YIANNIS CHRISTOULAS DISCLAIMER Copyright 2022 by Yiannis Christoulas. All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be used or reproduced by any means: graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the author has used his best efforts and knowledge in researching and preparing this book, he makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your particular situation. You should consult with a medical professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. The contents of this e-book are not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. Utilizing the information within this e-book is at the sole choice and risk of the reader. ABOUT YIANNIS Yiannis graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Science of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, having received the highest grade a student has ever achieved in the history of the department. During his academic years, he received two awards for academic excellence, one from the Northern Greece Physical Education Teachers’ Association and one from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Science of Aristotle University. He continued his studies with a Master’s degree in “Human Performance and Health”. In his Master’s thesis, he was the first to investigate techniques of acute aerobic capacity enhancement through blood circulation reflexes. He holds a post-grad diploma in Sports Nutrition. His scientific background is enriched by a number of seminars and conferences on Exercise Science, Nutrition, and Health. He has taught seminars on various topics related to human performance and health, and workshops on modern flexibility training methods. He has aspirations of completing a Ph.D. in Exercise Science. In his professional life, Yiannis has been working as a coach since 2012 and has trained all levels of clients ranging from professional athletes to fitness enthusiasts just getting started. His coaching philosophy is based on firstly understanding the individuality of each person, and then planning the entire training process accordingly. He specializes in the design of tailor-made training plans and online coaching that cater to the individual needs and goals of each trainee. His core philosophy, of training symmetrically every component of the human body, led him to a long-lasting study of flexibility and the modern methods to develop it. After years of research and experience in flexibility training he was able to identify, test and record, the most effective and efficient methods to improve flexibility. He shares what he learned from his flexibility journey through his training programs and workshops. Today, Yiannis works as an online coach, teaches seminars on various fitness topics and also shares on his YouTube channel his years of knowledge gathered from academic education and field experience. ABOUT THIS PROGRAM This is a 6-week flexibility training program that aims in increasing both active and passive flexibility in leg-side abduction, aka side split. A second important purpose of this program is to gradually introduce you to the many different training methods that can be utilized to increase flexibility. There are more than 11 training methods for increasing flexibility. Some of them are more complex than others and there is an optimal order to get introduced to each one of them. In this 6week program, you’ll have the chance to get introduced to some of the most effective flexibility training methods that exist. For this reason, this program is suitable for both beginners with low flexibility levels and advanced flexible trainees that want, not only to increase flexibility and get closer to the side split but also to develop their understanding of the different flexibility training methods. The program starts with the easiest and simplest to apply methods and gradually advance to the more complex methods. Naturally, the training intensity and volume are also gradually increased through the weeks, and it peaks on the last week. In this program, you’ll find the training session for each week along with detailed instructions on the training variables of each exercise (sets, reps, etc.). You’ll also find a detailed video presentation of each exercise so it’s easier to understand and correctly apply the different methods and techniques. In the following sections, you’ll find instructions on how to read and understand the program. WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM THIS PROGRAM? This program will help you get closer to the side split or even complete it depending on your initial flexibility level. Keep in mind that some people need more time than others to accomplish their flexibility goals. Even more, while some trainees accomplish their goals with the simplest methods (e.g., passive static) others need to practice more complex training methods to accomplish the same goals. This program will introduce you gradually to some of the most effective flexibility training methods and will help you increase both passive and active flexibility on the side split. MUST KNOW In this section, you’ll find an explanation of the essential components that you need to understand before starting this program. WARMUP • Increase range of motion • Increase body temperature • activate the muscles for the task of the training session. Increase Range of motion Increase range of motion at the start of your training session simply by foam rolling the targeted muscles (adductors and glutes). Foam rolling has been repeatedly shown to acutely increase range of motion after a short bout of self-massage. Ideally, this should be the first action in your training session. Follow the instructions on the video below and apply this at the start of each training session. WARMUP FOAM ROLLING (VIDEO) Increase Body Temperature Increase body temperature right after foam rolling to bring your muscles to optimal condition to start your training session. I always prefer doing a small dynamic routine that focuses also on the activation of the targeted muscles rather than doing a generic low-impact activity like walking or cycling. For this reason, I created the following warm-up routine that is designed specifically to activate and warm up the targeted muscles (agonists & antagonists) of the side split). Apply this program after ‘’warmup foam rolling’’ on each training session. EXERCISE SETS REPS REST VIDEO PRESENTATION HORSE STANCE SQUAT 3 10 30’’ VIDEO STANDING SIDE ABDUCTIONS 3 10 30’’ VIDEO SEATED ADDUCTORS FLY 3 10 50’’ VIDEO Muscle activation You should progressively increase the stretching intensity in the major muscle groups before starting your first actual set. For this reason in the program, you’ll find with grey letters a small preactivation with Active Dynamic Stretching (AD) before some key exercises. So, for progressive stretching-specific activation, simply follow what is written on the program for each week. FREQUENCY - HOW MANY SESSIONS SHOULD YOU DO EACH WEEK? The training frequency is the number of training sessions that you can do within a week on the same components. In each training week, you’ll find one training session which you can apply 2 to 3 times each week. Flexibility training sessions on the same components should be distanced from 48 to 96 hours (2 to 4 days). You should schedule your sessions according to your recovery time. The first training weeks will uncover how much recovery time your body needs. The optimal scenario would be to start with 2 sessions per week and if you have the capacity to recover you can add a third one. However, it all depends on the training intensity. Intense workouts need more recovery time so fewer sessions can be done within a week. On the other hand, if you train only with low-intensity PS you could even train every day. With more advanced and active techniques the recovery time increases. To sum up, the minimum training frequency to see notable results is 2 sessions per week. If you have the time and can quickly recover from one session to the other, you can go up to 3 sessions per week. This however will highly depend on the intensity of each workout. RECOVERY – ARE YOU READY TO DO THE NEXT TRAINING SESSION? Recovery is the king of all training components. If you have fast recovery you will reach your goals faster, whereas poor recovery can lead to reduced results or even injuries. Besides the obvious, which is having a well-rounded nutrition plan and adequate sleep, the most important factor is the correct estimation of training intensity. High training intensity can lead to a long-lasting soreness that will prevent you from training frequently. For this reason, you should start with the minimum intensity and keep track of your recovery. If you recover in time (before your next session) then you can gradually increase the intensity of your program. Therefore, the main idea is to keep the training intensity at a level that doesn’t trigger excessive muscle soreness but also to follow active recovery strategies in the days between your training sessions. The most evidence-based recovery tool is foam rolling. Foam rolling has been proven to speed up recovery simply by doing a short self-massage on the targeted muscles. Foam rolling is also a great tool to acutely increase flexibility and for this reason, it makes sense to use it both at the start and finish of your flexibility session. To sum up, a short foam rolling routine of the targeted muscles (adductors) right after your training session, and the days after will speed up your recovery process and increase your results. Follow the instructions of the video below: RECOVERY FOAM ROLLING (VIDEO) STRETCHING INTENSITY – HOW HARD YOU SHOULD STRETCH? Stretching intensity is the level of the stretch (and pain) that you feel at a given position. A 100% stretching intensity is the absolute limit and this would be also the most painful spot. For beginners, the literature clearly states that increasing intensity has no additional effect on flexibility, especially on the passive static method. Since the beginner’s muscles have not yet adapted to the tension of the stretch, the risk of injury is increased with increased stretching intensity with no additional gains. For this reason, I recommend starting with low to moderate intensity stretching and advancing to higher intensities only as you get adapted to the stretching stimulus. However, based on experience, this doesn’t seem to apply to advanced trainees. Once the body is adapted to the stimulus of stretching many trainees can go up to 90% stretching intensity with no detrimental effects. However, I still don’t recommend 100% stretching intensity. In addition, different methods require different stretching intensities to produce the desired outcome. For this reason, in the program you’ll find instruction on how much to stretch in each exercise and method, ranging from <50% to >80% stretching intensity. CONTRACTION INTENSITY – HOW HARD YOU SHOULD CONTRACT? Contraction intensity is the level of voluntary muscle contraction in the methods like the CR, CRAC, A-PR and so on. A full voluntary contraction is a 100% contraction intensity. Now, we use contractions for two different purposes. One, to provoke Central Nervous System (CNS) reflexes that relax certain muscles in the methods CR, ACR and CRAC. And two, to both provoke CNS reflexes, and also strengthen the muscles at the end range of motion, in the methods A-PR, A-AR, C-AR and C-PR. For the first category where the purpose is only to stimulate the CNS, recent data clearly states that increasing the intensity of the contraction over 70% doesn’t increase the results of the method. So for the methods CR, ACR and CRAC, I suggest keeping the intensity between 50 to 80%. For contractions that have also the purpose of increasing end-range strength in the methods A-PR, A-AR, C-AR and C-PR, I suggest going a little higher, but make sure to balance the contraction intensity with the stretching intensity. If you are already in a position with high stretching intensity your contraction should be lower. Conversely, in a low-intensity stretching position you can go harder on your contractions. In sum, the stretching intensity should vary between 60 to 90%, while the contraction intensity varies according to the purpose of each method from 60 to 100%. As a general rule, you should start with the lower intensities, and as you gain experience slowly progress to the higher ones. TERMS WHAT IS FLEXIBILITY AND WHICH ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF IT? Flexibility is defined as the range of motion (ROM) around a joint or group of joints (Alter, 1996) and reflects the ability of the muscle-tendon unit to elongate (Hubley-Kozey, 1991). (from (Rowlans et al., 2003) RANGE OF MOTION (ROM) Range of motion (ROM) is the extent of movement of a joint and it’s a term that I’ll be using a lot IN THIS PROGRAM. Thus, increasing flexibility means increasing ROM. ROM can be either passive or active. Active range of motion is the extent of movement that we can voluntarily reach with no external assistance to the joint. Passive range of motion is the extent of movement of a joint with assistance. This assistance to the target joint can be a partner, a piece of equipment or most commonly our own body weight and strength. In addition, there is also the Anatomical range of motion which is the ultimate range that a joint can reach due to biomechanical factors. Aside from extreme exceptions, for most people, there is a specific limit of the range that can be reached in each joint, which is determined by the structure of the bones and ligaments, and it is measured with angles. In general, simply by increasing your passive range and by doing normal strength training you also increase active ROM to some extent. That’s because active ROM is limited mainly by 2 factors. The antagonist’s resistance and the agonist’s strength (see below the terms agonist and antagonist). In the fire hydrant, the agonists are trying to lift the weight of the leg and also overcome the resistance from the tight antagonist muscles. Simply by increasing the antagonist passive ROM and reducing their resistance, we can improve the active range since the agonists have to overcome less force. It is common, especially for beginners, to use the practice of passive flexibility training to decrease the antagonist resistance, and traditional strength training to increase the agonist strength. No matter your training status, in this program you will experience this simple technique along with some of the most advanced training methods that exist, to increase both active and passive ROM simultaneously. WHAT ABOUT MOBILITY? So what does the term mobility mean? The term mobility is commonly used in the fitness community to describe Active ROM whereas the term flexibility to describe Passive ROM. However, this seems to complicate things since the term flexibility is the main term that is used to describe the ability of the body to move through its ROM. This movement can be done either in a passive or an active way. So using the term flexibility to describe only passive ROM is definitely inappropriate and this makes also the use of the term mobility to selectively describe active range a bit off since a person with active ROM is also flexible and not mobile. In addition, in the vast majority of the scientific literature, the term mobility is used to describe the recovery phase after injuries or the mobilization of elderly people. The terms active and passive ROM are commonly used to describe the different types of ROM, aka flexibility. So flexibility is divided into active and passive flexibility or in other words active or passive ROM. The term mobility is used by some people to describe active ROM, but it complicates things and it’s a term that will not be used in this program. AGONIST VS ANTAGONIST When we stretch a muscle, this muscle is the targeted muscle of the exercise and of course the muscle that we want to get more flexible at. I use the terms agonist and antagonist muscles to explain the activation of the targeted muscle in combination with the exact opposite muscle group. The agonist is the targeted muscle that we want to improve, while the antagonist is the exact opposite muscle group. For example, if the agonist muscle group is the hamstrings, then the antagonist muscle is the quadriceps. Same way if the agonist is the bicep the antagonist is the triceps. END-RANGE STRENGTH The end-range strength concept is a form of traditional exercise with the distinction of emphasizing strengthening the end-range position in a specific movement or muscle. Therefore, the goal is to reach the full range of motion in each repetition while also lifting some weights in order to produce strength-related adaptations. But how is that different from traditional strength training? To give an example, in traditional strength training in the exercise of good mornings the aim is to increase the strength or strength endurance of the hamstrings. For this reason, our main concern is to gradually increase the volume and intensity of the training stimulus, thus increasing reps, set and weight, while reaching a good amount of range in each repetition but not necessarily the maximum. And since we increase the intensity, naturally, we won’t be able to reach 100% of our range in every repetition. On the other hand, if we want to increase end range strength in the same exercise we’ll need much less weight and we’ll be focusing more on reaching 100% of our range in each repetition. The purpose here is first to reach the maximum range and then use the amount of weight that doesn’t prevent us from doing so. So traditional strength training equals focus on the gradual progression of the training variables while reaching a good amount of range. End-range training focuses on reaching 100% of the range of motion while using the minimum amount of intensity that can stimulate strength-related adaptations. REPETITIONS & TIME UNDER TENSION (TUT) Everyone knows what is one repetition, but many might not be familiar with the term Time Under Tension (TUT). In flexibility training, TUT is the amount of time the muscle is being stretched or the amount of time that a muscle worked in total. For example, 60’’ Passive Static (PS) stretching is 60’’ TUT, so it’s one set of Passive Static stretching consisting of 60’’ TUT. However, in a more complex method like the Contract Relax (CR) we have both repetitions and TUT in every repetition that consists of both a 6’’ contract and a 6’’ relax phase. This way one repetition is both 6’’ TUT during the contract and 6’’ during the relaxation. We can increase the repetitions and do 5 repetitions of the same 6’’ TUT, or we can increase TUT from 6’’ to 10’’ on each repetition. So as training variables, some methods are counted only with TUT, some only with repetitions, and some with both. WEEK 1 SIDE SPLIT 1.0 – YIANNIS CRISTOULAS WEEK 1 EXERCISE SETS REPS TUT STRETCHING INTENSITY CONTRACTION INTENSITY REST VIDEO PRESENTATION PD TAILORS POSE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS TAILORS POSE 3 - 30’’ 60-70% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-PR TAILORS POSE 3 - 15’’ >80% >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PD PANCAKE 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS PANCAKE 3 - 30’’ 60-70% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS SIDE SPLIT 3 - 30’’ 60-70% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR SIDE SPLIT 3 - 15’’ - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION FIRE HYDRANT BENT LEG 3 8 - - - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION (WARMUP) WEEK 2 SIDE SPLIT 1.0 – YIANNIS CRISTOULAS WEEK 2 EXERCISE SETS REPS TUT STRETCHING INTENSITY CONTRACTION INTENSITY REST VIDEO PRESENTATION PD TAILORS POSE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS TAILORS POSE 3 - 45’’ 60-70% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-PR TAILORS POSE 3 - 30’’ >80% >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PD PANCAKE 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS PANCAKE 3 - 45’’ 60-70% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS SIDE SPLIT 3 - 45’’ 60-70% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR SIDE SPLIT 3 - 20’’ - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION FIRE HYDRANT BENT LEG 3 10 - - - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION (WARMUP) WEEK 3 SIDE SPLIT 1.0 – YIANNIS CRISTOULAS WEEK 3 EXERCISE SETS REPS TUT STRETCHING INTENSITY CONTRACTION INTENSITY REST VIDEO PRESENTATION PD TAILORS POSE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-PR TAILORS POSE 2 - 30’’ >80% >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION A-AR TAILORS POSE 2 - 15’’ - >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS TAILORS POSE 2 - 60’’ 70-80% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PD PANCAKE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR PANCAKE 2 - 15’’ - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS PANCAKE 2 - 45’’ 70-80% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS SIDE SPLIT 2 - 45’’ 70-80% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION CR SIDE SPLIT 2 3 6’’ >90% 60-70% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR SIDE SPLIT 2 - 20’’ - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION FIRE HYDRANT BENT LEG 3 12 - - - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION WEEK 4 SIDE SPLIT 1.0 – YIANNIS CRISTOULAS WEEK 4 EXERCISE SETS REPS TUT STRETCHING INTENSITY CONTRACTION INTENSITY REST VIDEO PRESENTATION PD TAILORS POSE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-PR TAILORS POSE 2 - 45’’ >80% >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION A-AR TAILORS POSE 2 - 30’’ - >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS TAILORS POSE 1 - 60’’ 70-80% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PD PANCAKE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR PANCAKE 3 - 20’’ - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS PANCAKE 2 - 45’’ 70-80% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION CR SIDE SPLIT 3 3 6’’ >90% 60-70% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS SIDE SPLIT 1 - 60’’ 70-80% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR SIDE SPLIT 2 - 30’’ - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION FIRE HYDRANT STRAIGHT LEG 3 12 - - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION WEEK 5 SIDE SPLIT 1.0 – YIANNIS CRISTOULAS WEEK 5 EXERCISE SETS REPS TUT STRETCHING INTENSITY CONTRACTION INTENSITY REST VIDEO PRESENTATION PD TAILORS POSE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-PR TAILORS POSE 1 - 45’’ >80% >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION A-AR TAILORS POSE 2 - 30’’ - >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION CR TAILORS POSE 2 3 6’’ >90% 60-70% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PD PANCAKE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR PANCAKE 2 - 20’’ - >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION CR PANCAKE 2 3 6’’ >90% 60-70% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS PANCAKE 1 - 45’’ 70-80% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION CR SIDE SPLIT 3 4 6’’ >90% 60-70% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS SIDE SPLIT 1 - 60’’ 70-80% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR SIDE SPLIT 2 - 30’’ - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION FIRE HYDRANT STRAIGHT LEG 3 12 - - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION ADDUCTORS FLY 3 10 - - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION WEEK 6 SIDE SPLIT 1.0 – YIANNIS CRISTOULAS WEEK 6 EXERCISE SETS REPS TUT STRETCHING INTENSITY CONTRACTION INTENSITY REST VIDEO PRESENTATION PD TAILORS POSE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-PR TAILORS POSE 1 - 45’’ >80% >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION A-AR TAILORS POSE 1 - 30’’ - >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION CR TAILORS POSE 3 3 6’’ >90% 60-70% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PD PANCAKE (WARMUP) 2 6 - <50% - 30’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR PANCAKE 2 - 30’’ - >80% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION CR PANCAKE 2 3 6’’ >90% 60-70% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION PS PANCAKE 1 - 60’’ 70-80% - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION CR SIDE SPLIT 4 4 6’’ >90% 60-70% 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION C-AR SIDE SPLIT 3 - 30’’ - - 60’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION FIRE HYDRANT STRAIGHT LEG 3 12 - - - 40’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION ADDUCTORS FLY 3 12 - - - 40’’ VIDEO PRESENTATION
