What a load of tosh ????

[Flinders]

Another party trick. Don't worry, this one's quite safe - albeit un-do-able.

Ask a friend to stand with their back to a wall, with their heels together both touching the angle between the floor and the wall, no gap.

Now lay a £20 note on the floor a few inches in front of the friend's feet. Ask them to bend over, without moving their feet or bending their knees, and pick up the note. Explain that if they manage it, they can keep it.

Don't worry. Your £20 will be quite safe. Try it for yourself.

yep- that's not about suppleness or strength, but where your centre of gravity is. If you tried to do it you'd fall on your nose.

[Flinders]

I could possibly do it, but you need to define exactly what can and cannot be moved.

Just tried touching the floor using the criteria you have set, and I can do it without much effort.
How?
By turning to one side and even NOT moving my feet.

It's impossible to do it straight on, but by twisting, it can be done.
If you have a positive Ape Index, your fingers can touch the floor and one hand can move in front of your feet.

If I understand that correctly, I'm very much an ape.

[661-Pete]

Ok. Remind me not to try that party trick on anyone who cycles, then....

[661-Pete]

Regarding press-ups. A somewhat more sombre note.

Don't, if you're at or past middle-age, unless you're accustomed to doing them. If in doubt get medical advice first.

My father was a bit of a physical jerk fanatic, and believed that he could keep himself alive with a strenuous daily routine that included press-ups and other stuff. This despite the fact that he suffered frequently from bouts of angina and was warned about overdoing it. I was told that he did his exercises even on his last day; later that day he succumbed to a massive heart attack. Aged 60.

I have now surpassed his age by six years. And still going - with a somewhat gentler regime. My dad would probably have sneered at it.

[whoof]

Don't, if you're at or past middle-age, unless you're accustomed to doing them. If in doubt get medical advice first.

The same could be said for cycling up hills.

If someone suffered from a heart complaint it would be a good idea to get medical advice before doing any exercise.

[nigelnightmare]

What the hell are "burpees"?

[TBurrow]

Yes, this used to be a warm up exercise in our PE lessons at school, and I've just tried doing it again just now and I can still touch my fingertips with both my left and right hands on the top... kinda chuffed I can still do it aha!

[TBurrow]

What the hell are "burpees"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZQA08SlJnM

They're burpees... pretty much as horrendous as they look aha!

[Tangled Metal]

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/fitness/are-you-fit-enough-for-your-age/ar-AAmxVkd?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout
Sounds ok generally and worth a read.

Sorry, but even in my 20s, 30s, or anythings, I could never ...........

Touch your fingertips with one hand over your shoulder and the other behind your back

Can YOU do that?

Easy peasy! Used to be able to grip 2 fingers from both hand behind the back and bring it over the head without letting go. Then I would bring it down until i could step through the still linked hands before bringing them back to the starting point. That's one complete revolution of the arms around the body without losing grip of those fingers.

Losing flexibility though so by the time I'm your age I probably won't manage it. I'm mid forties and can no longer do the arm around the body trick. Something to do with no longer doing ju-jitsu i think. Definitely not age related!

As a kid i was always flexible and kept it into adulthood. Probably due to doing activities involving flexibility like climbing and ju-jitsu. Flexibility does require work to keep it. Right now I'm not doing any stretches or flexibility work and it shows. I can't even get into the lotus position without helping my legs into position.

Interesting thing about flexibility is how we all have our own quirks. Everyone will be more flexible in one way than the rest. My arm was a funny one as i found out in ju-jitsu. We were being taught a straight arm lock where you easily inflict pain on your opponent due to a very effective lever on their straight arm. It always gets a tap out. Not with me. I feel nothing! until you break my arm of course.

Fortunately my training partner knew just how far to push it before getting the instructor over. Even the head instructor was called over to try tree technique on me. He told me to tap out as soon as the opponent got that lock on because otherwise I'd get my arm broken. Unfortunately everyone knew that technique and similar ones always get a quick tap out from me. A strength became a weakness in sparring.

[Mick F]

Easy peasy! Used to be able to grip 2 fingers from both hand behind the back and bring it over the head without letting go. Then I would bring it down until i could step through the still linked hands before bringing them back to the starting point. That's one complete revolution of the arms around the body without losing grip of those fingers.

Looking in the mirror, my fingertips are about three inches apart.

As far back as I can remember, my fingers have never been able to touch behind my back.
I have long arms, and I have big hands, so it must be something to do with the width of my shoulders or the thickness of my upper arms.

[Tangled Metal]

I'm just a freak. Not double jointed because there's no such thing apparently. Something like hyper-flexion is the term. Plus years of hyper-extension of the shoulder joints. Otherwise known as partial dislocation. A mix of poor kayaking technique and a shoulder weakness (not strength just the tendons or ligaments or whatever it is) perhaps.

Either way i used to pop my shoulder in the most inopportune moment. Usually when I'm upside down in a grade 4 ish rapid and needing to get upright. That totally useless party trick is just me stretching the shoulder joints beyond what would cause dislocation in most people.

BTW i think the benefit of stretching comes from pushing it according to your own limit. If you can't grip hands then move them close enough to feel a stretch. That's good enough