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"Good" pain versus "Bad" pain

danz
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8 years 9 months ago
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08/10/2010 - 12:02pm
"Good" pain versus "Bad" pain
As I'm apt to over-do things, I'd like some guidance in distinguishing acceptable muscle soreness from more serious discomfort. As an example, I wish to lengthen my hamstrings by using the "wall" drill. It hurts well before my back and arms are parallel to the ground. The pain and discomfort are shared between my hamstrings and my lower back. There's nothing at all comfortable about that procedure. As I don't have a mirror in a location that would facilitate guarding against spinal curvature, I just proceed until it hurts somewhere. I wish to "make all deliberato haste" in this method, but I realize that there is much to be undone.  Perhaps I could "make do" with just some informed reassurance.
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09/10/2008 - 8:36pm
There's nothing absolute about having to have your body and arms parallel to the ground. And you don't want to feel this in your lower back at all. Definitely sounds like you are going too far and also that your form isn't quite right. Try bending your knees a little, externally rotating your legs so your pelvis has some place between your legs to "nest," and only go to a place where you feel the stretch in your hamstrings (in the belly of the muscle, not behind your knees) in a bittersweet way (pleasure and pain mixed perhaps - not just pain). your back should still have its midline groove and not be rounded at all. If you want to accelerate this process, take a look at the book "Relax Into Stretch" and follow his guidelines. You will need a trainer / partner to help with the passive stretching, which is very effective.
danz
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08/10/2010 - 12:02pm
Ah, "bittersweet." Expressive, even elegant.
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