Has anyone managed to build/maintain their flexibility despite being an office worker who cycles to work and then sits all day in the office?

Only when I dedicate 3-4 thirty minute sessions a week to a YouTube yoga session

Yep, although I’ve let it go again recently as works been a succession of 55+ hour weeks.

Like anything fitness related it’s about having a target, a plan and consistency. Figure out what the weakness is, develop a routine to stretch the strong/short muscles and strengthen the weak/elongated ones. Stick with it everyday for 5 weeks, then re-assess and change the plan to the next weakness.

Or just take the scattergun approach and buy some yoga/pilates DVD’s. Better than nothing, but will take longer to address any specific issues you have, or might make them worse by doing exercises that strengthen already short muscles, and it becomes self reinforcing as those exercises will be the easy/enjoyable ones, not the ones you struggle with or hurt.

This year I’ve been working on getting consistent with my upper body strength with push ups and pull ups etc. Had a few minor injuries setting me back, but have been doing that two evenings a week for a few months now. Shoulders are the best they’ve been for years.

Hamstrings though. Best flexibility was legs straight with palms hinting they could get flat on the floor with a bit more work. As I’m not morning person I usually have to rush to work so after the commutes, and a 5k run once a week I never really feel much more leg strength left, and only commute 5 miles each way.

Hamstrings though. Best flexibility was legs straight with palms hinting they could get flat on the floor with a bit more work.

That’s a really bad measure of hamstring flexibility for an office worker as you may well have anterior pelvic tilt anyway. Then. A bit of lower back rounding and you’ve got what looks like good flexibility.

Try it by standing up, properly brace your core by breathing in deeply, then locking your abs tight so there’s no movement between hips and ribcag (do it properly and you should be able to put enough pressure on to make you almost pass out the first time you try it as you’re putting pressure on your heart).Then do a hip hinge (push your ass back rather than thinking about leaning forwards). Now see how far you can get just on hamstrings without anything else. Unless you’re very flexible it won’t be the floor.

For me the difference is hands flat on the floor if I round my back. Doing it properly I’m barely past my knees!

I don’t really know what you’re asking.

That’s a really bad measure of hamstring flexibility for an office worker as you may well have anterior pelvic tilt anyway. Then. A bit of lower back rounding and you’ve got what looks like good flexibility.

I think I’ve always been susceptible to anterior pelvic tilt, but become more aware of it a few years ago, and been working on correcting that… I think it’s an easy one to work on just in every day life, while standing up, walking, etc.

I don’t really know what you’re asking.

It’s quite common for cyclists to have tight hamstrings. It’s quite common for office workers who sit all day to have tight hamstrings. I cycle to work daily and sit all day at work and am finding it difficult to overcome tight hamstrings. Though as TINAS says, helps to have target/plan/consistency which I haven’t as yet.

Ok. I’ve always had tight hamstrings and I commute by bike a fair bit.
Don’t think it’s any worse than 20 years ago though.

What are the symptoms though?

Yoga with Adrienne sorted me out. Her lower back work sessions vary in length so can fit in to your time scale. Helped me a lot with stretching as I commute a lot.

Started seeing a PT to build core and upper body strength. I’ve been doing lots of dead lifts and squats so ham strings have started getting tight again. I’m now using a hard ball to roll out my legs and only just bought a therapy gun. Seems to be helping.

Thinking about it, if you keep a hard ball at your desk, you could use it whilst you work. Just explain it to your colleagues or they might think you’re weird.

I think they think I’m weird anyway!

What are the symptoms though?

Errr… lack of flexibility!! 😀

Similar to what TINAS suggested, Keeping both your back straight/core braced, and legs straight, fold forward using only your hips. Should be able to hold it with hands resting on shins, so back is more less horizontal. I can hold it for a short while, but trying to keep my legs locked straight is difficult – the lower hamstrings feel tight and there’s pressure on lower back.

Over the years I’ve just found a small combination of stretches and mobilisations that work for me, combining stuff from physios and YouTube. Wife if also a yoga instructor.

The best thing is to find them and do them, or some of them briefly every day. Could just be 5-10mins morning and evening and then if you can find a space at work something simple that works there. Much more useful than 2-3 intense sessions/lessons a week, though obviously they could be in addition to that.

If you think you can’t find 10-20mins over the course of a day you’re lying to yourself, and shouldn’t be on here lol!

Anything you can manage a few times a day will be much better than nothing.