does anyone here know any good stretches to improve flexibility in the back? I can't seem to find anything. Also do you know how long you should hold a stretch? Longer the better? BTW I'm new here

Here's a couple comprehensive links from my bookmarks:

http://www.bath.ac.uk/~masrjb/Stretch/stretching_1.html
http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/...ec/stretching/

...and welcome!

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
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In dance we were always taught for a minimum of 30 seconds. There's a very good (old) book called something like "Stretching for Dance". It explains things incredibly well. It looks very old fashioned and some of the photos are very out of date but it gives a huge range of exercises that you can do for both stretching and strengthening.

You need to stretch (NOT BOUNCE) for over 30 seconds because initially the fibres with 'ping' back (think of an elastic band) and can actually cause the muscles to tighten.

Yoga and Pilates exercises are good for stretching and especially for the back (but please learn them from a teacher not from a book or DVD)

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This might be out of the question- but does your rink offer a dance class?

My rink has a ballet class specifically for skaters, taught by a classical ballerina. There are only three adults (including myself) in my class. It's amazing because we get so much attention. When we do cambre back my instructor is able to tell us if we are collapsing in the chest, or if we are slumping our shoulders. She says it's important to feel lifted in the chest when you cambre back. Also, don't sacrifice your body alignment for more flexibility. It is important to keep your hips square and lifted. You don't want to sink into your hips or cause any other disturbance.

Good luck!!!

The book "Stretching" by Bob Anderson is the "granddaddy" of all books on stretching and has some excellent suggestions.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/093...Fencoding=UTF8

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