The capacity of a joint or group of joints in the body to move through an unlimited, pain-free range of motion is known as flexibility, which is a crucial aspect of physical fitness. It improves muscular coordination and mobility and alleviates discomfort in addition to having many other advantageous impacts on the body.
Someone believes having a more flexible physique helps them cope with stress and lowers their likelihood of developing lower back discomfort.
“It enhances the tendons’ capacity to absorb energy, hence lowering the risk of damage. While individual differences in flexibility exist, minimal ranges are required to preserve joint functioning and general bodily health.
Benefits of Flexibility
Numerous physical advantages come from increased flexibility, and it can also improve your general health. Here are a few ways that greater flexibility may be of use to you.
Limited Injuries
Your body’s strength and flexibility will help you become more resilient to physical hardship. Additionally, you’ll eliminate any muscle imbalances in your body, which will lower your risk of injury while engaging in physical activity. Strengthening the underactive muscles and stretching the overactive (tight) ones must be done in tandem to correct muscular imbalances.
Less Pain
Once you focus on extending and opening your muscles, your body should feel healthier overall. You’ll feel less pain and discomfort when your muscles are looser and less stiff. You could also have less muscular cramping.
Better balance and posture
Your posture is probably going to go better if you concentrate on building muscle flexibility. By exercising, you may achieve good alignment and eliminate any asymmetries. However, if you have a wider range of motion, you could find it simpler to sit or stand in particular positions. There is evidence that yoga enhances balance.
A feeling of well-being
Relaxation can result from routinely performing positions that open up and extend your body. Relaxation of the mind might result from physical advantages. As soon as your body feels healthier, you could find it simpler to relax.
Greater strength
As you get more flexible, it’s necessary to build up your strength. By doing this, you may increase your physical fitness by ensuring that your muscles are under the proper level of strain and are strong enough to support you during your activities.
Enhanced physical performance
The physical performance will improve if you are more flexible and can move your body more freely.
This is partially brought on by your muscles operating more efficiently.
Guidelines for Increasing Flexibility
To achieve new ranges of motion and avoid bad posture, abide by the guidelines listed below rather than approaching your flexibility improvement randomly.
The Rules of Improving Flexibility
Follow the guidelines listed below to expand your range of motion and avoid bad posture rather than approaching your flexibility improvement randomly.
1. Dynamic stretching before exercising
The days of holding stretches for a long time before working out are virtually gone. Research consistently shows that dynamic stretching is preferable to static stretching before working exercise. Perform some body-weight exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, side lunges, and jumping jacks before beginning your lifting or cardio activity. To warm up your entire body, perform three sets of each exercise for 20–30 repetitions. You should start to sweat after completing this kind of warm-up, getting you ready for your workout.
2. Light static stretching should be done after an exercise
Do you long to hold stretches? Post-workout, incorporate some classic static holds. These longer-duration stretches to aid in lengthening muscles that were contracted throughout the lifting activity. Focus on the chest, lats, and hip flexors in addition to any muscles that were heavily worked throughout the workout, as these muscles tend to be tight on most people owing to poor posture throughout the day.
3. Put the entire range of motion first.
Make an attempt to do each exercise through the full range of motion to gain the primary advantages of flexibility, even if partial ranges of motion may be exploited in workouts to generate incredible amounts of strength. For instance, performing squats fully helps to develop hip flexibility. Before loading up a bar and diving into a hard working set when learning new techniques, practise at full ranges of motion with lesser weights.
4. Incorporate massage
Flexibility may be greatly increased through stretching and exercising in all planes of motion, but massage has the added advantage of assisting in the release of muscle and tissue knots that limit mobility. While a post-workout roll out will help you get rid of the waste products from exercise and recover more quickly for your next session, foam rolling can assist the body become ready for movement before training. Strike the major muscles, such as the lats, upper back, IT bands, calves, and quads, with particular emphasis. To complement your flexibility practice and receive additional relief, try working with a qualified massage therapist a few times each month.
5. Enjoy some downtime
Your body becomes a giant bundle of knots when stressed. A week of intense workouts combined with the typical stress from work and family is a surefire prescription for catastrophe. Find a soothing hobby to do a few times a week to help you relax. While walking, gentle yoga, and massage are all excellent options, you may also take a little stroll outside to decompress after a long day. Your body will become more relaxed and your muscles won’t tense up and hinder mobility if you take some time to unwind.
6. Take the time to fully breathe
The diaphragm is not adequately engaged in the average lifter because they utilize their rib cage much too much to breathe. Pay attention to belly breaths instead, where the belly button expands and contracts with each breath. Improve your breathing for five minutes each day to adopt a more calm and stress-free posture.
7. Stay hydrated
Our muscles are mostly composed of water. Our muscles must be functioning at their peak for flexibility exercise to be effective. That involves drinking enough water. Many people are continuously dehydrated and going around. Concentrate on drinking more water, especially during and after demanding exercise sessions to maintain your muscles functioning properly and prevent performance reductions brought on by dehydration.
8. Stretches that Work for Different People
Static stretching, which involves bending forward and holding a hamstring stretch for 20 to 30 seconds, is the classic technique that comes to mind when thinking of stretching. In reality, there are various stretching techniques, and each one has a certain advantage.
Types of flexibility
There are two forms of flexibility: passive flexibility and active flexibility.
1. Passive Flexibility
is the capacity to carry out motions with higher amplitude when assisted by an outside force. for instance, stretching exercises done with a partner. Because stretching of the muscles, ligaments and joint structure occurs gradually with the aid of a partner and a holding technique, passive flexibility is always larger than active flexibility.
2. Active Flexibility
Is the capacity to do motions with larger amplitude on one’s own without assistance. There are two forms of active flexibility: static and dynamic. While standing, sitting, or lying down, static flexibility is necessary. When the sport man is moving, dynamic flexibility is needed to carry out motions with more amplitude. Motor coordination is necessary for both flexibility.
How to become more flexible
To get more flexible, repeat these positions as frequently as you can. They can be performed at any time of the day on their own or as a component of a fitness regimen. Before performing any of these exercises, make sure your body is well warmed up. Perform these exercises for 10 to 20 minutes each, at least four times a week.
1. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
You’ll probably practice Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) innumerable times during the course of your yoga career.
Down Dog is a mix between stretching and strengthening, so doing it regularly helps improve your body’s balance and flexibility all over. Just be careful and mindful when doing it since it could seem difficult if your shoulders or hamstrings are tense. Being flexible calls for caution to prevent collapse in the lower back and shoulders.
1. Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar)
Many professors utilize them as a warm-up at the beginning of class or even as the foundation for whole lessons, so you might not even be aware that you are performing them.
When practicing yoga on your own, one of the biggest challenges is finding out what to do when you first go on your yoga mat. If you can learn this sequence, it will be a huge assistance to you in the future. A good option is frequently to do sun salutations.
Check Art Of Living‘s blog on Surya Namaskar
3. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
The Triangle Practice (Utthita Trikonasana) is a fundamental yoga pose present in practically all yoga types. In your initial yoga courses and for years to come, you will most likely run across it.
The Triangle Pose’s apparently easy setup conceals its effectiveness as a hamstring stretch.
1 Strong leg and solid feet provide the pose’s basis, allowing the chest to twist deeply and open out fully.
