I've been trying to get my body very flexible to the point where I can do splits, touch my hands behind me back at shoulder level and put my chest to my knees in a pike all without effort or pain. I've been working at it for a few years now, sometimes regularly and sometimes not so regularly, and it does hurt and everything, but I haven't gotten the results I've wanted. I hold these positions for thirty seconds, usually two times (one for warm-up and one with more intensity) and to the point where it causes a noticeable amount of pain. It seems to make no difference if I do some cardio, just something to get the blood going, before stretching. What am I doing wrong? Please let me know if I need to supply any additional details.

I am trying to get help with flexibility too. No matter how hard I try to touch my toes and get flexible in the hamstring, it wont do it. Even kicking straight up (standing up), my leg doesnt go to 3 o'clock. I do okay kicking my leg to the side, but not forward. I also cannot do the splits, but I don't think splits really matter unless you are in a sport that needs a lot of flexibility in anything other than the hamstrings.

Honestly, I've found the best way for me to gain flexibility is to just make that extra effort to stretch post workout. The more I stretch, I slowly become more flexibile.

Hope that helps

Do you get more gains stretching pre-work-out or post-work-out or does it not matter?

i believe post workout since your muscles are already loosened...i notice i stretch farther/better after and am tighter before.

to answr your other question..youve got to just keep stretching, i dont know if the stretch is really working if you dont feel it...

To some degree your maximum stretch is limited by your joint structure. Some people have shallower hip sockets and therefor are naturally more flexible, but few people actually reach their maximum potential.

A sequence of tensing and relaxing can significantly enhance your flexibility. For example when you try to touch your toes you would alternately do an isometric tensing of your hamstrings and a relaxing to allow gravity to stretch you farther down. I find that coordinating this with my breathing helps enhance the "feel". So as I inhale I tense and as I exhale I relax and then gradually try to increase the length of each breath. This allows you to "feel" your muscles relax and stretch, and even feel or visualize your tendons and joints stretching and moving to a deeper stretch position.

I'm doing dynamic flexibility training before my cardio and weightraining and then after I'm done I stretch those muscles with static stretching. hopefully after doing this every day I will become flexible. I don think theres a max in flexibility. its the tightness that needs to be gone

Aloha & Howzit!

Here in the islands we were taught that to be and keep flexible was to understand and learn to be relaxed.
The other pracitce was to make sure you know how to breathe right.
The last thingswas creating the right inner posture by working not "on" your body but learning to work "with" your body from inside/out.
We need to feel what is we are doing so we can understand better.

Try this simple exercise. It will kind of help with what I just mentioned above.
We will stretch the area of the neck and its structual attachments.
Sitting while looking straight ahead, inhale slowly through the noseand exhale slowly through your nose while lowering your head downward as if to touch your chin to the trachea/windpipe clavicle area.
Once the movement stops, hold, and take in another deep breath and exhale slowly through the nose and You Will Feel your head lower a little more.
You can use the same method when bending forward from the hip area and other joint/muscle attachment areas but make sure this is done in a controlled movement. That is why it isvital to understand the right breathing
The way how you breathe sets the rhythm of your movement.
(I wish not to get to "deep" into this.)

The right breathing in stretching reduces any "leftover" resistance within the area of the stretch.
The exhaling allows one to relax and let earth's gravity assist in the stretch.
The right breathing and exhaling through the nose thing is something I was taught and teach it where ever I'm at.

The one thing about "tightness" is that it is related to tension and strain that restricts/obstructs inner-erergy to pass through. This is where the right posture comes into use. Your posture creates passageways for the transmission of energy. and to start, the greatest joint in your body is your spine. (I'll stop there.)

Pre-stretching is good and post-stretching makes it better and healthier for your body.
Pre-stretch can be 5-10 minutes but post-stretching should be TWO times longer...and when done right you will feel better after.
Anyway, I hope what I suggested can help you with regainning your physical flexiblity.
Please keep in mind that stretching is a pyscho-physological application.

Good health to You & Aloha for now...
mikey Q.

I've understood stretching post workout was more effective because the muscles are already warmed up. Another possibility might be to add some yoga into your workout routine.

When you want to get flexibility, you most train the whole body even if you just want to do the splits, train the leg with Squats,Lunge Upperbody with Crunch,Sit-ups and Push Ups

To strenght the Hamsting you should do a Lunge Stretch and also train the outer/inner thigh

If you train the inner thight it will become much easier for you to do the split and have a great High Kick

Some Exercise for the Inner Thigh is ButterFly Stretch, Frog Stretch, Straddle stretch and also the splits

A great exercise but pretty Hard is the Horse stance, it will train your Thighs.

Every Exercise or Stretch is good for the Hamsting

Before you Do all those Stretch/Exercise you most Warm-up so that you won't hurt your self

I'm lo-tone, so everything is much harder for me than it is for everyone else, but i found i just could not do it. When I decided that i wanted to do yoga someday, I got stretch tapes and practiced diligently.

I finally gave up. I do cardio and UR and exercises that I like/are easier for me.

You do exercises that are easier? LFNY doesnt that defeat the purpose?