always tight hamstrings and quads? what am i doing wrong?

[umami_mommy]

i do yoga class 2-3 times a week, swim 2-3 times a week, walk and do weight training. but my legs are *always* tight!!

(i am not new to yoga i have done it for 15 years and am very careful about my alignment and posture)

what am i doing wrong that i am always tight and in pain?? 

help!

[mistymorning]

No advice, just letting you know you're not alone!  I have done yoga for years, and stretch just about every day, but I am still very tight, particularly my hamstrings.  I don't know why, but I have pretty much given up hope I'll improve, and just accepted that I am not a flexible person.  I'll be curious if someone has suggestions!

[philomom]

I'm hoping someone knows the answer. My hubby and I hike... and I always get the pain in the hamstring for the first 30 minutes or so until my muscles are really loose and warmed up.

[ursusarctos]

At least for me I think the main culprit is sitting in chairs. Stretching feels good and helps but the hamstrings are always tight anyway. The chair sitting just tightens up all the wrong muscles. But I probably know less about muscles and stretching than all of you with your yoga experience!

[umami_mommy]

i did some poking around online today and i read some things about stretching the hip flexors, not sitting in chairs so much (okay?), and strengthening your core. my abs really suffered from my pregnancies and i really do need to get them back to what they used to be! (i'm just so damn lazy though!)

[ursusarctos]

Umami mommy, I am in my first pregnancy and at 18ish weeks started noticing some major core strength issues. As my belly got bigger and I could no longer use my abs to hold myself up, my back and pelvis started feeling strained. After reading this article I realized that I have been using my abs to hold myself up for years, at the expense of my back and pelvic floor strength, and that my posture and activity habits (compulsively tightening my butt when standing, sitting in chairs constantly, not walking enough) were also tightening my pelvis. Since I read this article and the blog of the person who is interviewed, I've been doing squats throughout the day and trying to walk 5-6 miles a day as she recommends and in just a week I've noticed a huge difference. Not only does my whole body feel better, but my chronic hip pain of 5 months is gone and my legs and pelvis feel more relaxed.   

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by umami_mommy 

i do yoga class 2-3 times a week, swim 2-3 times a week, walk and do weight training. but my legs are *always* tight!!

(i am not new to yoga i have done it for 15 years and am very careful about my alignment and posture)

what am i doing wrong that i am always tight and in pain?? 

help!

walking and weight training make you tighter. I'm not sure about swimming, it's kinda of elongating. How is your alignment and posture during weight training?

When and where are you in pain? In the meaty part of the muscles, or near the joints? Pain means different things depending on where you feel it.

Are you stretching after you work out, lift weights, etc? Back when I was working out at a gym, I noticed that most people didn't stretch at the end, or they did half a$$ stretches for a 3 minutes.

If you are feeling pain during yoga, then back out of the posture or take a simplier modification. Use a block or a strap, bend your knees, etc. There is tremendous benefits in yoga for someone who works in ways that makes their body really tight, but they need to do the yoga in ways that is appropriate for them. I used to be in a yoga class with a marathon runner and that guy was TIGHT, but when he added yoga in a couple of times a week, his recovery time from marathons went WAY down. He was never gonna get bendy while putting all those miles on his body.

If there is a specific posture you are feeling pain in, talk to your yoga teacher about it, or try to describe it here. (I'm a yoga teacher)

[umami_mommy]

OH! i read that few months ago!! and of course promptly forgot about it! lol. thanks so much!!

i took a little time off of everything except for walking and am feeling better. i do have a mild case of fibro and so i supposed it need to listen to my old body when it tells me i am doing too much. i used to say that i was a big believer in the 2X4 principal. but then i heard someone talk about "being run over by the goddess bus." loved it and totally get it.

thanks again.

Originally Posted by ursusarctos 

Umami mommy, I am in my first pregnancy and at 18ish weeks started noticing some major core strength issues. As my belly got bigger and I could no longer use my abs to hold myself up, my back and pelvis started feeling strained. After reading this article I realized that I have been using my abs to hold myself up for years, at the expense of my back and pelvic floor strength, and that my posture and activity habits (compulsively tightening my butt when standing, sitting in chairs constantly, not walking enough) were also tightening my pelvis. Since I read this article and the blog of the person who is interviewed, I've been doing squats throughout the day and trying to walk 5-6 miles a day as she recommends and in just a week I've noticed a huge difference. Not only does my whole body feel better, but my chronic hip pain of 5 months is gone and my legs and pelvis feel more relaxed.