Yoga/stretching post

[flexagon]

I worked late and was too tired to go to the gym last night, so I stayed in and did just a few strength moves (a pyramid on the pullup bar, some abs) and some stretching. I was fighting HLM for carpet space since he was practicing cello, and I think I must have arrived at a certain point in yoga, because HLM kept looking over and saying "that's insane." I thought about that, and yes, I remember thinking the headstand pike was insane too, the first time I saw someone do it. :) Now it's just a strength move; the next thing, the thing I can't do, is what's insane.

I also discovered something stupid and obvious: splits are progressive, like most other stretches. So, after I've warmed up each split in a kneeling lunge position*, it works just fine to simply alternate splits for a while. They get deeper. DUH! Why haven't I been doing that all along!?

It's been almost a year since I had HLM take a baseline set of flexibility pictures of me (3/6/2005). I am excited about that. Maybe this weekend is the time to take the one-year-later set. I had initially planned to wait two years, but nah, I'm impatient...


*(lunge, with the back knee on the ground, and sit straight up to stretch the psoas and quad. Then move the hips back to straighten the front leg and lean down to stretch the hamstring... repeat...)

Comments

[flexagon]

I think so too! Pictures soon. :)

A pyramid is where you do one pullup, then rest briefly, then 2 pullups and rest, then 3 pullups ... until you get to a point where you fail or almost fail to do the last one (say, at 5 pullups). Then you decrease the numbers again, doing 4 then 3 then 2 then 1.

I've heard 'pyramid' applied also to any pattern in weightlifting exercises where you progressively use more weight on each set but do fewer repetitions (and then, sometimes, go back in the other direction). I do something like that with squats.

Headstand pike is where you do a headstand, then bring legs down parallel to the ground (now you're in a pike) and hold it. After I've held it I try to raise and lower my legs a few times, because it seems like a great lower back strengthener. But I can only do 2 or 3.

[nevers.livejournal.com]

ohhh, got it. i was thinking your body was visually making a pyramid :). (out of curiosity, how many can you do? i am very close to 1 and very excited)

i will have to try the headstand pike thing today.

[flexagon]

Yes, I see now it did sound like that. :)

I can do between 8 and 10 pullups with a palms-facing-each-other grip. On the bar at home I do a palms-facing-toward-me grip and I'm not sure how many... more, I'm sure, because it's an easier grip... but for pyramids I usually top out at 5 just like the example I gave. Anyway, congrats on being close to 1! After that, you'll find it probably not too hard to do a few in a row. It's all about knowing you can lift yourself.

Have fun piking...

[nevers.livejournal.com]

wow, i'm so impressed. did you work up to these just to be able to do them, or do they come in handy for some other activity you do?

[flexagon]

Eh, I started lifting weights one summer when I was stuck in a very small town with niralth and had nothing better to do. She was a good teacher. Around the end of summer I noticed that my lat pulldown weight was not terribly far from my body weight, and gave pullups a shot. It was just random.

Glad you enjoyed the headstand pike! :)

[nevers.livejournal.com]

also, the headstand pike was very satisfying!

[taeliesyn.livejournal.com]

The difference between palms-towards-body, palms-towards-each-other and palms-facing-out is the muscles used. Tis why some are easier than others.

Though you probably already know that. ;)