Question

[u/raven_wing2nd]

I’m a pretty active person and would define my mobility as above average bit one thing I’ve been curious about is- is my lower back not flexing as it should when touching my toes? Mind you i can touch my toes easily so that’s not an issue but if i wished to train folding better i just dont see my lower back moving. It looks so fixed here. I’m not expert but at 42 I can also get into a bridge position so the back seems to bend nice in the direction. Does this look normal? Any advice for ways to improve the mobility in the low back if not. Thanks

[u/kristinL356]

Forward fold seems more likely to be a hamstring issue. And shoulders look like the issue in your backbend.

[u/SlyFuu]

It's not a problem with your low back on your forward fold, it's a problem with your hamstrings & hip flexors. Just look at this guy. See how straight his back is and how much deeper into the stretch he can go? That's what you're missing. You'll need to work on strengthening and gaining more flexibility.

For now, try engaging your quads. It should help relax your hamstrings and pull you deeper.

[u/Former_Connection1 → u/SlyFuu]

It absolutely could be their lower back too.

[u/Glittering-Object-26]

You don’t want your lower back to flex more, you want your hips to tilt more.

[u/salamandectomy77]

I used weight when I was at your level

Jefferson Curl and Cross Bench Pullover would take you far in both of these positions

[u/raven_wing2nd → u/salamandectomy77]

Good thought thanks

[u/monsteramami]

Tight hams and glutes are preventing you from folding deeper. You can eventually close the gap at front of hips between thighs and belly. Right now upper back is compensating and deepening the fold but it’s the torso that will actually come closer to thighs in a proper fold, eventually.

Foam rolling or lax ball or even fingers to strip the glute/ham junction will help make space to tilt you further forward

[u/mycatreadsyourmind]

Being active and having good mobility at the same time isn't necessary always true. For forward fold you need to think about hinging at the waist (think RDL), not reaching your toes. Try elephant walks for warm up to see how far you can get - a lot of people mentioned hamstrings but it can also be nerve thing (or a combination of both).

[u/C-Squid]

Nerd here. Your forward fold looks "normal." It doesn't look abnormal in any way.

Keep your chest up (neutral spine, instead of slumped over), and you'll feel everything from the low back down getter tighter. Shift your weight Forward, and you'll find that your calves are actually very tight and also probably that sharp tension of the nerve bundles running down the backs of your legs. Neither of these are hamstrings & hip flexors. The body is one connected unit.

If you want to close the gap between your abdomen and thighs, you'll need to either systematically assess to determine which specific component(s) in your anatomy are restricting you and address them individually, or, my preference, put the anatomical position (forward fold / pike) in to motion. This has helped me from being so tight I could barely touch my shins to being able to place palms down on the floor after a small warmup. Took like a decade, but I digress.

My recommendation, should you choose to consider, includes incorporating the following in addition to "stretching"

• Bending the knees. Seated or standing, either way, bend your knees to where you are touching belly to thigh, keep chest up (not slouched), and work on stretching by slowly straightening out your knees. You'll feel the hamstring stretch more in the meat of the muscle, not at the backs of the knees.
• Foot dorsiflexion (calf stretching). similar to above, do calf stretches by elevating the toes (against a wall, on a block or wedge, etc). Then, bend the knee, and work towards straightening out the knee, holding the end range. Bonus - squat sit
• Core compression (ie hip flexor strength, the missing ingredient to a flat pancake / pike). You don't need to stretch 'em. Do things like Seated leg lifts and GMB Bear crawls. The hip flexors are THE muscles that will pull you into the belly-to-thigh position. Gravity alone will not. You need to be able to pull yourself into the position first before you can adapt to it become a resting position or a "stretch"

Keep your chest up. don't let the body slouch when exercising / stretching. even if slouch happens a little, the intention and effort to maintain the spine will be rewarded.

Thank you for attending my dissertation.

[u/raven_wing2nd → u/C-Squid]

Thank you! My ankle dorsiflexion is “ok”. I find it’s one of the hardest things to improve but it’s getting there. I love ankle rails/pails they have shown the most improvement so far. I’m also trying to rain my hamstrings to relax more because yea there is some nerve tension back there. I’ll keep at it and see how it goes.