| Flexibility |
|---|
Flexibility should be an essential part of everyone's training program, regardless of what their desired outcome is. Flexibility will significantly increase the body's ability to perform in sport by decreasing the resistence of joints and muscles during movement. This plays a crucial role in preventing injury, especially in contact sports. Additionally, flexibility may reduce the amount of soreness or tension experienced from intense physical training.
We all know it is important to warm up before an activity and cool down afterward, especially sports. This is still the most neglected part of training. Rarely do people engage in a proper warm up or cool down around a training session. Regardless of intensity or duration, an ideal warm up should include general and specific movements.
General movements are used to increase heart rate, blood flow, muscle temperature, respiration and perspiration, while also decreasing the viscosity (or resistence) of joint fluids.
Specific movements are those that are similar to the event about to be performed. Specific movements are based on the dynamic nature of movement during the activity following the warmup.
Typically, the more power necessary for the event, the more important the warmup is to reduce injury and prepare the body for work.
Fettle Training emphasizes an active dynamic warmup that includes active movements (jumping jacks) as well as dynamic movements specific to the upcoming event (lunges for a sprinter).
The degree of movement that actually occurs at a joint is the range of motion (ROM). ROM varies person by person and is specific to each joint's mechanics.
By definition, flexibility is a measure of ROM.
Static flexibility is the range of motion possible around a joint and its surrounding muscles during a passive movement (no muscular activity).
Dynamic flexibility refers to the available ROM during active movements and requires voluntary muscle activity.
Static ROM is generally larger than dynamic ROM because muscle activitiy is not involved.
Fettle Training recommends an active dynamic warm up and static stretches as a cool down to maximize your increases in range of motion.
Dynamic stretching involves flexibility during specific movements, as outlined above, but avoids bouncing and includes movement specific to the activity movement pattern.
A Static stretch is a slow and constant stretch with the end position being held for aproximately 30 seconds. Due to the static position and slow movement, a static stretch does not elicit the stretch reflex of muscle, and the potential of injury is low.
Please be aware of the difference between dynamic and ballistic stretches. Ballistic stretches involve a bouncing movement, and typically are not advised due to the increased potential for injury!
If you are interested in learning more about flexibility training and how to optimize your progress, please do not hesitate to contact me.
