stretching & flexibilty
We lose flexibility as we age, and inactivity only serves to accelerate this process. Flexibility is the range of motion through which the joints can move, and injuries occur when part of your body is extended beyond its normal range. Stretching is, along with strength training, the best way to prevent such injury.
Regular stretching helps connective tissue to become 'looser', which can have a dramatic effect on your range of movement, as does warming up before exercise - while warming down eases muscle tension and soreness, helping exercise to be more enjoyable.
Injuries sustained due to inflexibility are not just confined to the sporting field though – sprains at home and at work are extremely commonplace. Bending over to pick up a pen, or straining to reach something on a high shelf can result in injury too; common lower back problems are associated with a lack of flexibility in the back and hamstrings, along with weak abdominal muscles.
The phrase ‘stretching routine’ used to conjure up images of vigorous bouncing and jerking, but in common with all other areas of fitness training, science has provided us with the knowledge to change our training methods for the better.
How to Stretch
Today we use static stretching to improve flexibility. The reason for this change is that rapid stretching causes a stretch reflex - a sudden contraction of the muscle that has been stretched. Since this is the exact opposite of what we are attempting to do, and can itself cause injury, the art of static stretching has been developed.
Firstly, always warm up before stretching. After you have warmed up, the static stretch is simply a slow movement to reach the maximum point of stretch, holding the position for 10 seconds, and finally relaxing. Contracting the muscle for a few seconds after you have relaxed, and then repeating the stretch, can help relax the muscle even further - and repeating the stretch for 10-20 seconds will help gain even more flexibility.
As we've said, you should certainly warm up before stretching - but always leave vigorous activity until after you have stretched thoroughly.
