Lastics: A Stretch Workout Like No Other

I am a daily exerciser who also frequently practices yoga and other forms of stretching. However, I am not naturally very flexible, and so sometimes I feel the need for more specific routines which focus on longer, more intense stretches. This is what led to my interest in Lastics, and I was very lucky that another VFer generously passed on her copy to me via a SASE.

Lastics is led by Donna Flagg, a dancer. She teaches live in a manner that is extremely down-to-earth and accessible. There is no menu for the DVD; rather, upon Play, Flagg is immediately featured instructing two students, Alyssa and Patty, for a 7.5-minute segment on "Stretch Mistakes." While Alyssa demonstrates the correct version of the stretch, Flagg points out what NOT to do on Patty as well as makes appropriate corrections/modifications. Some of the basic information in this section includes the idea that "bent is not stretched," the importance of staying lengthened, and the emphasis on using body intelligence rather than props.

Although the DVD does not have a menu, the DVD is chaptered into four distinct segments. I have listed these below, providing descriptions and approximate times for each. Only Alyssa joins Flagg for the actually workout, which is a shame--it would have been great if Patty had continued in order to show modifications.

STRETCH IN MOTION (16 minutes)

This segment begins standing for upper body work. Flagg stretches the arms overhead, lacing the hands, then pulls the elbows back down behind the head, squeezing the shoulder blades. This is followed by a tricep stretch: Flagg starts with a traditional tricep stretch with one arm behind the back, but she adds several twists to this, including turning the head into the arm and taking a side bend. Next, an arm across chest stretch with the same arm; Flagg has several excellent form cues here. Flagg transitions between sides with another reach of the arms overhead, this time adding in a tilt back with the upper body. After finishing the second side, she rolls down to a standing forward bend position. There are MANY variations here, including bending/straightening the legs, raising to a flat back position, adding in arms, etc., all of which serve to very effectively stretch the hamstrings.

GET INTO YOUR BODY (18.5 minutes)

For this section, Flagg begins on the floor in a toe squat position. She then moves into what she calls "baby bridge," a sort of face-up table. From here, she steps one foot forward, tilting the pelvis and providing a nice stretch for the quad muscle. After completely the second side, she moves to a seated position with the legs stretched in front. Emphasizing keeping the legs straight and the knees towards the floor, Flagg performs a forward bend, then moves into similar work in a wide-legged seated forward bend position. She then moves to a bent leg position before again returning to straight. Finally, coming to a seated cross-legged position, Flagg moves through a nice neck stretch series. She begins with stretch the neck to the side, lowering the opposite shoulder, and then tilting the neck. After completing the second side, she shrugs the shoulders up while saying "no" with the head.

FEEL THE RUSH (14.5 minutes)

This segment starts lying on the mat. Flagg performs a reclined leg stretch, placing the the main emphasis on keeping the leg STRAIGHT as you take it through various ranges of motion. This is followed by placing the bent leg on the opposite knee for a Figure 4 stretch, twisting with bent knees, and adding both rocking and a chest stretch. After completing both sides, Flagg concludes with a "morning stretch," or a lying, full-body stretch, arms over the head.

BODY MEETS MIND (9 minutes)

Flagg starts seated in this segment, legs in front, hands on the floor to stretch the wrists; she also performs a shoulder stretch. From a forward bend, she alternates bending one knee, then comes back to a standing position. She concludes with a side stretch, adding a stretch for the arm.

I really enjoyed the deep, thorough stretches provided by this routine. Because I have a light of tightness in my upper back and neck, I especially liked the first 5 minutes--I even did that section at work today! As noted above, however, I think it would have been more helpful if Flagg had included a modifier during the actual workout. She does encourage viewers to only go to their own level and will sometimes briefly stop what she is doing to show a modification, but she quickly goes back to her own more advanced version. Having a model to follow who has more limited flexibility would have been very useful. For this reason, I would caution those who are beginners and/or more limited in mobility; otherwise, I definitely do recommend this DVD as an excellent stretching program.