Testing Yourself Before (and While, and After) You Go Gumby-Like

The very best motivation to stick with an exercise program is seeing results, which is why I’ve developed the flexibility self-test I include in the next section. The test helps you accomplish two important goals:

• Indicates where you’re tight and where your imbalances may be so you know where to focus your stretching program: For example, by doing this self-test, you may discover that your quadriceps (muscles in the front of your thigh) are tight but you have a healthy range of motion in your hamstrings (muscles in the back of your thigh). Eventually this imbalance between these two opposing muscle groups may lead to an injury. Thanks to this self-test you now have the information to prevent that from happening by putting more time and effort into stretching your quadriceps and less on your hamstrings. Another common imbalance that leads to injury or postural problems is being tighter on one side of your body than the other. That’s why in this self-test you document your range of motion on both the right and left sides of your body. If you were to discover that your left shoulder has more range of motion than your right shoulder, you can put a little more time into stretching your right shoulder.
• Records and tracks your increases in flexibility over time: The only way to tell how far you’ve come is to know precisely where you started. And the only way to know how far you’ve gotten is to measure your progress regularly. Performing this self-test before you begin your flexibility training gives you a good idea of your initial flexibility level.

Measure yourself every six weeks to see how well you’re doing. And nothing breeds success like success. The more you find yourself improving, the more motivated you will be to keep up the good work!

Developing increased flexibility doesn’t happen overnight. You need to set realistic goals, and start with easy exercises before moving on to more advanced ones. Testing is for recording progress, not for competing. No two people are alike. Some people may see results more quickly and dramatically than others, but as long as you’re seeing improvement and enjoying yourself, you have a much better chance of making stretching a lifelong program.

The self-test takes about 20 minutes to complete, so make sure to have enough time to complete the test. As you test yourself more often and get more familiar with the stretches, the time will decrease. To get started, you need the following:

• Comfortable, loose fitting clothes
• Mat or carpeted floor — you need a space large enough to lie down comfortably
• Firm chair or exercise bench
• Stretching table or your bed
• Flexibility Evaluation Worksheet (included at the end of this chapter)
• Pen or pencil
• A towel or stretching strap

If you’re really dedicated to increasing your flexibility and you have made a commitment to stick with your stretching program, I suggest investing a few dollars and purchasing your own stretching strap — it will be well worth the money. Until then, just use a small bath towel or gym towel.