Flexibility Training

The importance and purpose of flexibility

  • It is important to include flexibility training as part of your regular fitness routines as Improved flexibility enhances performance in aerobic training and muscular conditioning as well as in sport.
  • It is a form of active relaxation that can improve both mental and physical recovery.
  • To increase or restore muscle ROM, it is necessary to overload the muscle with flexibility training while to improve joint ROM, it is necessary to lengthen the muscle and surrounding connective tissue in safe and effective ways.
  • Flexibility tends to deteriorate with age, often due to a sedentary lifestyle. Without adequate flexibility, daily activities become more difficult to perform. Over time, we create body movements and posture habits that can lead to reduced mobility of joints and compromised body positions.
  • Following are some of the major benefits of flexibility training:

    a) Reduces stress in the exercising muscles and releases tension developed during the workout.

    b) Assists with posture by balancing the tension placed across the joint by the muscles that cross it. Proper posture minimizes stress and maximizes the strength of all joint movements.

    c) Reduces the risk of injury during exercise and daily activities because muscles are more pliable.

    d) Improves performance of everyday activities as well as performance in exercise and sport.

  • Two main methods of flexibility training (static stretching and dynamic stretching) can be used, but all types of flexibility training are most effective after a thorough warm-up, when the body temperature is elevated.