Tag Archives: supplepandas

Day 27 – The Splits

The splits are the most iconic test of flexibility. We would be remiss if we did not endeavor to work on our splits this month. I love this setup from Kelly Starrett using the band to decrease the load and to keep our torso upright. Hook a heavy band to the pullup bar and loop it under your armpits. I suggest wearing a sweatshirt because the band can be rather uncomfortable. I also use an abmat under the knee because we are going to be here for a couple of minutes. Extend one leg forward and one leg backward, but try to keep the hips as neutral as possible. Sit tall and take deep breaths. After doing both sides, move to the symmetrical middle splits. I use the J-hooks to help support myself here in addition to the band. The splits are really intense so enjoy them.

The Splits from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.

Day 26 – Twisted Firelogs

Sometimes referred to as “Double Pigeon” this stretch gets into some great places in your hips. I call it “firelogs” because the shins should be stacked in front of you like couple of fire logs. The ankle should rest on the knee and the shins should remain parallel. If you cannot get your legs in this position, you should probably attempt the version at the end of the video. In this video I demonstrate a deep twist, but you can simply just stack your legs and fold forward and try to bring your head to the floor. So good. I hope this becomes one of you favorites.

Day 26 of 30. Twisted Firelogs from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.

Day 25 – Banded Uttanasana

Most people don’t really need a ton of ability to forward bend in their daily life. However, if you want to be able to do fun gymnastics stuff, you need a good deal of compression in this pike shape. This is something I’ve struggled with for many years and the best way I have found to improve is to use bands and weight. I really enjoy this variation. I hope you do too. Wrap a band around a post and walk away and bend forward. Lean away from the post and try to contract your quads and abs and pull your face gently to your shins. Breathe slowly and deeply and stay here for a couple of minutes.

Day 25 of 30. Banded Uttanasana from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.

Day 24 – The Grip Saver Stretch

CrossFit will destroy your hands if you let it. You’re grip is constantly getting worked which is awesome, but also terrible if you don’t take care of your hands and forearms. This stretch is one of the best ways to stretch out your digital flexors (a/k/a your grip muscles). Kneeling down on all fours, spin one of your hands around 180 degrees so the fingers are facing the toes. Grab each finger one at a time and gently peel it up off the floor. Use your thumb to confirm the first knuckle down to the ground as you lift the finger thus intensifying the stretch. Don’t forget the thumb! Stretch each digit for approximately 20-30 seconds. You’ll feel amazing after this.

The Grip Saver Stretch from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.

Day 23 – The Speed Skater Upper Back Stretch

Necessity is the mother of invention so they say. I often feel tight in my upper back between my shoulder blades but all the traditional yoga and stretches that I tried would not get the spot. Finally after trying many different things, I came up with this awkward slice of heaven. Loop a band around a post and grab it with your hand and step away from the post so your arm is pulled across your chest. Bend forward and lean away from the post so that the arm is pulled across the body and you’ll feel a great stretch across your upper back. Breathe deeply and try to expand the upper back and rib cage with each breath.

Day 23 of 30. Speed Skater Upper Back Stretch from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.

Day 22 – The Seated Trap Stretch

If you’ve been doing CrossFit your traps are sore. Going overhead, cleaning, and snatching put a huge demand on the trapezius muscle. This is a simple way to stretch it out and give your neck some relief. Kneel down and sit on your heels. Reach down and grab one of your ankles. Lean away from that ankle and look away from that ankles as well. Gently grab your head and use the weight of the arm to gently pull your ear toward your shoulder. Adjust your head position periodically to target different parts of your traps to stretch. Breathe deeply and don’t force this stretch. Just allow it to happen. If you can’t sit comfortably like this and grab your ankle, sit on a chair and grab under the seat or hold a light dumbbell in one hand.

Day 22 of 30. The Seated Trap Stretch from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.

Day 21 – Prasarita Padattonasana

This classic straddle stretch is called Prasarita Padattonasana. There are a lot of variations choose the one that allows you to stay in this stretch for about 2 minutes. You can start with the hands on the floor, grab your ankles, and eventually walk your hands through your legs. You can also add some resistance to this by taking a light weight behind your back. I’m using a training bar, but I recommend starting light by sliding a small weight over a pvc pipe. My favorite variation is to wrap a band around a post and grab it between your legs and lean forward. This mimics a stall bar stretch. Try to keep your feet pointing straight ahead and keep your legs straight. Breathe slowly and deeply and try not to tense up your neck and shoulders.

Prasarita Padattonasana from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.

Day 20 – The Twisted Couch Stretch

My friends used to call this “The Ninja Pose of Death.” (Yes! Even yoga people fear this pose!) Kelly Starrett really made it popular (infamous?) and coined it “The Couch Stretch.” Whatever you call it, it’s going to stretch you fucking harder. This one really works the quads and hip flexors. I prefer to use a band to pull the hip forward. I place a small elastic loop band under my glute and attach it to the front ankle to help pull my hip forward and down. I also use a theraband to help stretch my arm overhead and deepen the pull on the hip flexor. Most people don’t get the full dosage of this stretch because they keep their butt pinned to the back foot. I believe the best expression of this stretch happens when the butt moves forward and down and you create space between your butt and the back foot. The band helps with pulling the hips forward as does keeping the elbows or hands on the ground. Don’t be in a rush to sit up. Stay low until you can get the hips to move forward.

Day 20 of 30. The Couch Twist from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.

Day 19 – Internal Rotation Hip Stretch

We spend a lot of time and effort working on external rotation of the hip. It’s important to balance ourselves with some internal rotation. This is a good way to stretch the external rotators and your hip flexors. If you are really tight, you’ll have a hard time getting that knee to the ground. That’s okay. Do NOT force it. Your knee is in a vulnerable position so don’t push it to the ground. Just let the weight of your top leg gently pull the knee down. If you’re really flexible, you might not feel much from this stretch. That’s okay too. You are still balancing your hips even if you don’t feel an intense stretch. If you feel pain in your knee back off. Arms go overhead and reach up it will increase the stretch in the hip flexors. Squeeze your butt while doing this and breathe deeply into your abdominals.

Internal Rotation Hip Stretch from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.

Day 18 – Half Frog

This is a tough stretch. Take your time with it. It will be worth it. Our adductors/groin muscles get super tight from sitting all day and this is a great way to loosen them up. It will help the bottom of your squat especially if you have a hard time getting your knees out. Get yourself a towel or abmat for under your knee. Notice the position of my feet. I have one foot turned out and the other foot is pointed straight ahead with the sole down. This works the supination of the ankle. Once you are set up try to push your hips back and simultaneously try to give your pelvis some anterior tilt. You’ll feel this all through your inner thighs. It’s very intense. Keep breathing and try to stay relaxed. If you cannot get your elbows to the floor like I have mine, then get something to prop your elbows on like some yoga blocks.

Half Frog Pose from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.

Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.