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How important is flexibility in triathlon?
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Last night I went to yoga with my wife as I sometimes do and it wasn't good!

This class was mostly stretching and it became evident how much less flexible I was then everyone else in the class ( by a huge margin)


Now I'll be the first to admit that after a workout I do a quick roll and stretch but i would say it's a bit neglected.

Would there be any benefit to being yogi flexible?

Yellowfin Endurance Coaching and Bike Fits
USAT Level 1, USAC Level 3
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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surfNJmatt wrote:
Last night I went to yoga with my wife as I sometimes do and it wasn't good!

This class was mostly stretching and it became evident how much less flexible I was then everyone else in the class ( by a huge margin)


Now I'll be the first to admit that after a workout I do a quick roll and stretch but i would say it's a bit neglected.

Would there be any benefit to being yogi flexible?

Flexibility is very important, in just about anything you do, especially athletics.

As far as being yogi flexible, that might be a bit much, but it couldn't hurt.

Keep in mind this is coming from someone who freely admits he is not nearly as flexible as he would like to be, although with a change in work schedule I am trying to develop new habits (when to roll, workout, etc)
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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Flexible hips are a good thing for running. I do some yoga and most of it focuses on hip/hamstring stretching and flexibility. Shoulder and arm flexibility are great for swimming. Not all flexibility will transfer to beneficial for a triathlete but some of it will. As a part time runner... aka triathlete your legs are going to be tighter than someone that just does yoga.
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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i've had some leg and back issues when running or when on the bike... or when sitting at work for ten hours straight.

personally, my weekly yoga class and my 1-2 times weekly youtube yoga (check out leslie fightmaster, great yoga vids) are more for the benefits of stretching, rather than true flexibility. i'm really bad at stretching after a workout, so i figure the yoga is a great way to keep up with the stretching.

Brooklyn Tri Dad
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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surfNJmatt wrote:
Last night I went to yoga with my wife as I sometimes do and it wasn't good!

This class was mostly stretching and it became evident how much less flexible I was then everyone else in the class ( by a huge margin)


Now I'll be the first to admit that after a workout I do a quick roll and stretch but i would say it's a bit neglected.

Would there be any benefit to being yogi flexible?

Kind of related see my post I started yesterday regarding ankle flexibility impacting swim performance! Flexibility impacts in many ways!
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/.../?page=unread#unread
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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Hamstring and low back flexibility allows you to get aero on the bike.

Hip flexor flexibility is beneficial on the run and in tthe swim.

Chest, shoulder, and ankle flexibility is a big deal in the swim. When I attended a Race Club swim camp in late '14 I was blown away by how much more flexible the pure swimmers were than the triathletes (myself included).
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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GreenPlease wrote:
Hamstring and low back flexibility allows you to get aero on the bike.

Hip flexor flexibility is beneficial on the run and in tthe swim.

Chest, shoulder, and ankle flexibility is a big deal in the swim. When I attended a Race Club swim camp in late '14 I was blown away by how much more flexible the pure swimmers were than the triathletes (myself included).

I had a swim stroke video analysis done recently and it's obvious some of my issues have to do with poor flexibility in my shoulders, upper back, and chest. In addition to some of the swim drills the instructor recommended I'm hoping improving my flexibility will help.
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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I have a laughable lack of flexibility, especially in my hips and hamstrings (I feel a stretch before my fingertips get within 6" of my toes), and historically rarely stretched before or after workouts. After repeated bouts with peroneal tendonitis that several doctors associated with my tightness, I've been trying to stretch daily and have even accompanied the wife to a couple of her pilates classes, and while I'm still woefully inflexible, it has done quite a bit to make running and spending time in the aero position much more enjoyable.
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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surfNJmatt wrote:
Last night I went to yoga with my wife as I sometimes do and it wasn't good!

This class was mostly stretching and it became evident how much less flexible I was then everyone else in the class ( by a huge margin)


Now I'll be the first to admit that after a workout I do a quick roll and stretch but i would say it's a bit neglected.

Would there be any benefit to being yogi flexible?

Not really sure about B&R, I have never stretched that much...and recently some of the studies that have come out (or google science of running) sort of back up my personal bias (or laziness)

On the swim though there are certain athletes which have mobility and strength problems within the correct (or when talking AG athletes "better") plain of movement. We will be doing a dry land mobility clinic with the head coach of our local swim program. A lot of these individual mobility problems stem from past injuries (broken collar bone from MTB, fused upper vertebrae etc)

On the bike a lot of the issues in TT are neck & shoulder related when going to a new or lower position...heads up sky divers for 30 sec on/off help a bit with this.

My 2c
Maurice
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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Yoga is a great addition to your workouts. Not only does it increase your flexibility but also you strength and balance. I have far less aches and pains from my regular workouts when I'm practicing yoga at least once a week.
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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To being Yogi flexible? I would highly doubt it. It's unlikely most of the pros, upper AG folks have that kind of stretchiness, and you can bet they'd do it if it would help performance.

Several more recent studies (w/in the past 5-10 years?) have cited potential issues with flexibility and injury rates. Not to say it's all bad, just that one can probably overdo it.
I think most of the bike fitters here have stated that flexibility doesn't really hinder bike fit. At some point, it would obviously have to, but for all practical purposes, they seem to feel it's overblown. My own flexibility sucks, but my position is Slowman-approved. I think Jordan Rapp has a similar story wrt flexibility and fit (hey, that's n=2!).
Running, I'm less familiar with other than the above couple studies which seemed to find a correlation btw. injury and stretching/flexibility. But I'm not sure how conclusive that really was. Many a runner has low flexibility yet manage to bang out really fast times.
Swimming, I'd be surprised if flexibility doesn't help. But again, data is lacking--there's strong anecdotal evidence, so I don't discount the millions of coaching hours/observations, just don't know if that's been put to bed. I.e. does swimming make you flexible or does being flexible make you a good swimmer? And does that flexibility really translate into performance?

-J

----------------------------------------------------------------
Life is tough. But it's tougher when you're stupid. -John Wayne
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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i personally believe that flexibility in ANY athletics is extremely important - Especially in older athletes ( which i have been told I am. I don't really believe it yet) As I have aged, my already non-flexible body has gotten even more non-flexible. It is vital to keep long supple muscles in athletics, and if you don't maintain mobility, muscles tear. As I have done.

Getting stiffer and not being able to recover as fast have marked my transition into the AARP club. My training now includes more recovery, and more Mobility Exercises. I think Mobility should be included as a routine workout - call it the 4th sport.

Just my old $0.2.
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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surfNJmatt wrote:
Last night I went to yoga with my wife as I sometimes do and it wasn't good!


This class was mostly stretching and it became evident how much less flexible I was then everyone else in the class ( by a huge margin)


Now I'll be the first to admit that after a workout I do a quick roll and stretch but i would say it's a bit neglected.

Would there be any benefit to being yogi flexible?


In response you are going to get a LOT of anecdotal reasoning, but no medical support. Here is why:

http://running.competitor.com/2013/11/training/study-better-runners-are-inflexible_38726


http://running.competitor.com/2014/07/training/want-to-improve-your-economy-stop-stretching_21094


https://ultra168.com/2014/07/14/why-less-flexible-runners-are-more-economical/


http://www.bettermovement.org/blog/2011/flexibility-and-running-economy


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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [sinkinswimmer] [ In reply to ]
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Don't mistake flexibility with joint mobility. Biomechanically there is an amount of joint mobility that a triathlete needs to perform efficiently (for example, approximately 30 degrees of hip extension for adequate push off phase in running). Some have it, some don't. Not all lack of mobility is due to "poor flexibility" either.

CB
Physical Therapist/Endurance Coach
http://www.cadencept.net
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Re: How important is flexibility in triathlon? [surfNJmatt] [ In reply to ]
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surfNJmatt wrote:
Last night I went to yoga with my wife as I sometimes do and it wasn't good!

This class was mostly stretching and it became evident how much less flexible I was then everyone else in the class ( by a huge margin)


Now I'll be the first to admit that after a workout I do a quick roll and stretch but i would say it's a bit neglected.

Would there be any benefit to being yogi flexible?

No. In fact, there's a very real detriment: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8784761

"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp
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