IMPROVING FLEXIBILITY

IMPROVING FLEXIBILITY

As mentioned in the first post, flexibility is the ability of the joints to move effectively through a complete range of motion. Simply put, it is the ability of both your muscles and your joints to "stretch" to their full extent. If you can touch your toes without bending your knees, that is a sign that you are flexible. If you can touch both hands behind your back and raise them to the point of your neck without letting each other go or bending your elbows, that is also a sign that you are flexible.

Definitions are one thing, but let's admit it. You and I are not here to have a language lesson. We're here to help each other achieve our best selves through training and effort (according to everyone's potential, of course). So, without further ado, I am going to clarify the general rules and practices that will help you improve your flexibility. 

First of all, it is important to note that flexibility is determined by genetics. Some people have never done a minute of stretching in their lives and are as flexible as a water hose, and others who train all their lives have never (and probably will never) achieve the level of flexibility that genetically gifted people have. However, everyone can reach their full potential in a simple way, which is called stretching. 

Stretching is nothing more than our effort to make our body get used to extending its muscles and joints to their full range, and it is divided into several categories: Static stretching, dynamic stretching, ballistic stretching, active stretching, passive stretching are just some of them, and the most important ones, which we are going to be dealing with in this post.

- Static stretching: This is the most useful type of stretching when it comes to improving flexibility, and it is the one that will greatly improve your flexibility (at least in the first stages of training). Static stretching is the type of stretching where you hold the position of the stretched muscle for a while (usually 10-30 seconds) without bouncing back and forth, and you try to move deeper into that position. Static stretching can either be active (where you use your own body and ability to hold the stretch) or passive (where a partner or an instrument helps you with the stretch). 

Another important thing that has to be noted when it comes to static stretching, is the misconception that it is a part of warming up before working out. This perception of static stretching has been proved to be wrong by extensive research, which indicates that static stretching should take place AFTER your workout, in order to help both with your flexibility (since a muscle with adequate blood supply is easier to stretch without the risk of injury) and with your recovery. But all of this info is going to be analyzed in later posts.

- Dynamic stretching: This is the type of stretching that you perform while moving, and it is the one that should be used prior to your workout, as opposed to static stretching. You will dynamic stretches everywhere in professional sports. From runners who perform leg exercises that involve leg movement and stretching at the same time, to weight lifters who pick up a weight and work lightly with it through a full range of motion in order for their body to become familiar with the stretch before they jump into their workout.

- Ballistic stretching: This is the third and least useful as well as the most dangerous (at least for everyday people) type of stretching. It is the type where you go into a stretched position and you  make small bouncing movements back and forth into that position in order to force your muscle to slowly stretch even further. However, the continuous switch between the contracted and the stretched position of the muscle is likely to cause injury and jeopardize not only your flexibility, but also your training in general. 

To sum things up, static stretching is the most effective way for a beginner (and sometimes for an advanced athlete) to improve their flexibility. It helps not only with performance, but also with the proper recovery of muscles after training, as well as with ensuring adequate blood supply to a muscle. A light static stretching session of 10 minutes per day is not only useful for people who train, but also with everyone who feels tired from their job, or simply wants to sleep well at night (since increased blood supply means increased oxygen transportation and therefore better sleep). So, the next time you go to bed, give yourself some time to work through a specific number of simple static stretches. Same goes for everyone who has finished a demanding workout. And if you don't know which stretches to perform, worry not. In the upcoming posts I will be showing you exercises as well as exercise protocols that will cover everyone's needs.

Stay tuned, because the journey to a better you is about to begin..!