How to get more stretchy, sans stretching

Today I’m going to share observations from movement sessions 1.3-1.7, including the revelation that I’d greatly increased my left side ankle mobility, just three weeks into my ten week training block! Along with some pretty impressive changes to the locking of my left knee.

My previously experienced post training observations #1 & #2 (as referenced in Blog #3: The Journey begins):

• the feeling of increased ankle mobility, immediately after my first & second workouts &
• the feeling of medial (inside of) thigh “pump”

continued with the next 5 sessions. I also experienced another “new” sensation post workout, this time in my feet.

• A weird feeling, like something was in my shoe, right under my inside arches, only that something was….. air!?!

I’ve had low arches, excessive pronation, flat feet, whatever you want to call it, for as long as I can remember. I have a distinct memory of making an imprint of my arches on paper in a Year 12 PE class. They were very flat.

I used to greatly advocate orthotics to clients. I wore them myself up until about 10 years ago, when a Podiatrist with an unconventional approach to the foot coerced me to remove them from my shoes and put them in my handbag whilst in consultation with him. The result was surprising and my orthotics made their way to the bin soon after. It wasn’t long before most of my shoes joined them. Out went the supportive trainers I encouraged my clients to purchase and in with Minimalist Footwear…. but this perhaps, is a conversation for another Blog.

Now whilst my ‘feet‘ have definitely become more flexible since my first pair of Vivobarefoot shoes 8-ish years ago, my left ‘ankle’ stiffness remained (as evidenced by my Super Session results). Although promisingly, I was feeling this start to change with every session I had in the gym. So of course, having become a little data obsessed, the only thing to do was to measure this improvement with a WBLT re-test upon my 7th session.

Furthermore, I decided to re-re-test after my training session and was ecstatic to find event greater mobility!

POST WORKOUT L= 10cm!!

I was officially in the safe zone, and only 2cm away from matching my right side! I was blown away!!

I suspected this newly found 10cm of dorsiflexion would contract a bit after I’d cooled down post workout but that didn’t dampen my jubilation. I now had real confirmation that every session was a step closer to permanent change. And that I would very soon achieve one of the ‘objective’ goals from my 10wk Movement Plan for Action: Symmetrical ankle dorsiflexion in normal range: 10-12cm. (From a starting point of 6cm!) This revelation, just three weeks (& 7 sessions) into my training block, was pretty freaking exciting.

NB: you can read about my goal setting process here: Blog #2 The Joy of Exercise

My left knee locking gains:

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know I started this training regime because my left knee used to frequently lock in an excrutiatingly painful way. Rendering me motionless and needing both hands to gently move my leg in order to find a way to unlock it, more than twenty times a day, .

I can now also share, dramatic improvements with my this:

• Pre-program: Left knee locking >20/DAY
• After my first two sessions: 10-20/DAY
• NOW: 1-2/DAY!!

Can I again reference just how little I had done to experience this dramatic change?!? How little time had passed for me to gain such a marked drop in symptoms!?! Again, with no hands on treatment, no stretching, no self mobility….. JUST MOVEMENT. Albeit specific movement, thoughtfully and skilfully prescribed movement but still, it was just movement.

• After my 7th session I also noted that my whole left leg from hip to ankle felt “different”. Not tight, not ‘jacked’, just different to the right, in a good way.

All in all, my 10wk Movement Plan for Action was going swimmingly. And I was only four weeks in.

A (POOR) VISUAL OF MY NEW FOUND 10CM OF ANKLE DORSIFLEXION & MY PRESENT DAY FOOTPRINT!

I promise you, this arch on the inside of my foot is new! My foot used to be flat, it’s imprint solid from big toe straight through to heel. The change solely (pardon the pun!) attributed to the strengthening of foot muscles, literally lifting my foot bones to create an arch. A feeling of which I am acutely experiencing, in exaggerated form with my movement sessions. It’s not painful, it’s not even uncomfortable, it just feels weird, weird inside my shoe, weird under my arch. I suppose it’s an acute shift in the biomechanics of my foot, brought about by thoughtfully and skilfully prescribed movement, executed with honesty of physical ability, in the absence of ego.… though my ego was very present to relish in the results of my work.

HOMEWORK:

As per Blog #4 How quickly things change: Get contemplative. Ask yourself, how do you feel after a workout/playing sport?

Do your joints feel more flexible or do they complain? Consider experimenting with a PRE/POST workout WBLT by following the instructions below. I can’t imagine a case where one would be LESS flexible after exercise but I’m interested to learn.

Measure the (forward) distance the knee is able to move beyond the point of the toes, without lifting the same side heel, nor twisting the hips/pelvis.

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular updates on “Tracey’s personal movement plan for action’. Where I’ll continue sharing the ugly results from my MASSIVE 2.5hr long Super Session, video analysed images of MY poor movement patterns, musings on my training experiences and more!

And if you’re interested in learning more about your body and how it moves, you can book an appointment below.