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

 

 

Why flexibility is important and how to increase your flexibility

Flexible joints not only help prevent injury, they also improve things like your golf swing and your performance on the tennis court, and preserve your ability to perform simple activities of daily living.

Whether you’re bending down to tie your shoes or reaching out to take something out of a cupboard, your muscles – and therefore your joints – need to remain flexible to maintain a full range of motion. If you lack this flexibility, other muscles come into play to compensate for the deficits.

Over time, these behaviors, which compensate for a lack of flexibility, can lead to injury. For example, if your hip flexors are tight, you may start using your lower back or hamstrings more than you should to achieve your movement goals. Before long, you’ll notice that your lower back hurts or that your hamstrings are tight.

So it’s essential to make sure all your muscles have the flexibility to do what they need to do.

There are four types of stretching: active stretching, passive stretching, dynamic stretching and PNF stretching.

Active stretching

This technique adopts and maintains a pose while using exclusively the muscles of the targeted group. For example, ankle flexion from front to back involves the calf muscles as they hold the toes in a pointed position and as the toes are raised towards the shin. Muscles perform opposite functions when one stretches and the other contracts.

Passive stretching

Hold a position or pose with gravity. For example, hamstring stretches involve bending at the waist to touch your toes, letting go and holding this pose for over 30 seconds before doing a deeper stretch.

Dynamic stretching

These are lively stretches that rely on momentum to unfold through repeated movements. An example is performing a hamstring stretch where your leg is swung upwards during a kick through its full range of motion. With each pass, a progressive progression in height is achieved.

PNF stretching

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) initially emerged as a form of rehabilitation due to its effectiveness in a growing range of motivations. This is what we call a type of assisted active stretching.

The muscle is brought to the point of tension, held for 30 seconds, then an isometric contraction is maintained for 30 seconds, this new length is maintained for one minute. This must be repeated 3 times for the same section.

How often should I stretch?

You should divide your stretching sessions into stimulating passive stretches – or PNF and restorative stretches – over the course of the week. Of course, more is better, and regularity is the key!

Come and join the One Pilates team, who can help you create a targeted and varied stretching routine for the whole body!