Awesome video, I love how fun you make these seem! One suggestion from someone who is inflexible and has been working on flexibility and mobility (mobility is really what's being worked here -> active strength through range of motion) is to also show these exercises with someone who is pretty inflexible. Both of you are incredibly flexible! And it's sometimes hard to visualize/get motivated when I'm like "why can't I be as flexible as them"
Yeah , for us mere mortals , I can't get a perspective on how to progress towards these goals. No way to get anywhere close to this level. Super inspiring though Anna
I started quite inflexible. I used to struggle to touch my toes without bending my knees so I recommend starting the journey. It doesn't come easy but it's worth it. Start @4:05 with a standing variation, you may do this for months. This is quite an accessible position if you are very tight, and hold a weight to your chest to assist you into a stretch! Leaning your bum against a wall in this position can help a lot with support so you can go deeper. When I started adding weight to assist my stretching it was a total game changer for me. Some people respond well to relaxed passive stretching but that never worked for me. Use weights and get comfortable with stretching being hard.
I agree! I've been stretching 3-4 days nights/week for years (with some periods of inconsistency) and progress on hip abduction has been nil. In the beginning, I couldn't touch my toes from a standing position with straight legs, but now I can put my palms on the floor. I figured it would be easy to learn to do a side split, but it's pretty defeating -- lots of pain and no progress. I wish I could blame it on something anatomical, but I think it's just me. I can work for 30 minutes and see progress, but the gains are lost the next day.
ANNNAA!!! I've missed your videos and your energy. So happy to see you on my feed again!! You have either perfect timing or you are a mind reader because I have been focusing on my flexibility the last two weeks. I have seen such crazy improvements and new strengths because I have added mobility and flexibility training. Love all the information and examples. I am definitely adding some of these moves to my training.
Wow thanks a lot for the informative video! Flexibility and mobility are definitely the things I lack and need to improve for my climbing. I’ve always underrated the importance of being flexible, but now I’m motivated to stretch more
Thank you so much Anna and Josh for making this video :) Definitely looking to get stronger in a great range of motion and just improve my flexibility in general. Felt like I hit a bit of a plateau so will defo try adding weights - it seems so obvious once pointed out! Thank you again guys :)💛
Have you guys seen the Hubermanlab episode on the science of flexibility? He gets all into the science of flexibility and protocols to get the most out of each stretching session...like how many reps, how hard to push, how often etc... to further flexibility. He uses big words and talks about scientific studies..... It's great. Thanks for the awesome video, I learned a lot!
The lifting the leg while in the splits was a really helpful tip/exercise! I have a lot of passive flexibility and mobility from a background in dance which helps me tremendously as I'm super short at 153cm but my next goal is to improve lifting my leg higher when I can't get my body away from the leg.
very interesting and informative! kinda funny how Josh's standing pancake "starting position" (90°ish) would already be a massive goal for my inflexible ass 😅
Don’t underestimate stretching. I managed to severely strain my adductors with a few days of enthusiastic stretching. It didn’t even really hurt during stretching (like 6/10), but took me months to recover from. At first I couldn’t even stand for 5 minutes or squeeze my legs together without intense pain.
This is great! I'm stiff as a board... How often show these exercises be done? And for how long? Any thing we can do for wrists? I can't even fold 90 deg -_-
I was literally commenting on my lack of flexibility tonight while climbing some routes with high feet. Then you upload this. Are you reading my thoughts?
Are there any recommendations on sets and reps for passive and/or active flexibility? How often should you do them? Every day? Should you do rest days, like with calisthenics or weight lifting?
Had a similar question so I'll copy & paste here..... Yes, 3 set of 30s is fine and one option. However some people respond better to 60 or 90 seconds if they struggle to relax. So experiment a little. My other go-to method is 'Tempo' stretching. So moving in and out of a deep stretch for 6-8 reps (3 sets). But the key is to use slow tempo (pausing in the stretch for 2-3 seconds). Tempo stretching can bring more intensity to a stretch whereas long duration holds brings more volume/TUT to a stretch. Both valid methods but suit different people or phases of a programme 😊
Are there any reasons why someone would have similar levels of passive and active flexibility for some movement ? I feel like in the side splits I barely gain any depth when supporting my weight 🤔
Ballet dancer and climber here: The secret to flexibility is really just to suck it up and do them damn stretches regularly. If you aren't uncomfortable during stretching, the stimulus is not big enough to let you progress 🤷🏼♀️
I agree to a certain extent but I have a friend who can basically touch with his forehead to his shins without the help of his arms. He's 40 years old and haven't stretched for like...15 years. He used to be an sports acrobat and stretched like hell from the age of like 9. Now he still has the benefits without stretchng. How should I get flexible when I'm 40 and had always problems with flexibility (long frame/limbs, 1,95m/6'5")? I stretch daily but it's an endless groundhog day for me as the gains are unsustainable. Any advice?
@@gallanonim6535 Your friend is what I would call a genetic freak, it just comes naturally for some, and usually you'd have to maintain that level of flexibility like crazy or it will be gone in no time. I am also tall and not gifted at all, for example, when doing a pancake / middle split my hips will only touch the ground if I excessively arch my back, because my hips are build like that and I have to accept my physical limits. If this is the case for you, it should feel like the joint is blocked, much different from when the muscle is limiting. For forward folds I don't really see this as an issue though, maybe try isometric stretching and go for quality over quantity. I only strech every second day, because I can go at it much harder if my hamstrings aren't sore to begin with. A few sets of 30 seconds a week should be enough to progress, but I have to go close to my absolute limit. If you are talking about general mobility I don't have much advice, just keep going, maybe switch it up with yoga or something similar. The later you start, the slower you'll progress unfortunately. Kudos for working on it in your 40s, I'm sure most people your age don't compare to you at all!
@@TyLee96 or someone that did a lot of stretching in a period of life when it can be beneficial for years. Same with climbers. I can apply Megos or Koyamada's fingerboarding routine but will never even get close to them. Anna lives in a bubble. I wonder if she thinks that her level of flexibility is attainable for most climbers? Because it's certainly not.
@@gallanonim6535 Anna's level is attainable for anyone who is willing to put in the work. I learned my oversplits and middle splits in my twenties 🤷🏼♀️ Although I must admit that once you have this level, you lose touch with how everyone else is not able to take any beta advice from you because it often involves advanced mobility and flexibility.
So would you also apply the same 3 set, 30 second rule to the first step of building passive flexibility? (Say when trying to transition between the standing, and seated pancake?)
Yes, 3 set of 30s is fine and one option. However some people respond better to 60 or 90 seconds if they struggle to relax. So experiment a little. My other go-to method is 'Tempo' stretching. So moving in and out of a deep stretch for 6-8 reps. But the key is to use slow tempo (pausing in the stretch for 2-3 seconds). Tempo stretching can bring more intensity to a stretch whereas long duration holds brings more volume/TUT to a stretch. Both valid methods but suit different people or phases of a programme 😊
my legs are 60° from one another when I get in pancake position, and in that position it takes a lot of effort to even not fall on my back and I can't keep my back straight... so... how long would it hypothetically take for me? 😅
@@bennythebear0711 I'm having a hard time imagining that it would take me less than the upper bound he advertised. ^^ I'm not sure I've ever seen people who had less than 60° ^^
Being realistic, 1-2 years at least. You might get suggested less but this usually assumes you will do it consistently, with no breaks, you get great recovery and prioritise stretching over other things. It took me over a year to do a full pancake because climbing was always a high priority, I took expended climbing trips where I did very little and I had injuries to overcome. My advise would be to set intermediate goals to stay motivated along the way 😊
I had a similar comment above so I'll paste my response here 😊......"Being realistic, 1-2 years at least. You might get suggested less but this usually assumes you will do it consistently, with no breaks, you get great recovery and prioritise stretching over other things. It took me over a year to do a full pancake because climbing was always a high priority, I took expended climbing trips where I did very little and I had injuries to overcome. My advise would be to set intermediate goals to stay motivated along the way 😊"
I do wonder if body structure plays a role in a person's overall flexibility or at least possible limit of flexibility. 🤔 You made those pancakes look like a breeze.😮
Perhaps at the extreme end of flexibility it is true, but the majority of people never get to that. Pretty much any healthy person has the theoretical ability to do a split.
Yes for sure. Moreso genetics and lifestyle play a role also in speed of improvement. But most people will be fine and use this as an excuse too early on. Side split for example is the hardest to develop but most people are limited by their hamstrings being too tight and therefore have bad side split posture.
Hey Anna! Thank you so much for this video! I'm a young trans fan and my lack of flexibility (in general and for climbing) has been a source of gender dysphoria for me so this video is much appreciated
Thanks Anna for having me! This was super fun! Can't wait until the next time, stay flexi 😎🤸♀
Thanks for teaching us the wayssss 🙏🏽 to flexible mastery
Awesome video, I love how fun you make these seem! One suggestion from someone who is inflexible and has been working on flexibility and mobility (mobility is really what's being worked here -> active strength through range of motion) is to also show these exercises with someone who is pretty inflexible. Both of you are incredibly flexible! And it's sometimes hard to visualize/get motivated when I'm like "why can't I be as flexible as them"
Yeah , for us mere mortals , I can't get a perspective on how to progress towards these goals. No way to get anywhere close to this level. Super inspiring though Anna
I started quite inflexible. I used to struggle to touch my toes without bending my knees so I recommend starting the journey. It doesn't come easy but it's worth it. Start @4:05 with a standing variation, you may do this for months. This is quite an accessible position if you are very tight, and hold a weight to your chest to assist you into a stretch! Leaning your bum against a wall in this position can help a lot with support so you can go deeper. When I started adding weight to assist my stretching it was a total game changer for me. Some people respond well to relaxed passive stretching but that never worked for me. Use weights and get comfortable with stretching being hard.
@@LatticeTraining For sure! Basically what I'm saying is that I want to also see someone struggling with these since I also struggle with them 😆
Haha totally! I’ll have to recruit a less flexible human next time to join us 😂🙏🏽
I agree! I've been stretching 3-4 days nights/week for years (with some periods of inconsistency) and progress on hip abduction has been nil. In the beginning, I couldn't touch my toes from a standing position with straight legs, but now I can put my palms on the floor.
I figured it would be easy to learn to do a side split, but it's pretty defeating -- lots of pain and no progress. I wish I could blame it on something anatomical, but I think it's just me. I can work for 30 minutes and see progress, but the gains are lost the next day.
0:03: Introduction
1:17: Step 1: Passive Flexibility
3:06: Pancake Exercise
3:54: Leverage
5:14: Progressive Underload
8:12: Step 2: Active Passive Deficit
9:06: Isometric Holds
9:15: Step 3: Strength in Antagonists
10:59: Conclusion
Awesome will become rubber now
ANNNAA!!! I've missed your videos and your energy. So happy to see you on my feed again!! You have either perfect timing or you are a mind reader because I have been focusing on my flexibility the last two weeks. I have seen such crazy improvements and new strengths because I have added mobility and flexibility training. Love all the information and examples. I am definitely adding some of these moves to my training.
Awww 🥰 thank youuuuu
Wow thanks a lot for the informative video! Flexibility and mobility are definitely the things I lack and need to improve for my climbing. I’ve always underrated the importance of being flexible, but now I’m motivated to stretch more
Thank you so much Anna and Josh for making this video :) Definitely looking to get stronger in a great range of motion and just improve my flexibility in general. Felt like I hit a bit of a plateau so will defo try adding weights - it seems so obvious once pointed out! Thank you again guys :)💛
Have you guys seen the Hubermanlab episode on the science of flexibility? He gets all into the science of flexibility and protocols to get the most out of each stretching session...like how many reps, how hard to push, how often etc... to further flexibility. He uses big words and talks about scientific studies..... It's great. Thanks for the awesome video, I learned a lot!
The lifting the leg while in the splits was a really helpful tip/exercise! I have a lot of passive flexibility and mobility from a background in dance which helps me tremendously as I'm super short at 153cm but my next goal is to improve lifting my leg higher when I can't get my body away from the leg.
great video idea! exactly what i need.
also, i could listen to this dude for hours, some people are just made for teaching :)
Awesome progression tips, thanks Josh!
very interesting and informative! kinda funny how Josh's standing pancake "starting position" (90°ish) would already be a massive goal for my inflexible ass 😅
Omg this was so informative! My hip flexors are weeeaaaakkkk I need more training! And now I know how 🤩Thank you!
Im amazed how scientific lattice is with their exercises! Really enjoy content like this
Such a wholesome and informative video, thank you! :)
This just make flexibility training to the next level 😮
Awesome guide. Been needing it for a long time. ❤
Great intro to getting more flexible! Thanks!
I wanna be able to a whole Big Comfy Couch clock stretch on a wall.
Don’t underestimate stretching. I managed to severely strain my adductors with a few days of enthusiastic stretching. It didn’t even really hurt during stretching (like 6/10), but took me months to recover from. At first I couldn’t even stand for 5 minutes or squeeze my legs together without intense pain.
This is great! I'm stiff as a board... How often show these exercises be done? And for how long? Any thing we can do for wrists? I can't even fold 90 deg -_-
Great tips
This is inspiring!!!
Thanks guys I was looking for how to slowly do pancakes
Would be great to get some exercises to progress to a pistol squat, that’s what I have trouble with, if my leg is up too high I can’t push myself up
I was literally commenting on my lack of flexibility tonight while climbing some routes with high feet. Then you upload this.
Are you reading my thoughts?
😂
Yes.
Are there any recommendations on sets and reps for passive and/or active flexibility? How often should you do them? Every day? Should you do rest days, like with calisthenics or weight lifting?
Unless I've missed it in the explanation, what would be a good starting point? The max level of the pancake exercise for 30 seconds/3 reps?
This was my question as well.
just standing with your legs as wide as possible that you can hold for 30
Had a similar question so I'll copy & paste here..... Yes, 3 set of 30s is fine and one option. However some people respond better to 60 or 90 seconds if they struggle to relax. So experiment a little. My other go-to method is 'Tempo' stretching. So moving in and out of a deep stretch for 6-8 reps (3 sets). But the key is to use slow tempo (pausing in the stretch for 2-3 seconds). Tempo stretching can bring more intensity to a stretch whereas long duration holds brings more volume/TUT to a stretch. Both valid methods but suit different people or phases of a programme 😊
Need it😄
My pancake is so embarrassing. Going to try training the standing one for a few months to get better
Leggy legend
Hi, how important is it to warm up before training flexibility?
Are there any reasons why someone would have similar levels of passive and active flexibility for some movement ? I feel like in the side splits I barely gain any depth when supporting my weight 🤔
Ballet dancer and climber here: The secret to flexibility is really just to suck it up and do them damn stretches regularly. If you aren't uncomfortable during stretching, the stimulus is not big enough to let you progress 🤷🏼♀️
I agree to a certain extent but I have a friend who can basically touch with his forehead to his shins without the help of his arms. He's 40 years old and haven't stretched for like...15 years. He used to be an sports acrobat and stretched like hell from the age of like 9. Now he still has the benefits without stretchng.
How should I get flexible when I'm 40 and had always problems with flexibility (long frame/limbs, 1,95m/6'5")?
I stretch daily but it's an endless groundhog day for me as the gains are unsustainable.
Any advice?
@@gallanonim6535 Your friend is what I would call a genetic freak, it just comes naturally for some, and usually you'd have to maintain that level of flexibility like crazy or it will be gone in no time.
I am also tall and not gifted at all, for example, when doing a pancake / middle split my hips will only touch the ground if I excessively arch my back, because my hips are build like that and I have to accept my physical limits. If this is the case for you, it should feel like the joint is blocked, much different from when the muscle is limiting.
For forward folds I don't really see this as an issue though, maybe try isometric stretching and go for quality over quantity. I only strech every second day, because I can go at it much harder if my hamstrings aren't sore to begin with. A few sets of 30 seconds a week should be enough to progress, but I have to go close to my absolute limit.
If you are talking about general mobility I don't have much advice, just keep going, maybe switch it up with yoga or something similar. The later you start, the slower you'll progress unfortunately. Kudos for working on it in your 40s, I'm sure most people your age don't compare to you at all!
@@TyLee96 or someone that did a lot of stretching in a period of life when it can be beneficial for years. Same with climbers. I can apply Megos or Koyamada's fingerboarding routine but will never even get close to them.
Anna lives in a bubble. I wonder if she thinks that her level of flexibility is attainable for most climbers? Because it's certainly not.
@@gallanonim6535 Anna's level is attainable for anyone who is willing to put in the work. I learned my oversplits and middle splits in my twenties 🤷🏼♀️
Although I must admit that once you have this level, you lose touch with how everyone else is not able to take any beta advice from you because it often involves advanced mobility and flexibility.
@@TyLee96 "Yeah just put your toe 30cm above both your hands and then pull on it 👌"
This idea of progressive *under*loading is blowing my mind
As someone who would consider myself pretty flexible, here is my secret: Many many years of ballet.
So would you also apply the same 3 set, 30 second rule to the first step of building passive flexibility? (Say when trying to transition between the standing, and seated pancake?)
Yes, 3 set of 30s is fine and one option. However some people respond better to 60 or 90 seconds if they struggle to relax. So experiment a little. My other go-to method is 'Tempo' stretching. So moving in and out of a deep stretch for 6-8 reps. But the key is to use slow tempo (pausing in the stretch for 2-3 seconds). Tempo stretching can bring more intensity to a stretch whereas long duration holds brings more volume/TUT to a stretch. Both valid methods but suit different people or phases of a programme 😊
@@LatticeTraining Thanks, love you guys 😘
my legs are 60° from one another when I get in pancake position, and in that position it takes a lot of effort to even not fall on my back and I can't keep my back straight... so... how long would it hypothetically take for me? 😅
could be done in 6 months if u do it everyday ...u wanna grab something to help pull you forward like a weight or a chair leg
@@bennythebear0711 I'm having a hard time imagining that it would take me less than the upper bound he advertised. ^^
I'm not sure I've ever seen people who had less than 60° ^^
Being realistic, 1-2 years at least. You might get suggested less but this usually assumes you will do it consistently, with no breaks, you get great recovery and prioritise stretching over other things. It took me over a year to do a full pancake because climbing was always a high priority, I took expended climbing trips where I did very little and I had injuries to overcome. My advise would be to set intermediate goals to stay motivated along the way 😊
I did it but I was going mental for stretching for martial arts so if ur not gonna go that hard then yeah it will take ages
I didn’t get a protractor out haha but I was shocking and struggled to not fall back
Oh my goodness. I am more the 3:47 Person. How many years will it take me to touch the floor?
I had a similar comment above so I'll paste my response here 😊......"Being realistic, 1-2 years at least. You might get suggested less but this usually assumes you will do it consistently, with no breaks, you get great recovery and prioritise stretching over other things. It took me over a year to do a full pancake because climbing was always a high priority, I took expended climbing trips where I did very little and I had injuries to overcome. My advise would be to set intermediate goals to stay motivated along the way 😊"
@@LatticeTrainingI am 46 and still super motivated. I will start working on this. Thank you!
I do wonder if body structure plays a role in a person's overall flexibility or at least possible limit of flexibility. 🤔 You made those pancakes look like a breeze.😮
Perhaps at the extreme end of flexibility it is true, but the majority of people never get to that. Pretty much any healthy person has the theoretical ability to do a split.
Yes for sure. Moreso genetics and lifestyle play a role also in speed of improvement. But most people will be fine and use this as an excuse too early on. Side split for example is the hardest to develop but most people are limited by their hamstrings being too tight and therefore have bad side split posture.
Hey Anna! Thank you so much for this video! I'm a young trans fan and my lack of flexibility (in general and for climbing) has been a source of gender dysphoria for me so this video is much appreciated
Aww this warmed my heart 🥹🥹🥹 thanks for sharing and glad we could give you some tips!!
Now do the video with Stephano so we have a more realistic comparison.
The number of times flexibility is conflated with mobility here is off the charts.
I don't think Anna has a iota of "not flexible" in her body.
Pancake position like that as a goal and within
Yeah, no, thanks. I can't do any of that