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[Alu]

So this is a more general and broad question I've had in mind for sometime. As the title suggest, for both LL patients and non-LL patients, how far down can you reach while doing a standing pike stretch?

For me I can basically place my 90% hands/palms on the floor. I'm trying to figure out which factor allows me to do this; would it be my positive Ape Index, my 44% I/H that gives me a slightly longer torso, or a combination of both.

Please do share your results.

[glenn]

Before I started preparing for LL, I was nowhere close to being able to do a pike stretch.

When I started to train for LL, it was really hard for me to overcome that stiffness. I tried to do stretches that isolated certain muscles, but still my general pike didn't improve one bit.
 
Then I came across the Leechlet chronicles and in his earlier videos, Leechlet had said something about "muscles are like rubber bands, once you stretch it past a certain point they don't snap back anymore." That made a lot of sense to me, so I did this exercise and and yanked it really hard for a few days:

The next week I was way more flexible and within closing distance of being able to do a proper pike stretch. After I was over that hump, it was easier to inch toward doing a pike.

By the time I did my surgery, I could firmly plant my hands next to my feet without warming up.

Nowadays though, oy... I can only touch my shins with my fingertips 

[Alu]

I know for a fact that how far someone can stretch down is dependent on the flexibility of your legs, but Glenn what do you think is the farthest down you could reach down in terms of hand placement to the floor now that you are at the relative height you wish to be.

[glenn]

Hi Alu,

I'm not finished total lengthening yet; I still have to do my second round of quads.
You mean right now? I am unable to do a pike stretch. When I reach down as far as I can go, my fingertips can touch my shins at best, nowhere near being able to talk about touching the floor anymore..

[goldenegg]

Before LL I could comfortably get my palms on the floor.  I'm nowhere close to that right now. my fingers are a couple inches away from the floor now.  the relevant muscles for LL in the pike stretch are the hamstrings and calves, but longer arms and a flexible spine also contribute and aren't relevant to LL.  the pike strech is still helpful, but I think stretches like the straight leg raise picture glenn posted are a better measure of your hamstring flexibility

[Medium Drink Of Water]

Before LL I could get my palms on the floor, now they're 3 inches from the floor.

[Alu]

Yeah I noticed too when doing my own stretching routine.

But the point of this thread is more about the length of reach one has with his hands in relation to the floor, and the factors that contribute to how far one can reach down (whether that is optimal flexibility or just proportions that make it easy to achieve such a feet).

Before LL I could get my palms on the floor, now they're 3 inches from the floor.

For you personally would it be due to lose of flexibility or just because your arms are not long enough to touch the floor (does that include the fingers?)

[Medium Drink Of Water]

It's just because the legs are 3 inches longer now.  My legs feel the same, but the arms don't reach down as far anymore as a result of the longer legs.

[Polycrates.]

I can still palm the floor after 6cm.

[Alu]

That's pretty good honestly. I simulated my 7-8 cm increase with some books and found that the max I would be able to do would be my fingers touching the floor and not my palm. Which honestly isn't great but still it's something I guess.

I can still palm the floor after 6cm.

Would you say you can palm the floor because of flexibility reasons or because your arms are long enough to actually reach down?

[DoingItForMe]

Same here. Used to be able to reach the floor with my palms and had some slack left over. I was able to touch my wrist to the floor. Now I can only touch my toes if I really really tried. Comfortably, I can only touch the part where my foot connects with my shins. My hands are about 8 inches long, so that means that I lost about 9 inches in reach. Three of those inches can be explained by the 3 inches of longer legs. But the other 6 inches are from the loss in flexibility.

The way I picture it is that my hamstrings are already overly stretched from the 3 inches of leg increase. So in addition to the 3 inch further goal, you also lose 3 inches of hamstring to allow you to bend. So that would explain 6 inches in reach loss. I can't explain the rest of the loss. If I had to guess, it would be because I haven't walked or ran in a long time, and my leg muscles have become weak and small.

[Medium Drink Of Water]

Same here. Used to be able to reach the floor with my palms and had some slack left over. I was able to touch my wrist to the floor. Now I can only touch my toes if I really really tried. Comfortably, I can only touch the part where my foot connects with my shins. My hands are about 8 inches long, so that means that I lost about 9 inches in reach. Three of those inches can be explained by the 3 inches of longer legs. But the other 6 inches are from the loss in flexibility.

The way I picture it is that my hamstrings are already overly stretched from the 3 inches of leg increase. So in addition to the 3 inch further goal, you also lose 3 inches of hamstring to allow you to bend. So that would explain 6 inches in reach loss. I can't explain the rest of the loss. If I had to guess, it would be because I haven't walked or ran in a long time, and my leg muscles have become weak and small.

It was quite a while before I got my flexibility back (except for the anatomical loss.)  Hang in there and keep working hard.

[DoingItForMe]

It was quite a while before I got my flexibility back (except for the anatomical loss.)  Hang in there and keep working hard.

How long is a while?

[Medium Drink Of Water]

I don't remember precisely... maybe 2-3 years.  It came back gradually.