TLDR: I want to be more flexible. What is a good, vouched-for resource?
About me: I am almost 40 and have been a fan of barbell training for a bit longer than 10 years. I have 3 kids under three (toddler and twins), I lift weights in the evenings and run 1 or 2 times a week during lunch breaks. I have always been rather inflexible and stiff. For example, one of my greatest achievements in my barbell career was achieving the requisite mobility for a powerlifting-approved squat depth (in Romaleos 2s…). I also experience tendinopathy very frequently (unsure if there is a causal factor in there or not, but it feels like it).
I want to be more flexible because of my young children. I am frequently forced into very weird, unpredictable positions to play with them or care for them.
I learned to trust BBM over the years thanks to their track record (personal and roster of athletes), thoughtful podcasts and excellent, source-filled articles. Help a time-constrained dad out who no longer has the time to investigate and research: What is the equivalent (in terms of high quality) resource for the flexibility world?
Thanks for the kind words. I don’t have a flexibility training resource that I can vouch for. I would favor exercise exposure (with greater ROM demands) over “stretching”, especially in a time limited situation, but I realize that’s not what you’re asking for. I would also push back on the contribution of mobility to tendinopathy, which is almost purely a condition overloading (and bad luck). I think you knew I was going to say that.
I apologize that I don’t have a recommendation for you regarding how-to stretch, which maybe is a product of my view that I don’t think most people should be spending their time stretching.
Thank you for the swift reply, Doctor Feingenbaum, appreciate it.
I think you knew I was going to say that.
Indeed
I apologize that I don’t have a recommendation for you regarding how-to stretch, which maybe is a product of my view that I don’t think most people should be spending their time stretching.
Fair enough, thanks for this anyhow. I figured it was something I can work towards opportunistically to achieve greater ROM generally, outside of a prescribed context, say during a “cameras off” work meeting or on non-gym evenings while everyone is asleep in the house.
