muscle, some recent studies show that an inadequate intake can lead not only to depression, but to higher bodyfat.
  
  My current favorite resources:
  
  
• stumptous. This woman got me into serious lifting. Browse around her site, see and hear real women that lift and love it.
  
• The Female Body Breakthrough. It's a book, I got it from the library and ended up buying it. Recommended by the previous source. This has the simplest to follow diet I've ever seen. I have been following it since mid November, and have been extremely happy with the results. I've lost fat, feel great, and am very rarely hungry. I've actually stopped craving carbs 90% of the time, and I used to be like you in that regard. This book can let you take control of your body like you've never believed possible if you take it seriously.
  
  I used to think that I had no control over my weight due to pcos. I tried lots of different things to take the weight off, nothing worked until I started walking daily and eating less processed food. I plateaued, then started lifting, which has given me a very nice tone. I still have some fat to lose, but the diet has helped quite a bit with that. You can take control, you just have to want it bad enough.

I've been in the same boat as you. Here's the deal: its an uphill battle and the name of the game is consistency. It's not impossible to gain weight, but it will require daily sacrifice. My freshman year of college I gained 20 lbs of solid muscle, going from 145 to 165 lbs. Since then I've edged it up to 173...I'm 6'1 so I'm still pretty lean. But I've learned some things on gaining weight with a revved up metabolism:

1. Nutrition. You need to plan out your meals for the next day (and week). High protein, low fat, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Count your calories using a utility like DailyBurn, and try to hit your target # of calories and in the percentages for each category (protein, fat, and carbs). This is KEY. Calories in must be greater than calories out. And if you're active that might mean consistently eating like a horse.
   
   
2. Your workout routine. This is something you can't half ass. Look up a good 12-week weight training plan and STICK TO IT. Every day, rain or shine, execute your routine using the correct technique. Load your ipod with new workout mixes to keep the motivation up. The lifting routine should be full-body and consist of compound muscle lifts like squats, deadlifts, cleans, bench press, etc. Buy a book like this and stick to the 12-week plans that they outline.
   
   
3. Consider supplements to your nutrition that may increase progress. Don't believe the negative hype about Creatine: it works, and its not bad for you. Whey Protein is a great help in meeting your daily protein goal of at least 1g per pound of your desired body weight. Don't lift on an empty stomach, and don't leave your stomach empty immediately after lifting. Your body is a machine and needs fuel!
   
   Gaining weight is a huge pain in the ass. The gains are hard to maintain. But if you learn to truly enjoy eating big nutritious meals and challenging your body you will gain muscle.

Hey, I just read a whole book on interval training: One Minute Workout by Martin Gibala. It's a kitschy name, but he's a leading scientist of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and the book is all about the difference between HIIT and "traditional" cardio. It stimulates your body in really different ways for a number of reasons, but basically, interval training is a much more efficient way of stimulating your body towards cardiorespiratory fitness. All cardio training triggers adaptations that will make you fitter--you'll produce more mitochondria (which makes your muscles more able to burn sugars and fats), your body will be better able to regulate sugars, your Vo2Max will increase and your endurance will be improved. Here's a short interview about that on NPR.

Intervals are a much more EFFICIENT way to make that happen. Imagine you're running low on gas after driving for 8 hours. Not surprising (if you drive my car, anyway!), right? It makes sense. Fuel decreases over time. Imagine you fill up and 20 minutes later, your gas gauge drops dramatically. You're going to make adaptations really quickly to adjust to this new reality where you're running out of gas super fast. Either way, you're making changes, it's just a matter of how much time and effort you put in.


Anyway, the book was really interesting and I think the science is sound. Despite the clickbait title, he's actually above all a proponent of getting fit in the ways that work for YOU. So, I'd think if you really enjoy the longer-duration running, then do that! You're losing a certain amount of efficiency, but if you're gaining other benefits with the trade, then you're the best judge of whether that's worth it.

I assume the personal trainer has you do weights? You're very active but I see no dedicated weight training sessions.

"Toning" is simply stripping fat from your body to reveal the muscle beneath the surface; if there's no muscle to show off, there's no toning. Strength training will not also help you tone, it'll increase your metabolism, help your body burn more fat compared to not weight training, protect you against osteoporosis, give you more energy and tons more.

If I was you, I'd do at least 3 weight focused sessions a week and cut back on the HIIT and intervals. IE

• Weight training x 3 per week
  
• Horse riding x 2 per week
  
• Yoga class x 1-2 per week
  
• HIIT/Interval Runs x 1-2 per week
  
  There's all sorts of routines to follow. For females I typically recommend
  
  Strong Curves
  
  or
  
  The New Rules of Lifting Series specifically The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess
  
  or
  
  Strong: Nine Workout Programs for Women to Burn Fat, Boost Metabolism, and Build Strength for Life
  
  The other side is diet. Just like weight training should be the meat and potatoes of your training regimen, well, meat should be the main focus of your diet. Or at least protein - you need a lot more protein in your diet.
  
  Protein supports lean muscle growth, which, as I mentioned, is needed to tone. Increased protein intake will also help your body preferentially burn fat, it will speed up your metabolism, protein "costs" a lot of energy to break down protein (if you eat 100 calories of sugar, 99 calories of that sugar will be turned into fuel for the body; if you eat 100 calories of chicken, only 70 calories will actually be converted and the other 30 calories will be "burned" while the body processes and breaks down the chicken into a usable fuel source), it gives you more energy, helps boost your immune system and more
  
  https://www.precisionnutrition.com/will-a-high-protein-diet-harm-your-health
  
  In short, lift weights, eat more protein

This is going to sound really close minded and shallow but it works. If you look okay, start wearing nicer clothes. All the time. Wear la coste and polo. Fashion is such a good place to start. You want to dress up the merchandise a bit for the customer(the girl). I promise you that if you really wanted to have sex, you could find some monster/troll that would fuck anything. But so many of them have really weird emotional problems you will get so much drama you won't know how to deal with it. Smile alot, wear nice clothes and work out. 90% of someone's opinion of you happens within the first ten seconds. Make those ten seconds count.

An early post had a great suggestion of treating all girls like guys. That actually really works. You shouldn't treat girls that much differently anyway. I have never once met a romantic guy who gives roses that sweeps women off their feet. I have met guys who look amazing, with big chests and great smiles that sweep women off their feet.

Conquer appearances and you have it made. Not sure wear to start? Go to Dillard's and look at the manikins. They usually have some baller outfits going on.

Remember if you want something nasty it won't be to hard but if you want quality its going to take some hard work on your part. It really depends on how motivated you are and how much of your life you are willing to put toward this?

If you don't have money, well get money first then get clothes then fix your teeth or whatever. Good oral hygiene is a must. A women respects a man who flosses.


I think you will make your way though, just DONT get a hooker. For the love of god, don't do it. Maybe you are different then me, but no matter how horny I was or how desperate I would never do that. Yuck.

Also I used this book http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Muscle-Authoritative-Building/dp/1579547699/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1289631501&sr=8-4

And its amazing.

Good luck!

I don't know where you're from, but you should check out Ginástica Natural. It's a super cool bodyweight gymnastics exercise routine invented by Orlando Cani that draws itself from Yoga, dance movements, Kempo and Chi-Chuan. It's practiced by world-class athletes from all different sports, specially jiu jitsu.

I've heard great things about Coach Chris Sommer's Gymnastic Bodies: it's got a bunch of online resources to help you improve your flexibility and strength.

If your time budget is short and you're just looking for quick routines to do before and after class, you should check out the "Stretching" book, by Bob Anderson, with many stretching routines that help you get rid of your body's stiffness.

Finally, if you're super rich and don't mind joining a soft religion/cult-like movement, take a look at Ido Portal's Movement Culture. The guy's super controversial, but he really is very proficient at what he does.

You start in 602 and move to 618 after 1st phase. These are three story barracks located on the base. 602 is a bit of a strange place because it's not so much a home as a temporary respite from the abuse of 1st phase. You're constantly on edge there though. 618 is a little more out of the limelight and relaxed. You have a mix of 2nd and 3rd phase, pus SWCC, separated by the floors.
If you're a married E5 or an O you can live off base, but you have an assigned room/rack in the barracks that you're responsible for maintaining.

Generally things aren't hectic at all. As soon as the Instructors are gone everyone just tries to catch their breath. Guys might sharpen their knives, or clean actuators, or eat some microwaved oatmeal and then quickly rack out. You need all the sleep you can get. On weekends and when you get over to 618 there's a bit of free time and guys might go surfing or get together to watch movies. It's the exact opposite of testosterone filled.

I'm a pretty big proponent of this method of stretching. Its not rocket science. Do dynamic stretches pre workout, and static stretches either post or on their own. Hold for at least 30sec per stretch but really its about listening to your body and pushing just a little.
I haven't seen the numbers but I have been told there is a statistical difference skewing towards more guys getting through summer classes. I think that can mostly be attributed to the pneumonia issue, as summer classes can be just as brutally mentally difficult.

Sub 8:30 is usually up there. The focus of CSS should always be maximum efficiency. You want to get the timing right on your breathing so that you've almost fully exhaled before initiating your down hand pull, that way you can slightly lift your chin and rotate your head (in a pool this should be an almost unnoticeable motion, your lips should just barely break the surface) and get a full breath. Work on swimming slow and perfect. If you can't do something slow, you shouldn't do it fast. You'll swim with fins a lot during prep and indoc and bud/s, so I wouldn't worry about practicing for that. Just like running in Bates, if you can do the PST, you're a good enough runner to handle the transition over to Bates.

I want to say 2 weeks, but it might have just been 1. We have a system that I can't talk about because of an NDA, but suffice it to say, it takes into account the fact that going to hands on is our last option. If I was going to recommend a martial art, it would be aikido and jiu jitsu. For all the touchy feely chi aspects of aikido, the focus on disengagement and control of the flow of battle has way more relevance to a well rounded warrior than krav maga or BJJ.

I don't think I have. I read all the SEAL books I will probably ever read back before I joined, with the exception of Chris Osman's "SEALs" book, which I read because as a new guy, it's shit hard to get an understanding of the structure of the Teams, and that book lays it out pretty good.

Just bite the bullet and do it. I can tell you the most frustrating part of your military experience will probably be going in. Boot camp is GAY. Recruiters are pretty scummy. PST is always a nightmare.
Yeah, my mentor was great. Most the guys said their mentors were pretty on it. Unless you're in the midwest where they might have one mentor for 4 States, you'll probably get to workout and get together once a month or so.

>Sorry for the late response

No problem. Sometimes it takes me a day or three to post to a thread.

Working Out. Ok, strength training. Does your school have a gym that you can use? If not, if you're in any reasonably sized city there will be plenty of gyms you can join. On the cheap side, "24 Fitness" and "Club Fitness" are national chains with affordable memberships -- on the order of $20 per month. There are plenty of others. You can check Yelp, or Google "Gyms near [name of your city]."

You could just get a bench and some freeweights off Craigslist, but joining a gym can help you stay motivated, and when you're spending the money every month it can be an extra incentive to actually find the time to get the workouts in. You can also build confidence and meet people with similar interests in fitness.

Gyms often have personal trainers that will work with you, for a fee. They can be helpful for some people, and for folks that aren't familiar with working out, an introductory session or two can help you feel more confident -- the machines might seem intimidating at first, for example -- even if you don't want to use a trainer regularly.

If you're more of a do-it-yourself-er, and even if you're not, you can learn a lot from a good intro book. One title I used when I was new to working out at the gym was the Men's Health Book of Muscle. It's from the same people that make the magazine, and it's a great intro that IIRC explains many topics, from muscle groups to diet and supplements to freeweights, calisthenics, and machines. Lots of illustrations, and it includes specific workout programs that explain what exercises to perform on what days over a period of several weeks in order to build up specific muscle groups.

Gotta run now, but I'll try to give you some ideas on the other topics in the next few days. Ciao.

I do not have anything from Kit Laughlin, but I love his material.

What are your goals with buying these things? Do you want more knowledge? Do you want a list of things to do? Do you want a strict program?

Here's my picks based on what I have read:

• More knowledge: Stretching Scientifically - one of the best summaries of the science of stretching, along with the hows and whys.
  
• A basic list of things: Sport Stretch - the best "dictionary of stretches". The initial chapters are largely in line with Kurz's recommendations for stretching and flexibility, too
  
• A strict program: Focused Flexibility or Body Mechanic - both are very good programs (the first is more general/overall than the second) that tell you precisely what to do, how to do it, and how to measure progress (something a lot of flexibility training ignores).

This is kind of terrible advice, depending on the individual in question.

The most broadly successful stretching program tends to involve a warm-up, followed by the dynamic flexibility exercises you mentioned: leg raises to the front, sides, and back for the hips, as an example. This is followed by a workout of some kind (an intense run, strength training, a martial arts class) and, after that, cool down with static stretching.

Despite what /u/shinobi3432 said, you should not push to the point of pain. You want discomfort, and you can hold it there, but never for more than thirty seconds, okay? And, once you've developed both some muscular strength and basic, static passive flexibility, you can throw some isometric stretching in there before you do a static passive stretch.

What should happen is, as your static flexibility range improves, you build up your dynamic flexibility to match it, so that you can utilize your full range of flexibility in motion and with little warm up. That said, you should still warm up before actually training; one or two kicks "cold" will be all right, but you still need a decent warm up before you actually push yourself at all.

If you want details on this kind of stretching program, read Stretching Scientifically, by Thomas Kurz.

Exactly! Even if you can only get three sessions, a good trainer will help you get started and will show you a bunch of exercises you can rotate into a routine. Oh! You know what? I have this book that my old roommate loved to use and even bought it herself after she moved out. I don't use it anymore and would be happy to mail it to you if you'd like. It has a ton of good reviews, and this regular blog I read also did an "experiment" where she did everything the book recommended and LOVED it. She used to do one fitness experiment a month and then would review it, and following this book was her favorite experiment. If you think it would be something you're interested in, let me know and pm me your address and I can get it in the mail the next day. :)

Four important key-elements for Muay Thai (in no particular order):

1. Explosivity
   
   
2. Cardio
   
   
3. Flexibility
   
   
4. Technique
   
   
   .
   
   
   .
   
   
   
   1] Explosivity
   
   Start with bodyweight exercises for endurance strength:
   
   You can get really far with just Push-ups, Pull-ups and Squats.
   
   Start building up your endurance, then after you can do a lot, switch over to doing them explosively.
   Get a pull-up bar for in your house if you can, even those that you hinge in the door works.
   
   For Muay Thai it's not really productive to lift heavy, it can even slow you down.
   (I used to be a powerlifter prior so I also speak from experience)
   
   .
   
   2] Cardio
   
   
   For conditioning I recommend sprinting as opposed to running. Instead of running long distance(say 10 miles), do it a shorter distance(5 miles), but more explosive/faster. Look up HIIT.
   
   Constantly think in terms of explosive training, don't underestimate cardio, it's very important!
   
   .
   
   3] Flexibility
   
   Flexible hips and legs is a godsend.
   I recommend either one of these books:
   
   
5. Stretching Scientifically (You can't go wrong with this book, Legendary Flexibility builds upon this book) (https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149303)
   
6. Legendary Flexibility from Jujimufu the Trickster
   (I prefer this book personally because it's more fun to read and easier to apply in your life) (https://acrobolix.com/product/legendary-flexibility/)
   
7. If you have no time to read books, PM me and i'll give you my stretch routine.
   
   .
   
   4] Technique
   
   This one speaks for itself, you learn technique by practicing lessons and sparring. Since you will be starting Muay Thai in 3 months I would recommend you to do some shadowboxing prior to you starting. Watch this video for Muay Thai basics and start learning the basics at your home.
   
   .
   
   TL;DR:
   
   Do bodyweight Push-ups,
   
   Pull-ups, Squats.
   
   Do sprinting/running.
   
   Do stretch.
   
   Do shadowboxing.

>can I please be directed to difinitive studies and explanations on why?

I found this book useful. It's about a host of things relating to physical/athletic performance and biology. There is a chapter dedicated specifically the distinctions between mens and womens performance in sports, along with lots of references to scholarly research on the topic.

It's been a few years since I read it, but some tidbits that stick out in my memory include...

1. The difference is really, really big according to certain metrics. One such was a study that charted release velocity of a thrown ball between men and women. The average release velocity for either was normally distributed. The means of the two distributions were separated by two standard deviations of one or the other (can't remember which). Basically, the phrase "throw like a girl" is rooted in real observation, not just dismissive sexism.
   
   
2. There was a good bit in there arguing that the roots of sexual dimorphism are rooted in sexual selection and the way sexual display works. Put inaccurately, males fight each other, women pick the winning males to mate with. There was a tidbit in there about how the extent of sexual dimorphism in mammals correlates with the level of sexual selection in the species, and humans fit on the correlation curve very well.
   
   
3. The belief that women only seem weaker than men on average is purely because of socialization is not a new idea. Some people believed it back in the 1960s and 70s, too.
   
   The book is quite interesting for topics other than sex-based differences as well. The chapters on Jamaicans and sprinting dominance and Kenyans and Ethiopians and distance running were fascinating. And there's a chapter about the heritability of endurance among Alaksan sled dogs that was really cool.

I don't usually recommend anything by Men's Health, but this book and program has a ton of options and I loved it. It's a great mix of explosive lifting, good core workouts, balance movements, and has some stuff that will also be good for flexibility. I felt much faster, stronger, and explosive after doing the programs for about a year way back when. It helped me get to what was the highest physical peak I've achieved so far. The author is/was a strength and conditioning coach for lower division college athletes that specialized in taking them to the next level.
Book: http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Power-Training-Performance-based/dp/1594865841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427379062&sr=8-1&keywords=power+lifting+mens+health

More difference between brands than styles. Twins are quite a square glove while other big MT brands like Fairtex and Windy are rounded like a western boxing glove. Anything with quality foam will keep your hands and your training partners safe. Velcro is fine and you're right, much easier in a class environment for getting on and off quickly but as brookesy2 mentioned they do scratch during grappling. Doesn't hurt but if you end up looking like you've been attacked by 81 kittens... that's why.

In regards to your flexibility. Take a look at some of the books/vids that are out there. Ultimate Flexibility was one of the books the boys at the gym would go on about. I went the repetition route. Keep hitting a technique and that additional flexibility will come. Strengthening your hip abductors will also help speed that process up.

Good luck!

Very interesting! Thank you for the information. I was able to find a good resource about Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga here. Just in case anyone else was interested. I really would like to work yoga into my week as a more relaxing form of exercise compared to my normal martial arts/weight lifting/rock climbing routine. I just wouldn't have time for an actual instructor.

As for the book I'll save you the time book. 10$ book and seems by the reviews to be the best instruction you can get without a yogi to assist.

Thank you for all of the info!

>Hi Reddit! I’m Martin Gibala, PhD, professor and chair of the kinesiology department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. I conduct research on the physiological and health benefits of interval training and how this time-efficient exercise method compares to traditional endurance training.
>
>In my decades of study in this field, I’ve conducted extensive research on the science of ultralow-volume exercise and time-efficient workouts. Inspired by my own struggle to fit regular exercise into a busy schedule, I set out to find the most effective protocols that take up the smallest amount of time, while still offering the benefits of a traditional session at the gym. It became clear that short, intense bursts of exercise are the most potent form of workout available. One of my recent studies, published in [PLOS One] (http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0154075), found that sedentary people derived the benefits of 50 minutes of traditional continuous exercise with a 10-minute interval workout that involved just one minute of hard exercise. Study participants who trained three times per week for twelve weeks experience the same improvements in key markers of health and fitness, despite a five-fold lower exercise volume and time commitment in the interval group.
>
>My new book, [The One-Minute Workout] (https://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Workout-Science-Smarter-Shorter/dp/0399183663/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485795674&sr=1-1&keywords=the+one-minute+workout), distills complex science into practical tips and strategies that people can incorporate in their everyday lives. It includes twelve interval workouts, all based on scientific studies, that can be applied to a wide range of individuals and starting fitness levels. From elderly and deconditioned people who are just beginning an exercise regimen to athletes and weekend warriors, there is an interval training protocol that can boost health and performance in a time-efficient manner.
>
>
>I will be back at 3 pm Et to answer your questions, Ask me anything about the science of exercise and in particular how to incorporate time-efficient training strategies into your day.

>Hi Reddit! I’m Martin Gibala, PhD, professor and chair of the kinesiology department at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. I conduct research on the physiological and health benefits of interval training and how this time-efficient exercise method compares to traditional endurance training.
>
>In my decades of study in this field, I’ve conducted extensive research on the science of ultralow-volume exercise and time-efficient workouts. Inspired by my own struggle to fit regular exercise into a busy schedule, I set out to find the most effective protocols that take up the smallest amount of time, while still offering the benefits of a traditional session at the gym. It became clear that short, intense bursts of exercise are the most potent form of workout available. One of my recent studies, published in [PLOS One] (http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0154075), found that sedentary people derived the benefits of 50 minutes of traditional continuous exercise with a 10-minute interval workout that involved just one minute of hard exercise. Study participants who trained three times per week for twelve weeks experience the same improvements in key markers of health and fitness, despite a five-fold lower exercise volume and time commitment in the interval group.
>
>My new book, [The One-Minute Workout] (https://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Workout-Science-Smarter-Shorter/dp/0399183663/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485795674&sr=1-1&keywords=the+one-minute+workout), distills complex science into practical tips and strategies that people can incorporate in their everyday lives. It includes twelve interval workouts, all based on scientific studies, that can be applied to a wide range of individuals and starting fitness levels. From elderly and deconditioned people who are just beginning an exercise regimen to athletes and weekend warriors, there is an interval training protocol that can boost health and performance in a time-efficient manner.
>
>
>I will be back at 3 pm Et to answer your questions, Ask me anything about the science of exercise and in particular how to incorporate time-efficient training strategies into your day.

This is an excellent guide to how to stretch, here. The only problem is that it doesn't really tell you what stretches to do, although in your case it sounds like you need to do more dynamic stretches. So for a big fat book of different types of stretches I would look at Relax into Stretch. I was able to find it at my local library. Another resource that I have not used, but came to me highly recommened is Stretching Scientifically. Using these programs you should be able to get into the splits in anywhere from 6 months to a year. Also, make sure you are doing strengthening exercises as well. Safe flexibility depends a large part on your strength.

Tl;DR read this and begin practicing boot to face TKD very soonly.

There has been some quality scientific literature on this. The Sport's Gene is where I first saw this issue raised. Epstein does a great job of synthesizing the scientific findings with anecdotal sports references. Apparently it's a huge advantage. It's not just hormonal differences. There's differences in bone density, differences in height, bone structure, hip function, fat to muscle ratio just to name a few, which translate to huge advantages in endurance and strength across a variety of sports. I cannot recall any sport where it was advantageous to be a women over a man, but it's been a few years since I read the book and the trans/man/woman comparison wasn't a major portion of the book.

E: Found a list online of the characteristics Epstein discussed if anyone is curious.

Among the key physical differences between the sexes. Men are / possess

• heavier and taller
  
  
• longer arms and legs relative to their height
  
  
• biggest hearts and lungs, thus able to absorb and process more oxygen
  
  
• twice as likely to be left-handed (high physical combat societies have more numbers of lefties – this arose due to natural selection as lefties have an advantage in combat)
  
  
• less fat
  
  
• denser bones, and a heavier skeleton that can support more muscle
  
  
• more oxygen-carrying red blood cells
  
  
• narrower hips which makes running more efficient and decreases the chances of ACL tears (epidemic in female athletes) while running and jumping
  
  
• 80% more muscle mass in upper body and 50% more in lower body

I'll also throw out that there are some great books on yoga, I like The Key Poses of Yoga by Ray Long and Yoga: The Iyengar Way a lot. The former has really good pictures that show what muscles should be engaged, and how, in each pose. The later has a lot more about the mind state you should strive for during Yoga (including how to breath and move between poses) and it has a large number of "courses" in the back. I think there's over a year's worth.
I hope some of that is helpful. I grew up in a household that really loved yoga and I've been slowly reintegrating it into my life now that I'm supposedly an adult.

A muscle roller, properly used, will definitely help you gain (or reduce the pain of gaining) mobility but they are only an adjunct to the hard work you are going to have to do. There is no magic bullet and certainly no physical object or tool that will improve your flexibility without hard, grinding, painful, consistent work.

Simply put, if you want to squat then SQUAT. If you can only go down 1/4 of the way then do that for several minutes twice a day every day until you get to 1/2. Then keep at it until you are all the way down. Then work on straightening your back and your feet. Then start on this routine.

Let Starting Stretching be your guide. Once you have made substantial progress with all (or most) of that, then move into the vast and unknowable sea of mobility resources on the net. The following are some examples I have found helpful:

• http://www.smartstretch.com
  
• https://www.youtube.com/user/AntranikDotOrg
  
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwIDi7x9gvRUWHex7fp1TTQ
  
• https://www.youtube.com/user/northamptonmartialar
  
• https://www.youtube.com/user/kwonkicker
  
• Stretching Scientifically
  
  Enjoy!
  
  

Focus on general fitness and then integrate your shooting skills.

Good on you though, fitness is a huge part of shooting and a huge factor in self defense, but you see so many fatties at the range trying to recreate youtube videos it is disgusting.

/r/running is a great resource, as is /r/fitness. If you really want to get into it for both shooting and fitness, check out Sentinel and T.A.P.S..

I would also recommend this book and reading around [Rob Shaul's new site] (http://strongswiftdurable.com/), formerly it was Military Athlete and Mountain Athlete.

And now to cool down before I carry on too much.

TL;DR: Good job, don't be lazy or fat, fitness is survival and only enhances skill at arms.

>This doesn't make you not racist.

That's just semantics.

> And what are those racial differences?

Let's start with the obvious. Clearly, given the sheer size of the population, Chinese and Indians ought to dominate the Olympics 100m-dash. But they do not. Almost all of the medalists have come from descendants of West Africa. Interestingly, as of late, Jamaicans have outperformed African-Americans despite coming from poverty-stricken environment with inferior training infrastructure. Same story with long distance running and marathons, where East Africans have dominated. These people are at a severe environmental disadvantage, so the case for cultural difference doesn't make sense in this case. So what is the reason? Well, a gene called ACTN3 - sometimes called a "sprint gene" - which is expressed primarily in fast-twich muscle fibers, were found in high frequency among the West-Africans. So, more ACTN3 genes you have, the more likely you will run faster in short distance. On the other hand, slow-twitch fibers aid you in endurance sports - such as distance running - and East Africans tend to have more of them than fast-twich fibers.

If you are interested, have a look at "The Sports Gene" by David Epstein, where he goes into depth on this topic.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Performance/dp/161723012X

The science is already pretty clear on this issue : There are meaningful, statistically significant differences between varying ethnic/racial groups. And this is common sense, if you think about it. The reason Japanese are shorter on average than Dinka people of Sudan is not because they are more poor and nutritionally deficient.

So, the burden is on you to explain to me why there can't be any differences in terms of mental capacity or personality traits between races - of which there are some scientific evidence, although not as conclusive - when there are clear differences regarding physical makeup and ability. If you take animals of the same species and let them evolve in separate environments for centuries, exposed to varying degrees and kinds of selection pressure, they will show significant differences in physical strength and temperaments. Why shouldn't the same law of nature apply to human beings? Not all scientific facts are in favor of liberal/leftist ideology. Just as right-wingers are in denial about climate change, liberals have their fair share when it comes to scientific blind spot.

>I don't think it's so much that the west are the only ones who have done it. It's that the west has done it to far greater effect and has done far greater damage with it than anyone else. And sure, I'll bet if Southeast Asia was in a position to colonize Europe, they would have. I don't see why that should matter, though.

>You're not supposed to "feel sorry" for Southeast Asia as though the region itself has feelings. Individual people were harmed by colonialism, and are still by its lingering effects.

That's just sheer display of ignorance.

You can easily make a case that Mongol Invasion of Europe and other continents in 13th century were more devastating in terms of the number of people died as a proportion of the world population at that time. Do you also feel sorry for all the casualty deaths incurred by Muslim invasion of the West that happened throughout Middle Ages and up until 19th century by the Ottoman Empire? If you do not, you have very partial understanding and biased view of world history.

Yes, the West has done some damage to the world in recent times. At the same time, a lot of great modern scientific breakthroughs and technological innovation of the Western civilization have brought about unprecedented amounts of wealth to this world. People are living longer than ever due to advances in medicine, and we are living in one of the most safest, peaceful, prosperous, and most egalitarian (with regards to human rights) time period than ever before.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Better-Angels-Our-Nature/dp/0143122010

Normally, I just have a little chuckle at these TIFU posts and move on with my day. But today I would like to make a suggestion for you. Pick up this book simply titled Stretching by Bob and Jean Anderson. The best thing I personally got from the book (other than how to stretch) is not to care what you look like to the outside world during exercise. And they have a great little section on getting into a running routine. Don’t be afraid to alter their suggestions and advance through their schedule faster or slower as you see fit. Exercise routines are not a one-size-fits-all sort of thing. Keep with it and, most importantly, have fun!

I think things would improve a lot if the administration involved were very open about risks, and if joining a sport was packaged with accepting delineated risks, both to the parents and the players. Right now, there's no particular difference between signing a 5K waiver and joining lacrosse, even though the risks are vastly different. When you tell a player to do something dangerous, just tell them that it's dangerous and they need to either accept it or not, don't talk about "toughness". If someone doesn't want to slam their head into something, it's their choice, making it about "toughness" derails the whole thing since now you're making it a bad thing to choose not to do a dangerous activity, which is stupid.

I'm not going to disagree that football is one of the more dangerous sports out there. Second only to fighting sports like boxing, probably.

Yeah, headers seem to be pretty bad. The safe sports seem to be tennis and golf and the like. I'm not really sure if there's much of a point with it at that point, not every kid is going to like a sport, not every kid is going to be good at a sport, and not all sports are made equal. While I understand the risks of most sports, all the sports I find interesting are the more dangerous ones (football, lacrosse, MMA, hah)... I think sports should be played because you like them, if you want just the benefits, do fitness or even something like martial arts. Martial arts have a lot less of the "toughness" culture, too, and are often useful in day-to-day life. Martial arts can become dangerous if you want to go farther in them but they don't have to be on the onset.

I think I'd rather I spent more time in sports during my school years, but, at the same time, my coaches were awful, I had a couple hidden health problems, and several times the sport cut into my academics to an unacceptable degree. I'm doing personalized fitness these days and it works a lot better for me and I am getting much, much better results. If my kids are playing sports, I'm monitoring it. There's way too much garbage out there.

The benefit of sports rises the better suited you are to them. This is all very iffy when you remember genetics. They modify how people perform quite significantly yet this is completely ignored in favor of "hard work" and "toughness" narratives. If your kid is "correctly" aligned genetically and has no health problems you won't notice but if you have some issue you'll get a lot of trouble with the current approach to sports because the really only want the best and don't care for the rest. Nobody will actually try to properly develop your kid correctly and they don't know how to anyway. Seriously, read The Sports Gene. There's a particularly interesting story there about a guy who had to try like 5 sports before he found one that made sense, and a bunch of stuff about how different people improve over time (i.e., some people start good but don't advance as fast some are vice versa but the coaches won't care and will just call one lazy and talented and the other hard working). It's very much not one-size-fits-all. The whole "boundaries" and "pushing your boundaries" thing is really weird and individualized and the fact that the average athlete can't study for a test makes me suspicious about whatever the hell they're pushing there.

Make your kid study, a lot more useful and important and will push some boundaries. Studying skills can be applied back to the same sports (how to eat, how to train, psychological effects). It has the same problems in evaluation phase but you generally can't avoid it. Sports are optional, mostly entertainment, knowledge and problem solving is not. Nobody ever seems to talk about work and pushing boundaries involved in academics. I understand doing well on your biology exam or even getting an academic scholarship is not as flashy and exciting as winning a championship but it has a hell lot more relevance to human society and is much more likely to bear fruit.

• It's usually never a good thing to do 1 rep maxes.
  
  But you must also keep in mind that everyone is different, ALWAYS remember that. My friend is as thick as a 100 year old tree truck whereas I'm lean and have a decent build. My friend and I did virtually the same workouts and doing 1-2 rep bench press maxes were done usually every 3-4 weeks( Sometimes it was a good 2 months too). I now have a sprained sternoclavical notch and it will be very long before a do anything over 100 pounds on bench. He, on the other hand, is still at it strong and 3 rep maxes 305, weighing 205.
  
  
• DO not be ignorant. don't google some workout and do it..Educate yourself. If you do not put in the time to fully understand the body and how easily it is to destroy it than stay on your elliptical machine.
  
  This book right here is one that I have read and is outstandingly easy to read, understand and remember.
  
  
  
  
• It's best to train with dumbbells when first training to produce stabilization equal muscle growth.
  
• Preserve your body before you make it grow. You will end your lifting career if you don't take care of your joints now!

Congrats to you for shaving 16 minutes off your time! I need to shave another 27 to BQ, so I'm trying to learn as much as possible about running and marathons in particular.


I'm currently reading Brad Hudson's book called "Run Faster", which was recommended to me by someone on this sub. His philosophy is that you shouldn't have a strict marathon training plan. He says that everyone is different and most plans are too cookie-cutter to help you achieve your potential. He gives a list of things you should do, but then kinda leaves it up to you do as you wish. It's a bit overwhelming to be honest. I don't know if I'm ready for that, but I find his line of thinking really interesting. I may post a review of it after I finish the book and try some of his recommendations.

Are you interested in becoming a massage therapist, is that what you mean? What sort of self care are you talking about?

I don't know of any books or packages of information describing specific self care techniques for therapists, but maybe there is one out there. I just use the knowledge I have attained over the years and apply it to what I do, and what I need to fix with myself - and what I help my clients with.

Having knowledge and having awareness in nutrition, physiology, anatomy, remedial exercises/kinesiology ect. is all very important.. I could list text books which pertain to these areas, but I highly doubt you'd want to spend the money or time haha D:

There are some good stretching books out there here is one for example - I was told to buy one similar to it when I was in school, but I never did :s

If you know all the muscle oia's of the body, you shouldn't need a stretch book. This is a good book for a muscle visualization

if you are wanting to become a massage therapist though, I recommend you go to a reputable college and take the course, even if your area isn't regulated or not. It's totally worth it.

This sucks so bad!

Good to hear that you are seeing a physio — you’ll get better advice from a professional than from reddit.

The one thing I would recommend along with that is to work on your running form to try to avoid further injuries in the future. I found this really helpful, and have just started reading Your Best Stride which (so far!) has been very interesting.

Good luck!

I would really recommend that you look up this book: Stretching scientifically - Thomas Kurz. There is so much BS broscience when it comes to MA and stretching. So much bad stuff gets done because their master did it that way and their master did it etc... with no regard to how effective or bad it is for your body...

Another great resource is this link that has a great wealth of good information regarding all your MA training needs. Just follow the links on the page.

Best of luck to you.

I have a few thoughts, in no particular order:

1. yes, if you just train it for a while, your flexibility will improve. Your body is just smart like that. The caveat is that if you have something like arthritic hips, there's just going to be a reasonable limit to how high you can kick.
   
   
2. Inflexibility in no way inhibits your ability to do a kick properly. Anyone who tells you otherwise has no idea how to teach kicking. What you need to really focus on right now is learning to do the kicks properly at the height you can reach. That way, as your flexibility increases you won't have to "relearn" the kick. Train the muscle memory, and it will carry you through.
   
   
3. Regardless of how flexible you want to be, never EVER stretch before a workout. Good, proper "stretching" weakens your muscles temporarily. Weakening your muscles before a workout is a bad idea, and leads to injury. Stretching belongs at the end of the workout, after the muscles have been fatigued and your blood is already flowing.
   
   
4. Regardless of how flexible you are, you should ALWAYS warm up before a workout. Warming up means moving as many muscle groups as is reasonable through their current range of motion. Again, you're not trying to kick higher or bend lower here. If you can only touch your knees on a given day, your warm-ups should involve knee touches. If you can only kick waist height, your warm-up kicks should be no higher than waist height. The goal here is to warm up the muscles and get your blood flowing.
   
   
5. Thomas Kurz's Stretching Scientifically has much to say on this topic, and will not lead you wrong.
   
   
6. Last thing: If at any point your sensei of another instructor tells you to do something that causes you pain, explain the problem. If they're worth what you are paying them (in time, money, commitment, whatever: even free classes have a cost) they will help you make the technique work with your body. Every body is a little different, and a good instructor knows that and knows how to help the more complicated bodies get along.
   
   Have fun!

Dynamic stretching for kicks!

Do 3 sets of 8-12 reps of the following stretch kicks:

​

1. Front stretch kick
   
2. Side stretch kick
   
3. Back stretch kick
   
4. Inside-outside crescent kick
   
5. Outside-inside crescent kick
   
   ​
   
   Increase your kicking height over the course of each set. Use your hand as a target for the front, side, and crescent kicks. Ideally, you would also perform this routine first thing in the morning. It generally doesn't hurt to do more, as long as you aren't fatigued.
   
   ​
   
   Once you reach the desired level of flexibility, you'll only need to practice a couple of times a week to maintain the existing level of flexibility.
   
   ​
   
   Reference:
   
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhpo9qKxO2c
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451

To get ideas, look at the book Women's Health Big Book of Exercises It has a nice variety of exercises for nearly all muscle groups plus pictures to demonstrate (yes, there's also a men's version)

I tack my exercises using the app Simple Workout Log It's free on the Google Play Store but I don't know if they have a version for iPhones. It's really easy to use.

/u/throwawayso30 do you or anyone else have any suggestions for a female newbie? Thanks :)

Gotcha.

I'm pretty weak on stretching as I've always been pretty flexible and haven't put a ton of time into it, but AFAIK, for range of motion issues the main point is making sure you stretch for long enough (like at least a minute or two for a stretch) and actually relax the muscles being stretched while doing it. I'd recommend waiting until after class to do super-serious stretching; it lengthens the muscle fibers which weakens them temporarily and may make you slightly more susceptible to injury. Deep stretches for short periods of time effectively just warm the muscles up (and don't increase max ROM), so are fine to do whenever but won't improve your total flexibility.

I've heard multiple recommendations for [Stretching Scientifically] (https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451) by Kurz, but I haven't used it or its programming myself.

Robotic motion: try to make sure your back is straight when you're moving. Unfortunately there are a lot of places it can not be. IME it's important to pay attention to the transitions between the c-spine and t-spine (base of the neck) and t-spine and l-spine (bottom of the ribs). Make sure that you're "stacked" in both of those locations and you're not at the end of your ROM either forward or backward. Try to get power in your movements by rotating your entire upper body using the hips, then back assists and arms add a little bit of snap but do very of the base power generation.

If anyone is interested in this topic I would highly recommend reading The Sports Gene by David Epstein (https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Athletic-Performance/dp/161723012X). Epstein talks pretty extensively about the genetic/anatomical/physiological factors that give men an athletic advantage over women. It also discusses in depth why people descended from Africa tend to perform better in many sports. He does a really great job talking about these potentially controversial ideas in a tasteful, non-offensive way. I'm a female that has never played any sports but this book was super interesting to me.

Great comment. David Epstein discusses chess in the this light in The Sports Gene, a great book that talks about the relationship between "effort" (i.e. memorization) and natural talent in mastering certain tasks/games.

It's mostly about athletic sports, but there's an extended section on chess. Elite competitors in other sports see the field of play in much the same way that grandmasters see chess boards. They can remember where everyone on the field/board is in fractions of a second, so fast that it would beggar belief if you didn't know an explanation was forthcoming. They're able to do this because of the relationships they see between pieces/players, e.g. when Peyton Manning looks at an NFL defense, he disregards the possibility that a defensive lineman would be covering a wide receiver downfield. It's a permissible arrangement of the players on the field, but it is utterly implausible, like a huge portion of the possible legal arrangements of pieces on a chess board.

Which makes me wonder what percentage of all possible chess games are reasonably plausible. My intuitive guess is that it's closer to 10^0 than 10^1.

This book is really a necessity for a serious martial artist who is trying to improve his or her flexibility. It's a bit old now but to this day I have not found a stretching guide that directly tackles the type of flexibility a martial artist needs like this one.

I do Muay Thai now but formally black belt in Taekwondo. My dad started training with me at the age of 37. His flexibility was horrendous. He couldn't kick above his waist. After reading this book he was kicking to the head within a year.


Now I'm in my 30's and having been a few years out of martial arts I am in the same boat as my dad was. Borrowed this book from him. Honestly the difference was instant. I was kicking a foot higher right away just by doing the dynamic stretches before going to training. 6 months on and I'm kicking head height again.


The secret is dynamic stretching!

I had this edition of the book.
http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1S6SZ332TN34SJFAR3MR

the free beginner routine is SL, which i'd done in the past. the paid version has a lot more options but since they aren't on your platform yet, i don't think you'd find it worth your $$. depending on how much equipment and space you have at your disposal, i loved the new rules of lifting, both the OG and the update. their programming is a little more equipment intensive than SL, but it's a great option.
https://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Supercharged-Muscle-Building/dp/1583335366

Now you're talking my Jam!

You can do what I do on the stationary bike. It works the same if it's on a treadmill or a bicycle. What I do was developed by McMaster university and is the equivalent of 50 minutes of moderate intensity exercise.

It's called the one minute workout. (It really takes 10 minutes)

The intervals are.

2 minute warm up.

20 second sprint

2 minute rest

20 second sprint

2 minute rest

20 second sprint

3 minute cool down

Now for the sprints you have to really sprint. It's a full blow 100% max output. Imagine you need to outrun a falling building. That kind of sprint. In the rest period you're not just standing resting, but you're doing very low intensity walking.

You can get more info from the book:

https://www.amazon.ca/One-Minute-Workout-Science-Smarter-Shorter/dp/0399183663

If those intervals are too easy, you can start to reduce rest time and increase sprint time.

Edit: I created my own interval timer app for this sort of stuff. I'll message you the url if you're interested. But there are other apps available that are good for timing.

yes. I was like you too and I was kicking people in the ear hole after about 2 months. Common knowledge about stretching is filled with misinformation. This book changed my understanding of flexibility.


Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training https://www.amazon.com/dp/0940149451/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Kp0PybASSXS3F

despite the homoerotic cover, it's a great book. look up the author Thomas Kurz online. He has a few free articles.

I'm a runner who lifts, though I still haven't found my optimal balance between the two. I tend to focus on lifting in the winter, and running in the warmer months.

For lifting, I've had good success building a base with SL followed by Texas Method, though I've found my upper body numbers tend to stall quickly. I think I need more volume to keep making progress. When it comes time to up the number of running days I'm considering making a switch to 5/3/1 or another 4 day split because last summer I found my legs couldn't handle rep maxes on Friday, followed by long runs on Saturday. I just wasn't recovering fast enough.

When it comes to running, everyone always plugs Higdon and his plans. I agree they're good for beginners, but once I had a couple of races under my belt I really learned a lot from Daniels and Hudson & Fitzgerald. I think both books are really worth it it you're looking to become a better runner.

If you want an understanding of the basic types of flexibility/mobility and different types of stretching used to train them, I highly recommend Thomas Kurz' work, particularly his book "Stretching scientifically". You can get a used copy for ten bucks on amazon and if you follow the material you should get some good results

Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training https://www.amazon.com/dp/0940149451/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ImBMwbF4HHYVT

In a nut shell, you want to try to develop strength and flexibility at the same time.

There's a pretty good book by men's fitness that is great for beginners and advanced alike. My ex is a personal trainer and she turned me on to it. The only thing left from that relationship I didn't burn from my mind. Gentlemen: Big Book of Exercises And
For the ladies...

Try moves that increase the flexibility in your hamstrings. I know thats pretty vague but its a giant tendon that is responsible for a lot of movements. Take a look at "Stretching", by Bob Anderson. Probably the best book for just stretching IMO, even has climbing specific stretches.

Many 'trainers' tend to portray dynamic stretching as somehow bad and unhealthy. A well known and respected strength and MMA trainer Pavel Tsatsouline has a couple good books about stretching and discusses the benefits of dynamic stretching. I highly recommend it

http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-The-Iyengar-Silva-Mehta/dp/0679722874/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410819855&sr=8-1&keywords=yoga+the+iyengar+way

This book contains courses that you can do at home. I realized that I'd rather do some yoga everyday rather than 2-3 1.5 hour classes per week. I'm currently doing the Beginner course (12 weeks) and each lesson takes me about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. For further example, the General Practitioner and Intermediate courses run for 18 months. In addition, the pictures and descriptions are awesome. It's a sustainable form of practice for me. I'm really happy with it!

Edit: Yikes, I just noticed you asked for videos and not book recs. I'll leave this here nonetheless in the off chance that it's helpful.

This is a common challenge, and gets harder with marriage/kids/more job responsibilities/etc. I've been in the industry for ~25 years, and it has always been a constant struggle. The short of it is that you need to make the time. Personally, I run and do pilates for my exercise, total of 6 days a week, 1 hour a day. Where I work is conducive to exercise as we have a locker room and showers, so I do it there. To give you an idea of my schedule, I'm up at 4:40, on the train by 5:40, at the office by 7, exercise and clean up and in my seat by 8:30AM. I'm usually in bed by 10:30PM. I never thought I could run, but I used the book Running for Mortals . It literally changed my life. *EDIT* And I recommend Fitness Blender, TONS of free pilates videos on YouTube, from intro level to "dear god I want to stop" level.

I found Stretching Scientifically to be a good book on the topic.

The best summary answer that I know of is "do PNF stretching". In particular, ballistic stretching is likely the quickest way to increase passive, static flexibility. Many sources claim that it's very risky; I've yet to see anyone cause any injury beyond a bit of soreness with it, and it was a major part of how I developed my front-to-back split.

Also, you might already know this, but: don't do static/isometric/PNF stretching before a workout. Stick with dynamic stretches to warm up. Do your flexibility work at the end.

Yes to the weights! It prevents bone loss! It helps with balance! And mental health and retention! It will keep so many things from atrophying that have nothing to do with weight or appearance. (Do I sound like someone who has been hassling my 69 year old mother... yes, yes I do.)
I can recommend [a great book] (https://www.amazon.com/Female-Body-Breakthrough-Revolutionary-Strength-Training/dp/1605296937/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481426755&sr=8-1&keywords=female+body+breakthrough) you are interested. I found it much more approachable than a lot of the stuff people recommend on reddit. (Nothing age related, but starts out assuming you have never lifted a weight which I found helpful.)

Some people just aren't as talented as others lol. It's like when you put in hard work to achieve something but someone who's a natural also achieves it without much work. There was an interesting book on this topic when it comes to athletics called "The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance"

I highly recommend reading if you ever have the time:

https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Athletic-Performance/dp/161723012X

Get the book Stretching by Bob Anderson and enjoy the wonderful world of flexibility. I went from having very little flexibility in my hips to being very comfortable with the more difficult submissions and sweeps.

Thanks for the great rely, your description is very accurate of how I feel. I am thinking of getting this book and figuring out a routine for myself.
Thanks for the motivation.

You have two options here:

• The long one: Stretch everyday, 10 to 20 minutes. Hold every position for about 30 seconds. Do NOT bounce; bouncing is known as ballistic stretching and it as stupid as stretching can get.
  
  
• The somewhat shorter way: Isometric stretching(a.k.a. PNF), 3 times a week in addition to normal stretching the rest of the week. To give you a general idea, isometric stretching is pretty much stretching as far as you can comfortably go, contracting the muscles for somewhere between 5 to 30 seconds, depending on how hard you contract, and then letting go and try to push the stretch a little further. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat up to 5 times. It's hard, and quite uncomfortable, but it works. Relax into stretch and Stretching scientifically are the best books I know on the subject.
  
  Also, dynamic stretching is to be done at the beginning of your workout, and passive at the end.
  

Actually, as much as I love New Rules of Lifting for Women, I prefer the update they did just last year: Strong: Update to New Rules of Lifting for Women. The authors took a great program and made it even better.

Depends on your goal. There are a number of great lifting routines. No one routine is perfect. You might also buy book. I personally love power training. It was released by men's health.
http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Power-Training-Performance-based/dp/1594865841

I actually agree with you on some level, but the issue is not so black and white. Have you heard of Hyperandrogenism? It's a condition where some women naturally produce too many androgens such as testosterone, and as a result they perform better in athletics than women who don't. In fact, a group of elite female athletes were tested for this condition and it was presented 140x higher than the general population.

The IAAF introduced a policy to exclude women with hyperandrogenism, or force them to take birth control pills to artificially lower their hormones. It caused much controversy and is now suspended.

This begs the question, where is the line exactly? If women with hyperandrogenism are allowed, then why not trans women? Or if we ban women with hyperandrogenism, why don't we ban men with hyperandrogenism? I bet if you look at cis women who break world records, a few of them will have hyperandrogenism.

When it comes to elite levels of athletics, biology DOES play a factor. For example, the reason why many female gymnasts are so short is not because they grew up tumbling, it's because at higher elite levels of gymnastics they can rotate faster if they're shorter. But does that mean short women have an "advantage" over tall women? Should we split up gymnastics by height?

That's why this issue puzzles me as well. I think it's all very grey and I'm not sure what the solution is.

EDIT: I highly recommend reading The Sports Gene by David Epstein, he does a deep dive on how genetics plays into sports. It doesn't really answer OP's question but interesting nonetheless.

What kind of martial arts are you interested in?

If you don't get many answers here then the /r/flexibility and /r/bodyweight subs might be helpful. The beginning programs in both of their sidebars cover basic movements that you will need to progress in gymnastics.

Edit: oops, meant to add this, too – I was just checking out this book the other day. You might find it very interesting!

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Flexibility-Complete-Stretching-Martial/dp/1880336839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501970585&sr=8-1&keywords=martial+arts+stretching

Here is a link to a book I've been using for the last 6 months. I'm at the gym 3 days a week. It has routines that take me about an hour in the gym. All compound lifts, no isolation lifts. It basically has 8 different lifts: a knee dominant lift (every runner should be doing these (squats, lunges, etc.)), a hip dominant lift (every runner should be doing these (deadlifts, good mornings, etc.)), a vertical push lift, a vertical pull lift (pullups, chinups, lat pull downs, etc.), a horizontal push lift (ie. bench press and variations), a horizontal pull lift (rows and variations), a rotational lift (every runner should be doing these), and an explosive lift (every runner should be doing these, (cleans, jerks, box jumps, jump shrugs, etc.)). It finishes all workouts with planks and its variations.

https://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Power-Training-Performance-based/dp/1594865841/ref=sr_1_2?crid=37TB731GTF7QF&keywords=power+training&qid=1573258707&s=books&sprefix=power+training%2Caps%2C216&sr=1-2

(Don't worry, the picture on the cover is misleading. You won't end up looking like him.)

I would suggest doing the knee dominant, hip dominant, rotational, and explosive lifts 2-3 times per week, and the vertical and horizontal pushes and pulls 1-3 times a week.

After 6 months of this lifting plan, I am still relatively thin, but I have some definition in my arms and chest, and I can do quite a few pullups. I am a recreational 42M runner (about 40 mpw) that just does 5ks and consistently finishes 1-3 in my age group.

But that book is the best book I have found that has the lifts that runners actually need. I've used "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger", "Starting Strength", "Strong Lifts", "New Rules of Lifting".

Yes, this one: http://www.amazon.com/Marathon-Ultimate-Training-Programs-Marathons/dp/1609612248/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376446748&sr=1-1&keywords=marathon+higdon

It's good. I like his style. A BQ would be a lifetime goal for me so I mix that 'technique' type book with inspirational ones since running is mind game for me too.

A sprint isn't 1 mile, a sprint is 150 feet, and then you have to walk at least another 150 feet before you can run a single step more. I bring this up because you really need to sprint for HIIT- which I will explain in a minute.


There is a huge amount of debate which is better, but the most reasonable consensus is that people should do some of both. High Intesnisty Interval Training (HIIT) is effective if you practice twice a week for twenty minutes at a time. There are even studies showing that just one minute at a time of intense training makes changes in muscle that can be detected a week later Low Intensity Steady State (LISS) takes more of a time commitment, but it is less difficult to recover from. Proper HIIT hurts.

If you really want to jump into the science, they use completely different energy sytems which explains why no one is great at both sprinting and marathons.

People living at higher altitudes gain increased resilience over generations, and not without drawbacks. Examples of early adaptations are increased red blood cell count (increasing heart attack, stroke, and blood clot chance) and changes in organ size. Only after hundreds of years do these tend to normalize into adaptations without increased health risks.

So yes, as the carbon content increases you might see some changes in human biology over several hundred years. However, no individual person will change significantly, only their descendants. And the corollary to that is that, for selective change to occur, people with advantageous traits will need to survive more often than those without.

In other words, if people will adapt, as you claim, it will be because it killed those who didn't, at least a little more often. Why the hell would that reassure me in any way?

The studies linked showed inconsistent effects on relatively small increases in CO2 content; it also states (if you'd read it) that large changes (over 5% concentration) like those found in submarines or low-ventilation spaces have known negative cognitive effects.

So your example of submariners is basically bunk.

Care to try for a third time? Maybe not spouting unsourced, ludicrous claims about humans just magically becoming fine with fundamental changes to our living conditions?

Source for the high-altitude claims: The Sports Gene, a rather good book.

In his book, Kurz talks about different studies done on stretching and lifting. The studies find that static stretching before weight lifting decreases the amount of weight you can lift, while dynamic stretching before hand doesn't. So, to increase flexibility and ROM, dynamic stretch before and static stretch after.

It depends on your goal. You have plenty of time to train properly for a December Marathon, if you desire the challenge of moving up in distance. On the other hand, some people prefer to work on their speed at shorter races before moving up in distance. That's less common these days, but it's a legitimate strategy.

Higdon, Pfitzinger, and Hanson have good books that offer training plans. You could do well with any of them.

I did Disney last year. Fun race.

I am not a fan of Galloway's programs. Too much focus on the long run.

There are a lot of good programs out there for beginners that are similar to each other, which aren't as heavily focused on the long run as Galloway. Hal Higdon has a book called "Marathon," which is a great security blanket for first timers. His plans at available for free at www.halhigdon.com.

A similar book is Runner's World Big Book of Marathon Training. They have a solid beginners plan in there that used to be free, but I don't see it on their webpage anymore.

There is a lot you can do to improve running form (Your Best Stride is a great book from Runner's World). But the general opinion of the running community (not everyone, but the majority) is that the minimalist shoe running fad is not the way to go for injury prevention.

Focus on form, not trying to do more miles than you are currently capable of, cross-training, and for some, body work (like massage or foam rolling). Shoes are important, but try going to a running specialty store to get shoes that are right for how you run.

very similar process to Power Training I think athletic training should be a better term, but not important. What's important imo though is the order in which the different sections are done. Not sure what the impact of weights vs. bodyweight. For weighted exercises, the general rule is: start off with the biggest muscle group and move on down, so first Legs, then horizontal, followed by vertical and finish off with rotational core and stabilizers. Idea being that the largest muscles groups should get first dibs on your energy capacity before it diminishes as you progress through the day's workout. I'd like to hear other's thoughts on this line of thinking.

I found this book helpful in terms of developing flexibility for kicking.

http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149303

For BJJ flexibility go and enrol in the best Astanga yoga class you can find, learn the primary sequence mysore style and smash it every day.

It's simple physiology. The muscles aren't physically short, it's just that we have a thing called the stretch reflex that freaks out when we move our muscles outside a certain range of motion, and causes the muscle to contract in order to stop the motion.

When a doctor whacks our knee with a hammer, they're testing the stretch reflex. The hammer impact causes a small and momentary lengthening of the quads, and the stretch reflex counteracts it by contracting the.

What stretching does is create a "new normal" in terms of RoM for the muscle. It is a retraining of the nervous system, not the muscle tissue, and for this reason, frequency is key.

If you want to read more about it, Glorious Socialist Athletics authors Pavel Tsatsouline and Thomas Kurz have written excellent books about it.

Wow so much misinformation on here. First if you want more information and back up studies then please read this book:

https://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Workout-Science-Smarter-Shorter/dp/0399183663

Now the title is a bit misleading. It's not one minute - each interval is less than a minute (as little as 15 seconds) and the rest can be up to 4 minutes. You might do 4 or 5 intervals and and up spending 20-30 minutes - almost all of which is spent resting between intervals.

Maintaining a high heart rate over the entire workout is not important.

The "High" part of HIIT is the intensity of the interval not the intensity of the overall workout.

Also Tabata != HIIT

Good point. Also worth reading, The Sports Gene by David Epstein. It goes into all of these morphological and biomechanical intricacies in great detail.

Some of the links I posted earlier point this out. The "spindly legs" is a big one--many sources cite the high inverse correlation between calf girth and speed.

Buy a book, do it at home for the rest of your life for free.

Spend the money you saved on healthy tacos and organic beer.

Rodney Yee's dvds are good. I've been using Nicki Doane's Beginner Ashtanga Yoga dvd and I think it's a nice introduction.

There are also lots of recommendations in the FAQs: here, here, here, and here

You should try going to a few classes though so a teacher can check your alignment, or at least get a book that has detailed descriptions of the poses, like Yoga the Iyengar Way.

Stretching. it actually can feel like hard work while you are doing it but you feel so relaxed after. Listening to music that you find calming while doing so is helpful too, and the effect is long lasting if you do it regularly.

What did your PT recommend?

Very informative post and great definition between the two :)

I'll take a look at this book by Kruz and try to stick to a routine for the long run.

Thnx a lot bro!

Sticking to books the only other one i could recommend that I’ve read is the sports gene . It talks about the 10,000 hour rule and basically how some people are just born to be better at sports.

The other two books i have that i need to read are periodization and supertraining .

Other books I’ve been thinking of reading are the louie simmons/westside barbell collection. Especially olympic weightlifting strength manual .
Or
weightlifting programming .
I’m a powerlifter but i enjoy the olympic lifts i’m just not strong with them (best lifts are snatching bodyweight and c&j 1.25 bodyweight).

Great book! Here is a link for those interested:
https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-30th-Anniversary-Bob-Anderson/dp/0936070463

While I don't know Higdon's goal I asked a similar question yesterday and basically got the response that running it at MP is a great tune up to ensure you have proper goals selected. I do believe Higdon actually has a book that goes with his plans... perhaps your library has it?

Dynamic stretching before class. Leg swings, arm swings, leg rotations, etc. anything that has you in motion throughout the duration of the stretch.

Static stretching after class. Butterfly, straddle, splits, etc. anything where you are holding a position. Your muscles must be warm so that they don't panic if you push too far into it.

Stretching Scientifically is a nice reference.

Errr...not sure if this study is google-able, but it's more like static stretching before a workout 1. lowers max force generation and 2. doesn't help prevent injury.

This is just the cite from my stretching book: Shrier, I. 1999. Stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of local muscle injury; a critical review of the clinical and basic science literature. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine vol 9, no. 4, pp. 221-227.

Quote from the book:

> For a period from several seconds up to five minutes following a static stretch you cannot display your top agility or maximal speed because your muscles are less responsive to stimulation -- your coordination is off. Relaxed static stretches decrease strength by impairing activation of the stretched muscles for up to five minutes after the stretch and contractile force for up to one hour.

> Yes they allow you the accelerate fast and change direction fast and be agile, all vital attributes in modern football. For example there is no attacking top player who does not have quickness and acceleration

I found some other people talking about it if you want to read:

https://philmaffetone.com/37975-2/

> We’ve long known that the fast-twitch, anaerobic muscle fibers are more prone to getting injured compared to the slow-twitch aerobic ones. This has been demonstrated in MRI imaging, which also shows these anaerobic fibers can make a person susceptible to injury.


> The slow-twitch aerobic muscle fiber, with the potential for long-term energy and fatigue-resistant movement, supports our joints and surrounding soft tissues, and can also help anaerobic fibers work better. However, if the aerobic system is not well developed, this function can be diminished.

Also, there is a heavy endurance importance in football. If there wasnt, we wouldn't be talking about players that can run 120 minutes + (like, for example, Cafu or Kante). Having crazy endurance is also useful, as you are much less prone to mistakes and your motor skills are less affected.

I think I read about this sampling of muscle types (which they found most slow twitching) in pro football players in this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Athletic-Performance/dp/161723012X

Edit: Found some of the pages:

https://books.google.se/books?id=BQYa8Mo8AT8C&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=David+Epstein+slow+twitching+muscles+football+injury&source=bl&ots=wAShG0I0Cv&sig=HWfs5AM5iHcItfNab4kClDj031U&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiMq6_W6OvVAhXJPFAKHXAsCAkQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=David%20Epstein%20slow%20twitching%20muscles%20football%20injury&f=false

Check out Strong by Alwyn Cosgrove and Lou Shuler. It's pretty much what you describe: powerlifting base with accessory and core work.

This was the second training book I ever read and to this day, after three black belts and a degree in exercise science, this is still one of the best books I've read on the subject. My students who have followed my advice from this book have become far more flexible more quickly than those who have not.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Stretching-Russian-Flexibility-Breakthroughs/dp/0938045180#

A friend read this book and found it very helpful.

If you're healthy just leave it alone. 99% of the running community will tell you to change XYZ but only 1% of them actually have any idea what they're talking about. When you make one change to your stride it will change everything else, and that can be a bad thing.

​

Find a running biomechanics expert if you're really interested in making changes. Alternatively, consider picking up a copy of Your Best Stride, which is a compilation of expert's suggestions.

This book was pivotal for me (https://www.amazon.ca/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451). Describes the types of flexibility very well and is scientifically based/referenced.

For the quickest gains work isometric/PNF stretching into your regimen if you can (https://people.bath.ac.uk/masrjb/Stretch/stretching_4.html#SEC34)

You read "Stretching Scientifically"

Also would be wise to introduce some dedicated mobility exercises. Look up Eric Cressey and Lee Boyce vids on youtube for a start.

Also [Stretching Scientifically] (https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451) is a great resource. He goes into detail on different dynamic stretches for before the workout and isometric/relaxed stretches for post workouts as ideal routines for martial artists. There are other forms of stretches as well for different types of athletic endeavors but he mentions that those are the ones to focus on as a martial artist.

I'm 43 years old, father of two energetic young boys and married for 15 years. I was at 265 lbs (120kg), over-eating, drinking too much and had no energy to live life, play with my kids or be a partner to my wife. Getting depressed....and cycling through eating and drinking and then feeling miserable. I was never an athlete, always a geek, but I'm thinking it has more and more to do with what you think you are; I never thought I could be a runner.

I had heard about the C25K, but was appalled at the thought of running. Might as well ask me to eat broken glass. I had finally had enough. I started thinking about a guy at work who in the past 18 months went from grouchy and 300+ lbs to 200 lbs and is now a pretty nice guy...all by running, watching his food and alcohol intake. If he could do it, why couldn't I?

So, one night I'm on my Kindle, and I search for 'running' and found Running For Mortals, which I bought, started reading and decided right then and there I could do it. The guy who wrote it sounded like me. Buy or borrow it, I think it is great. I went out and bought running shoes and started telling myself, my wife, my boss, my kids..that I was taking up running.

TL/DR: I was fat &, lazy but have decided to change that.

Great answer! You have to remember that although you may have the a higher level of knowledge than everyone else, this video is made for a large audience and needs to explain to everyone.

I am a detail guy as well, but I don't think any of our viewers would have stuck around for the video. If you want more details here are a few books I recommend with links to sources: Peak, The Sports Gene.

I know a few people that found this book very useful for increasing flexibility. http://www.amazon.ca/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346780113&sr=8-1

Read that along with David Epstein's The Sports Gene at like the same time. Honestly say it changed the way I look at sports.

It's a small field. Some people are not what they are cracked up to be and others try to gouge those desperately who blindly reach out; so be careful if you go that route. With that said, there are fields of professional life and personal life coaches much like sports [psychologists/counselors]. You may find that advice from sports psychology self-help books is fairly easy to transmute to your own devices in life, but sometimes it really takes personal interaction and reinforcement for people to sync with such life skills. That is where such coaches come into play. You may likely find that some of such coaches are also certified mediators and other interpersonal disciplines if you want to go searching for them.

This is probably one of the best resources on stretching.

You've got to read Martin Gibala's book that came out a few weeks ago.[1] He is a physiology professor who has pioneered research of HIIT. The book is awesome.


[1] https://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Workout-Science-Smarter-Shorter/dp/0399183663/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488293990&sr=8-1&keywords=the+one+minute+workout

Lots of folks reference Epstein's TED talk, but I'd check out his book The Sports Gene. He explores contemporary and classic research on swimmers, baseball players, hurdlers, endurance runners, sprinters, tennis players...Wonderfully digestible. One of my favorite books of 2014.

Relax into Stretch

Stretching Scientifically


If I were to buy one book about stretching, which one do you recommend and for what reason? Main one I would like to look at is the isometric stretching for side splits.

Can anyone recommend any books on sports psychology and/or mental toughness?

I've read [The New Toughness Training for Sports] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452269989/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687442&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0452267951&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=03YQDQ3ZCVQGYH1BXDTC) and would recommend it

Why did you choose Strong Curves over say, Starting Strength or Strong to name just two others?

Before we jump into using race as it relates to performance, I'm going to recommend that you read a little bit more about the concept of race as a construct and also using race to talk about performance. One book that tackles that second subject a bit is [The Sport's Gene] (https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Athletic-Performance/dp/161723012X). Conveniently, there's also a chapter about sex and sports performance as well.

I just finished this book and have already seen huge improvements to my form and runners knee.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1623368979

I'm not sure that I understand but THIS might help

This book has a pretty in depth breakdown of poses, and a philosophy section, and a bunch of sequences in the back. We used it in my college yoga class.

Yoga: The Iyengar Way: The New Definitive Illustrated Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679722874/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_zwCjybMJSWGQH

It's also the best time to do your stretches as it resets your bodys nervous regulation of the length of your muscles.

See this book for more details.

I do, but probably not as much as I should. I have been meaning to re-read Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training.

Some good information came out of this book


http://www.amazon.com/The-Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Performance/dp/161723012X

http://phraktured.net/starting-stretching.html

http://phraktured.net/molding-mobility.html

Another good place to look for stretching is
http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149303

Everything that has been said so far is true and helpful, but being bombarded with various approaches isn't going to help you either. You need to look to Ian King. This man has prepared athletes for every winter and summer Olympic Games since 1988 and he wrote a book that details everything you need to know about strength training and gives you 3 six month programs, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. I started with beginner even though I had been lifting for awhile and it still kicked my ass. Every aspect is covered. There is a reason the subtittle to the book is The World's Most Authoritative Guide to Building Your Body. Look no farther, this book has changed my life. http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Muscle-Authoritative-Building/dp/1579547699/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

>Do you have hard evidence to support this?

>I'm not disagreeing with you. I agree with you about his observations.- And this is coming from a black man :)

)

No, unfortunately this is a very taboo subject because of the implications.

When we recognize that there are observable physical differences between groups of humans, it opens the obvious door to thinking about and researching mental and behavioral differences too. That's scary and verboten to many people. But it should be quite obvious, after all, are we really to think that evolution magically stopped at the brain stem?

We have shit tons of anecdotal evidence, just watch the Olympics or do a little analysis of NFL data. Where's the Asians at the final ten of the 100m dash? You won't even find east Africans in the 100m dash.

Here's an excellent book on the topic: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Performance/dp/161723012X

The author of this book said that the research was really hard to do because dozens of respected scientists at leading universities were afraid to share their data with him because they were afraid of being called racist for their data.

Seems like you are just starting out. If so, I can't recommend this [book enough to people] (http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Power-Training-Performance-based/dp/1594865841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463764647&sr=8-1&keywords=mens+health+power+training). It's what got me started and gave me the foundation to build on.

Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training

I am not a doctor/bike fitter/physio but I did have very similar knee pain and went through a similar process of getting by bike fit checked, going to the doctor to make sure nothing was structurally wrong, and finally going to physio. They suspected that it may have been an over use type of injury which inflamed my IT band and as such was not allowing my knee to move naturally. I took 2 weeks off the bike during which was stretching twice daily for about 30 mins each including using a foam roller on my IT band area. I have not had the issue reappear and have not had knee pain for several years now.

​

There is a great stretching book which has specific stretches for various sports:

​

https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-30th-Anniversary-Bob-Anderson/dp/0936070463/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=stretching+book&qid=1555428785&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

goodluck!

If you have more patience than prejudice, check out the book The Sports Gene which very comprehensively looks at trans athletes, their constantly changing DNA expression (it should be said that the expression of everyone's DNA is constantly changing) and pretty conclusively shows that a trans athlete after conversion has the exactly same hormonal, energy system and skeletal muscle systems as CIS athletes.

The hard part to let go of for some people is simply that you don't need to know anything to get started. ;) Just finding a simple beginner's video or beginner-friendly class to take is enough.

Here are a few solid but simple, asana (pose)-focused books:

Yoga the Iyengar Way

30 Essential Poses

This is the classic book on stretching:
http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-30th-Anniversary-Bob-Anderson/dp/0936070463/

Realize that your body will adapt to specific stretches. You will want to change up your stretches periodically to balance your body overall. In other words, if you always stretch your hamstrings in one way, they will become limber in that one way.

I second the beginner yoga - look for videos on-line.

Plug for a book I haven't read but have been meaning to- https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Gene-Extraordinary-Athletic-Performance/dp/161723012X

http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149303

http://www.bradapp.com/docs/rec/stretching/

This works fast:

http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149303/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463886597&sr=1-2&keywords=stretching+scientifically

Spend $2 on a used copy, skip to chapters 5 and 6. Once you are limber enough, work on your squat form, aiming to do an unweighted overhead squat.

http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462984015&sr=1-1&keywords=stretching+scientifically

OMG, this book by a LONG shot!

http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Iyengar-Way-Silva-Mehta/dp/0679722874/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313474322&sr=1-4

Kurz's Column


Amazon: Thomas Kurz - Stretching Scientifically

Some of my favs.

10-minute mental toughness

The new mental toughness

Stretching Scientifically, Thomas Kurz (http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451)

Try Thomas Kurz: stretching scientifically
http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421522158&sr=1-1&keywords=stretching+scientifically

https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Scientifically-Guide-Flexibility-Training/dp/0940149451

https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-30th-Anniversary-Bob-Anderson/dp/0936070463/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527541680&sr=1-1&keywords=stretching+bob+anderson&dpID=51d16P6YQOL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

The one from Stretching Scientifically.

Studying Taekwondo for over 20 years, this has been my go-to reference for stretching: https://amzn.com/0940149451 (Thomas Kurz - Stretching Scientifically)

This is his website: https://tomkurz.wordpress.com/

Nah, I think it's specifically appropriate to say here. OP was referencing this book, which basically discusses the impact that genetic traits has on athletic performance. Susceptibility to injury is an important factor which likely has at least some basis in genetics, and he's not "destined" for NBA success if his body betrays him.

The top review on amazon is kind of brutal:

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Flexibility-Complete-Stretching-Martial/dp/1880336839

I started out really slow. Just spin classes. After a month I started adding some running and some weights. After I lost the first 15 lbs just doing that I added some routines from "The Book of Muscle" and I started adding some of the diet tips from P90x. I didn't stick to a very strict diet, but I did try to keep my daily caloric intake at or just below 2K. I added a tremendous amount of protein to my diet, and I cut down on Beer, Starbucks, and late night snacks. I weighed in at 205lbs yesterday. I'm 6'4" so I am at the top of the "normal" BMI range (which is a stupid measurement, but it nags at me.)

If you really want to know, here are some tips:

Static Active Stretching:

If you want to improve flexibility, the first thing to do is to tell virtually every coach (from the USA, anyway) and every P.E. teacher you ever had to go fuck themselves.

Because they taught you to stretch wrong.

You do not stretch and hold it to the point of being uncomfortable for as long as you can stand it. This is wrong and mostly a waste of time.

You are uncomfortable because you are (slightly) tearing at your muscles and tendons. You are causing damage. In a way, that is the point; you create micro-tears in the muscle that heal, lengthening the muscle or tendon in question.

Here's the thing though: Your nervous system will fight back. After about 10 seconds of stretching and holding, your muscles will cramp (slightly). You will not notice or feel this, but essentially, the stretch has become non-productive and wasteful at that point. You can only go so far and no farther. This is the first problem with Stretch-and-Hold.

The second problem is muscle memory: Your muscles will 'remember' the motions most often and most strongly repeated. Once your muscles cramp (after about 10 seconds) stretch-and-hold locks you at a less than maximum stretch while still putting stress on the muscle. If you stretch-and-hold for 30 seconds, you got 10 seconds of real stretch (productive), countered by 20 seconds of stretching that was basically moving you backwards from the cramping (nonproductive).

Here's how you stretch for flexibility:

1. Before you stretch, from a relaxed position, flex and tighten the muscle group in question. If I was going to do a modified hurdler's stretch, for example, I would tighten the muscles along the back of the leg to be stretched (in the hamstring area).
   
   
2. While holding this tight position, go into your stretch.
   
   
3. Hold the stretch for no more than 10 seconds. I'm not kidding on this, doing more than 10 seconds of stretch per set is actually moving you backwards. Do not do it.
   
   
4. Release the stretch, completely and totally. Go totally relaxed. I mean totally. Retract your leg a little if you need to. Lay down if you have to. Total and complete relaxation. This resets the muscles, and releases the cramping.
   
   
5. Relax for at least 10 seconds, no more than 20.
   
   
6. Repeat from step 1.
   
   
7. Do this for 5 minutes, and see if you don't get a deeper stretch and more flexibility than you ever have before!
   
   
8. When completely done with all of your stretching sets for the day, clasp your legs for at least 10 seconds to relax the muscles. This means squatting or kneeling very tightly, pulling your legs in as tight and close as they will go. This relaxes the muscles and can help prevent injury or cramping afterwards.
   
   Repeat this daily with the stretching routine or your choice, and you will see noticeable and rapid gains in flexibility.
   
   TIPS:
   
   
9. When stretching, there is Good Pain and Bad Pain. Respect the Bad Pain, or you could cause serious and permanent harm. No joke, I just got back from the chiropractor tonight after having my hip popped back in cause I ignored this rule in my wild youth.
   
   
10. Good Pain is a general, overall, slight burning throughout the muscle group being stretched.
    
    
11. Bad Pain is like a knife cutting your muscle, it is like a point of pain. Pain with a focus, where you can point with 1 finger and say "it hurts a lot right there." If you get Bad Pain, stop right then and there. Clasp and finish. You are done stretching for the day. Take it a little easier tomorrow. You shouldn't have gone that far!
    
    
12. Never, ever, ever, ever use stretching machines, partners, or anything that forces you to stretch, which you are not in complete control of, with the ability to release immediately should the need arise. You have all the tools you need in your own body to stretch effectively. Anything else is dangerous. My hip injury came from a Century Martial Arts stretching machine when I was in high school. I don't care if you are old enough to remember that scene with the two trees from the movie Bloodsport. That was a fucking movie. Do that in real life and you are probably looking at a lifetime of physical therapy.
    
    
13. Hydrate! Cramps generally from muscles that are dehydrated.
    
    For anyone here who wants to call bullshit on what I said above, do me one favor before you fire off:
    
    TRY IT.
    
    Peal your ass off the chair, take 5 minutes, do the sets. Then tell me I am wrong.
    
    For the record, this is not my brilliant idea, it comes from here:
    
    Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training by Thomas Kurz
    
    This is the only stretching book you need. If I would have gotten this book BEFORE that damned stretching machine, my life would have far fewer chiropractors in it today.
    
    Buy the book and you will have far fewer questions.