flexibility TRAINING- THE basics
Stretching, flexibility training, Yoga, whatever you want to call it, can help you improve your athletic performance, decrease your risk of injury, improve your recovery and range of motion. It is especially important as you age.
Flexibility is one of the five attributes of physical along with cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, and body composition. It is the most neglected component of fitness and flexible joints are vital for pain-free and effective movement. Within sports performance it is often misunderstood and neglected, especially by men.
There are three components that affect flexibility: muscle elasticity and length, nervous system, and your joint structures. But you can only impact the first two as you’re born with your joint structure.
Some studies have shown that stretching doesn’t help some have shown that it does. Why don’t you just try for yourself and see whether you feel a benefit or not.
Some studies have shown that stretching doesn’t help some have shown that it does. Why don’t you just try for yourself and see whether you feel a benefit or not. Before we look at some basic rules to follow for safe and effective flexibility training there are sometimes and some people that stretching is not good for.
When is stretching not a good idea…
Before intense training static stretching is not a clever idea as bring laxity into the joints and muscles, thereby weakens them and decreasing their performance.
If you’re hypermobile. Some people are “too flexible” and whilst they can gain benefits for the relaxation and breath work side of yoga, their bodies don’t need more flexible instead they need more strength and stability in their joints. Therefore, Pilates or more strength-based exercises more appropriate.
flexibility training - the basics
Dynamic Stretching – moving in out and out of the stretch and bringing movement into the positions. Perform before training as part of your warmup.
Static Stretching - staying in one position for a period of time. Classic stretching.
Hold your stretch – breath normally and hold each static stretch for around 30-60 seconds. Or 5 -10 long breaths.
Don’t do it when your cold – all static stretching should be done when you’re already warm. Either directly after training or after a short dynamic warm up.
Don’t bounce – stretch in a smooth movement. Gliding in and out of the stretch when you start and then hold. Bouncing will make the muscle contract and not relax.
Don’t push the intensity – 5 to 7 out of 10 is enough. I know as athletes you like to push hard, but this strategy will not work with flexibility training. What is 7/10 – you should not be shaking, you should be able to breath easily and quietly, no strange noises and grimaces.
No pain – mild discomfort is ok but no pain. If you feel pain back off. If you’re not used to stretching it may not be relaxing, it may be uncomfortable but not painful.
Be patient – changing your body’s ROM and flexibility takes time, months. There are no quick fixes or gadgets that can help.
Be consistent – regular stretching is best, a few times a week. Play with what works for your schedule and body. Some people prefer a daily practice before bed, some perfect a longer session once a week at a yoga class, followed up with two or three shorter more specific sessions after training.
Be specific - stretch the muscles you use the most in your sport. For triathlete, runners, and cyclists hip flexors, back, leg muscles. Swimmers their back, shoulders, and pectorals.
Be symmetrical – stretch both sides. Aiming for symmetry. If your body flexibility and ROM is not equal on both sides you may be risk factor for injury.
Awareness – having of your body and its present condition is key. Sometimes for example if you have a strained muscle, an injury or chronic condition you may need to approach stretching with caution.
Get assessed - if you want to make your stretching more specific and beneficial for you why not get assessed. Evaluate your ROM and find out where your limitations are and the areas that you most need to improve.
Get the mechanics right – for effective stretching make sure you’re doing it right, i.e. With the correct mechanics to improve or maintain ROM of a that muscle. Ensuring that targeted muscle is lengthened with placing undue stress on any of the joints or limiting other structures.
Don’t overdo it – aim for normal ROM not extremes. You don’t need to do the splits.
By introducing a regular flexibility training like Yoga for Sports practice into your regime you will go faster for longer, training and competing will feel easier and your body will move more fluidly. So why not join a class and check it out for yourself.