Focus:
Focus on breathing, moving gently, and paying attention to your body. Do not force any positions or push into discomfort. Muscle tension is neurological. Flexibility is a skill, and more about control than forcing it.
Isometric stretches:
These are strength training at the end range. Squeeze your muscles to stretch, but don’t push into discomfort. Complete all sets before moving on to the passive stretches.
2-3 working sets:
Supine straddle wall stretch flex 5 seconds, relax 5 seconds, x5. Hold last rep 15-30 sec.
Frog plank forward and flex 5 seconds, back 5 seconds, x5. Hold last rep 15-30 sec.
Copenhagen plank 3 reps with 5 second hold at top position each side. Progress load with plate or dumbbell on your hip. Hold last rep 15-20 sec.
Passive stretches
You should be relaxing and breathing deeply for these. Don’t push into the stretch.
2-3 sets:
90/90 – hold 30 seconds / 5 deep breaths each way
Lying 90/90 (internal hip rotation stretch) 30 seconds / 5 breaths each way
Combination:
Isometric stretching sessions should be done at the end of your climbing session, as part of your cooldown. After you’ve had a few minutes to relax, drink some water, etc.
Supine wall straddle: lay butt against the wall. Flex and let gravity pull your hips into abduction, towards the ground. You can assist gently with your hands if comfortable. Keep your pelvis on the ground on both sides. During the relax phase your legs may come back up a bit, but they might not.
Frog plank: get into “frog” position, at around 75-80% of your tolerance of hip abduction and external rotation. This position should be relaxed.
For the “work” portion, walk your arms forward slightly and move your hips closer to the ground. In this position, squeeze the ground with your legs hard. Then relax back again.
Copenhagen plank:
Starting position / setup. Be sure your knee does not buckle. If you have any history of knee problems or concern for your stability, see the variation below.
Top / engaged position.
If using a weight, place it on your hip bone in the setup position. Make sure it’s stable. A weight vest or belt is a good choice if you have one!
A more stable variation for the knee. Doing this on a chair will make it easier to keep the bottom leg straight. Here I have to keep it bent which is awkward. This position is a shorter lever for the adductor, so you should theoretically be able to add more weight, but it’s also a bit more convoluted.
90/90: press both knees into ground slightly during stretch
Lying 90/90 option 1
Option 2 (a bit harder)
