Touch toes

[Pizzabeak]

Can you touch your toes while standing up and without bending your knees?

For some reason I can't. I could when I was a kid and we would do P.E. but nowadays it seems it can't bend enough. I'm a little rigid. This is a little surprising because I'm actually somewhat athletic and light, and have decent legs. I've been trying to touch my toes for a few years now but can't get used to the burning sensation felt behind the knees when stretched enough.

Might make this a goal and implement a morning workout-stretch routine for 30-45 minutes or so.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

For some reason I can't. I could when I was a kid and we would do P.E. but nowadays it seems it can't bend enough. I'm a little rigid.

It's all a matter of exercise.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Be careful not to overstretch. Warm muscles are alright, but it's possible to overdo and hinder whatever you are trying to achieve, possibly by focusing too much on a single excercise.

Swimming might be the safer option to get your body flexible and reasonably fit.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Swimming might be the safer option to get your body flexible and reasonably fit.

Right, right.

 

[redbaron]

Why one or the other? Do both.

It's not only less effective but I think also more boring to try and follow one exercise routine over and over again. It's much better to just make exercise varied and habitual, since you get better results and are more likely to continue exercising.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Why one or the other? Do both.

Bend backwards, for the sake of science, goddamnit!

 

[Deleted member 1424]

I can put my palms flat on the floor.

I didn't realize toe touching was a flexibility benchmark. Perhaps excessive height impedes you.

 

[EditorOne]

I can still touch the floor easily, but after long and careful thought I see no compelling reason to do so.

In my case, I think the ease of doing it has less to do with being supple and much to do with legs that are perhaps proportionately less of my height than others. Dunno. Let's see: Inseam 30 inches, total height 71 inches. Your mileage may vary?

 

[Cæilon]

Footballers generally can't touch their toes, or at least find it very difficult and painful to do.

I'm not flexible at all; I can't even bend my fingers back!

 

[Lot]

When I was doing tai chi, I could. I haven't been stretching enough these days. Everything hurts all the time.

 

[computerhxr]

Be careful not to overstretch. Warm muscles are alright, but it's possible to overdo and hinder whatever you are trying to achieve, possibly by focusing too much on a single excercise.

Swimming might be the safer option to get your body flexible and reasonably fit.

To add to this... You need to hold a stretch for 20 seconds or more to feel a release. If you don't, you are just hurting yourself.

I like doing yoga because they train you to stretch properly and to use your breath to stretch other parts of your body. After doing yoga, you are physically stronger and able to have a more effective workout if your building muscles.

 

[Ex-User (8886)]

I often was ultra flexible and still I am.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I can put my palms flat on the floor.

Wow, I've never seen that before. Do you have a picture?

 

[Deleted member 1424]

Wow, I've never seen that before. Do you have a picture?

Googling is easy esc.

 

[Cavallier]

Even as a kid I couldn't touch my toes standing up. I've always been a bit tight. I am pretty active. I walk about 3 miles most days and can do a healthy number of push ups. I tried making flexibility a goal. However, after a year of doing yoga three times a week I still can't touch my toes easily. I have to be very warmed up and very relaxed and even then it is a strain. Every body is different. I can do a lot of strength poses fairly easily but ask me to relax into a stretching pose and I struggle. I have to consciously find the muscle and tendons that go tight and focus on them. Then I can begin to allow them to relax. Yoga is great for that if you have a teacher who can help you visualize.

I think that a big part of flexibility is being able to find the spots you tighten subconciously.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

[bIMG]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1UXwNEnRERw/TAUXwwpuXQI/AAAAAAAABX0/aIJbcl-D8uA/s1600/touch_your_toes.jpg[/bIMG]

Googling is easy esc.

Her palms aren't touching all the way though, but it's good enough I guess, thanks.

 

[redbaron]

Even as a kid I couldn't touch my toes standing up. I've always been a bit tight. I am pretty active. I walk about 3 miles most days and can do a healthy number of push ups. I tried making flexibility a goal. However, after a year of doing yoga three times a week I still can't touch my toes easily. I have to be very warmed up and very relaxed and even then it is a strain. Every body is different. I can do a lot of strength poses fairly easily but ask me to relax into a stretching pose and I struggle. I have to consciously find the muscle and tendons that go tight and focus on them. Then I can begin to allow them to relax. Yoga is great for that if you have a teacher who can help you visualize.

I don't think touching toes is used as a serious measurement of flexibility. It's influenced a lot by arm and leg length, since they're not uniform by height. Some people have shorter wingspan or longer legs (or both) than expected for their height. We measured these things (among others) at school and found a variation up to 15cm in leg length and 25cm in wingspan (12.5cm each arm) out of roughly 50 people measured.

We never ended up going out of our way to check just how dramatically this affected results on the sit and reach (touch toes) test but I'm sure it would have an impact. I do remember that my legs are about 8cm longer than expected for my height with my wingspan about 2cm longer. I ended up scoring -2 on the sit and reach but I'm going to claim that on the basis of my 6cm disadvantage I actually touched them...

Although after 10 years of martial arts I did end up finally being able to touch them.

I think that a big part of flexibility is being able to find the spots you tighten subconsciously.

I find that interesting as well. Never really thought about that.