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S-T-R-E-T-C-H!

Oh, flexibility. How nosotros relish beingness flexible, but how nosotros oftentimes fail to improve.
When I spent my days pedagogy freshmen wellness as well as junior athletic trainers, my mantra was often, longer muscles are stronger muscles. Flexible muscles are torn less. My married adult man volition laissez passer on me a huff, oculus whorl as well as sarcastic express joy when my response for his dorsum pain, sore human knee or rigid cervix is “Honey, merely stretch.”

Well, it’s all true.

Here’s what I know close flexibility:

  • Flexibility is the mightiness to displace a articulation or a serial of joints through a total make of motility easily, smoothly as well as appropriately.


  • Flexibility keeps muscles long, limiting inflammation of joints as well as tendons. When muscles are immobile or limited, they make lactic acid as well as inflammation. This causes soreness as well as hurting over time.


  • Long muscles are stronger. Think inwards price of lever arms, the longer the lever arm, the to a greater extent than forcefulness produced. Same alongside muscles. We can’t alter where they originate or attach, but nosotros tin increase their fiber length. Secondly, the farther you lot stretch a muscle, the to a greater extent than kinetic loose energy (think elastic or prophylactic bands when stretched) is stored as well as is unloaded equally the musculus shortens. I desire to generate equally much mightiness equally I can, as well as so flexibility preparation should coexist alongside mightiness lifting for maximum mightiness output.


  • Flexibility prevents injury. The to a greater extent than flexibility nosotros have, the farther nosotros tin piece of job our make of motility to exercise. Limited make of motility volition probable campaign a strain if nosotros accomplish beyond. The farther nosotros tin go, the less probable harm volition occur. Poor flexibility volition inwards plough campaign the private to piece of job other muscles or pitiful cast to elevator the weight perhaps causing farther overuse issues or hurting inwards the bicep, shoulder, dorsum or neck. 


  • Flexibility lessens or prevents depression dorsum pain. The muscles of the thigh as well as hips attach or originate along the pelvis which joins alongside the spine. When the muscles are tight, they describe on the pelvis, hence stressing the ligaments that piece of job to concur the pelvis as well as spine stable as well as together. When nosotros convey adequate flexibility inwards our hamstrings, quads as well as all those niggling hip muscles, nosotros make non overwork our ligaments as well as bound inflammation as well as pain.


  • Flexibility improves posture. I oftentimes regard athletes who shuffle inwards the athletic preparation room as well as sit down alongside shoulders slumped over. Usually it’s non laziness, but heavy lifting for the chest, abs, hamstrings as well as quads. They don’t stretch as well as are front end loaded. They fail their backs as well as flexibility. The overworked muscles describe the spine forwards as well as the shortened hamstrings campaign the shuffle. Flexibility is necessary to assistance balanced strength preparation inwards proper trunk residuum as well as mechanics.


You volition honour interrogation that both supports as well as debunks these theories, but inwards my experience alongside the athletes I convey trained as well as rehabilitated over the years, increasing flexibility is a crucial measuring inwards healing as well as limiting or erasing pain. Do laissez passer on it a try.

So how make you lot stretch?

Passive stretching: placing a musculus inwards a stretch position. When you lot come across resistance, concur the seat for thirty seconds. Repeat 3-5 times. Stretching should non campaign pain.
Dynamic stretching: Controlled stretches that alternate contractions as well as stretches betwixt musculus groups. Mimics the activities performed inwards exercise.

Myofascial stretching: stretching of the sheath that surrounds musculus structures. Fascia is oftentimes damaged during injury or alongside inflammation. Rolling your musculus over a foam whorl or approximately other therapeutic myofascial device helps to stretch this type of tissue.

For your use, I convey linked several stretching databases alongside pictures as well as video of how to perform diverse stretches.

Also, yoga as well as Pilates are a cracking agency to combine strength preparation as well as flexibility preparation inwards 1 workout. Usually you lot tin honour yoga as well as Pilates studios inwards your expanse equally private studios or sometimes a degree is offered at your local gym.
Good luck starting fourth dimension a flexibility workout as well as you lot should regard noticeable differences inwards how you lot feel.

Stay good for you lot my friends!

For Jessica’s previous posts close fitness, piece of job the blog’s search box, to a higher house on the right, as well as type inwards Jessica Poole.


To larn to a greater extent than close Gwinnett Medical Center’s complete sports medicine program, including our Running Clinic, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org.

Opinions are my own, from many years of difficult knocks J
One source I used: Prentice, W., & Arnheim, D. (2011). Principles of athletic training. Mcgraw-Hill Education.



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