
What You Need To Know About Flexibility

Ever wanted to do handstands or poses like a yogi? The start could be simple stretches!
According to Bryant Walrod, MD, a family and sports medicine physician at the Ohio State University – Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, flexibility is the amount of stretch that a muscle allows. By design, our muscles contract allowing us to move or carry objects.
Flexibility Is A Crucial Element Of Exercise
If a muscle doesn’t have the ability to sufficiently relax and stretch, your body’s biomechanics change leading to strain or stress and limited mobility in the end. Curtailed mobility from tight muscles is said to reduce one’s ability to perform even simple daily tasks and exercises. Everything becomes a hustle that increases the risk of muscles straining and tearing.
Improving Flexibility: The Different Types Of Stretches
Ensure your muscles stretch regularly for them to retain the ability to relax and extend no matter your age by intentionally doing movements that stretch them for five minutes, three to five days a week. Here are some types of stretches you can incorporate:
Static Stretching
Here you mostly move to a joint’s end range of motion and then hold that position for 15, 30, or 60 seconds. Ensure you have warmed up or exercised first before static stretching.
Dynamic Stretching
These stretches such as leg swings gently move your joints through their full range of motion, increasing blood flow to the body’s muscles and are ideal before workouts.
Myofascial Release (Foam Rolling)
Here muscles’ connective tissues are applied with pressure to help them relax.
Ballistic Stretching
Entails performing a static stretch and then “bouncing” at the end range of motion.
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)
This targets a muscle’s neurological system where your partner applies force and you work the muscles.
Is Strength Training The Answer?
Strength training twice a week and performing eccentric exercises that lengthen muscles has been shown to improve flexibility. Ensure to perform each exercise through its full range of motion. For example, in a pushup, lower your body as far toward the floor as you can instead of cutting the exercise short. Remember, if inflexibility persists it is advisable to seek professional evaluation from a certified trainer or physical therapist.
The takeaway is that flexibility is one of the key factors in our mobility and total-body function, so get moving!
More in Health & Well-Being
-
`
Renowned Businesswoman Sophia Amoruso Gives Her Advice on Starting Over After Failure
In life, most people treasured and celebrated their success and milestones. Whenever we get successful in something or we’ve achieved our...
May 26, 2025 -
`
Is Honey a Good Natural Sweetener Substitute for Vegans?
Those people who wanted to lose weight and regulate their blood sugar already know the drill: as much as possible, you...
May 26, 2025 -
`
This Indian Yogurt Can Help You Lose Weight
There are just tons of weight loss tips and tricks out there and people can’t seem to pick which one would...
May 26, 2025 -
`
Lili Reinhart Explains Her Reasons for Taking Time Away From Twitter
Despite the fact that they seem larger-than-life and beyond our reach when their on screen, actors and actresses are still human....
May 26, 2025 -
`
Is Cutting Carbs a Sustainable Solution to Losing Weight?
Everyone wants to lose weight. We all want to shed the fats in our body to achieve a healthy and fitter...
May 25, 2025 -
`
Managing Emotions during the COVID-19 Struggle
The stress of modern-day life has given birth to fluctuating feelings in most of us. So many factors influence our behavior...
May 25, 2025 -
`
Trump Declares A “Health Emergency” Addressing Opioid Crisis
We all know that drug cartels and illegal operations are rampant in the underground. It’s one of the global problems most...
May 25, 2025 -
`
Effective Ways to Cope with Depression and Stress at Work!
Dealing with work is stressful and difficult. Aside from coping with the demand to finish your seemingly endless tasks, you still...
May 25, 2025 -
`
5 Smart Yet Incredibly Simple Fitness Strategies Embraced By The Rich And Famous
You have seen them on television, between the covers of popular tabloids, and even on those pop-up ads that come with...
May 25, 2025
You must be logged in to post a comment Login