Guest Meliss Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 I have a question about stretching and keeping stretched, if that makes any sense. i stretch ever night before i go to bed for like 30-45 minutes. And by the time i'm done i'm pretty flexible, but then when i go to stretch the following night i feel like i am back where i started, i'm tight and not as flexible as the night before. is there any way to prevent this? or is there a reason for it. also. my hips have been hurting, like when i sit in a stradle and try to stretch to each side my hips hurt a lot and i feel like i need to almst pop them out of joint, not really, but you know what i mean. i was wondering if there was anything i could do to work on this. thanks so much! -melissa Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted November 11, 2002 Administrators Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 Melissa, are you warmed up when you are stretching? What kind of stretches are you doing? If your hips are hurting it is possible you are either over-stretching, or doing more difficult stretches than should be done when not warmed up. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 OK, Melissa, rule #1 of ballet, or very close to it, is "if it hurts, stop!" Ballet shouldn't hurt! You can tell the difference between stretch and pain, and when you feel pain, that's an indication something is not for you! Sometimes, pain is our friend! As to staying warm for twenty-four hours, there is nothing that will do that, except to keep working for all of that time. You have better things to do with your time. Flexibility is not something that will appear all of a sudden, but will be measured in fractions of millimeters, sometimes, over a long period of time. I just hope that you warm up at night, before you go into stretches. Stretching cold is a good way to hurt yourself! Ease up on the stretches. By doing less strenuous ones, you will reduce your chance of injury, which may, by the way, be the reason that you keep feeling tighter when you stretch than you did before. You may be making little injuries that won't show now, but later on, could come back big time, and really slow you down! Link to comment
Guest Meliss Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 what should i do to warm up before stretches? usually, my before i go to bed routine includes varios crunches, and then i stretch. what types of stretches i do? umm, i don't know the names but i can describe them. "butterfly" or sitting with the bottom of my feet together and pushing my knees down, i stretch my legs infront of my and hold my feet, stradle and try to lean forward as much as i can and then to each side (this is the one that hurts my hips) i put my leg on the bar and stretch over for each leg, toe touches, those are the main ones. thanks so much! -melissa Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 Do some demi-pliés, some tendus and degagés, a few ronds de jambe, a couple developpés - you know, just a sort of "barre sampler" done easily, then after some grands battements, you can start stretching. The warmup doesn't really take very long, but it is important! Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted November 11, 2002 Administrators Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 Melissa, I think perhaps the straddle is a bit too much. The hips are just not ready for that if you are tight in that area. Save that one for after you have done a full barre during class. The others you mentioned should not be a problem. Link to comment
Guest Meliss Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 thank you so much Ms. Leigh, i will try to avoid the straddle. Could you give me a few warm things i could do before i start stretching? that would be so helpful. thanks so much!! -melissa Link to comment
Guest Meliss Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 sorry, hehe i postes that before i saw Mr. Johnsons reply. Thank you so much! i will do all of those!! thanks again, what would i do without you two... probably be in lots of unnecessary pain -melissa Link to comment
balletstar18 Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 I always try to eithor stretch at school right after class, or get home as fast as I can and stretch there first thing. That way your muscles are still really warm from class. Link to comment
Guest Meliss Posted November 11, 2002 Report Share Posted November 11, 2002 okay now i think things are starting to be clear, so thats where leg warmers come in... to keep your muscles warm so that you don't injur yourself because of your muscles cooling down. wow! revelation Link to comment
Guest Angel2Be Posted November 17, 2002 Report Share Posted November 17, 2002 This is probably just a pointless ritual of mine, but I like to take a bath before warmups. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted November 17, 2002 Report Share Posted November 17, 2002 A warm bath will provide a certain amount of superficial warming, and can help, if you proceed directly to a real warmup thereafter. Link to comment
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