Flexibility is one of the most overlooked aspects of physical health. Even though it is one of the most important abilities in terms of injury prevention and, accessibly to greater muscle growth. Many people view flexibility as something you are born with, when in fact it is something, anyone can achieve. The key to understanding flexibility and, how to increase it, is stretching. So, let’s stop wasting time and hop right into the basics of stretching.
-Stretching-
Many people think of stretching as something you only do to warm up for or warm down from a workout. Some even think of it as a negative thing, or only something you need to do if you’re injured. These thought processes couldn’t be further from the truth though. Stretching should not be compared to regular exercise as its benefits are completely different. Instead of attempting to push our muscles to the limit, or deplete our cardiovascular system, stretching is about giving you control over your body and, how well you can move it through space. The act of stretching actively increases your physical limits in terms of flexibility. Increasing the elasticity of your muscles and tendons, allowing for greater flexibility in your joints. This ability for your muscles, tendons, and joints to move through a full range of motion greatly decreases your likelihood for injury. By owning this space, which is often associated with injury, we can become “bulletproof” to common injures such as sprains, and strains. So, how do we begin to reap the benefits of stretching? Well like any other fitness activity, a routine is one of the best ways to start.
-Starting a Stretching Routine-
To begin a stretching routine, you must first identify where you need it the most. For many people, this tends to be their neck, back, or hips. This is because of our modern sedentary lifestyles that promote excessive sitting. So, once you’ve identified your weak areas, we must find a time in your daily life where you are able to stretch. For many, early in the morning or right before bed are great times. Whatever your schedule allows for, your routine has to fit inside it, for you to be able to continue it effectively. Now that you have identified these factors, we can begin planning our actual stretches.
To begin I recommend something light to warm your body up and make it more limber. For this we could do something like a Goodmorning. This exercise stretches your hamstrings and glutes while also allowing your lower back to learn better stabilization. Other options would be something like a lunge with spinal twist, to stretch almost every muscle group in one go. Now that we’ve warmed up the whole body, we can hit all of our major muscle groups and focus on our problem areas. I personally start from the top of my body at the neck and work my way down to the knees and ankles at the end.
For example, we’ll start with our overall stretch the lunge with spinal twist, next we’ll do some neck flossing and tucked neck rotations. After that some windmills and a reverse plank or some lying swimmers for the shoulders, and elbows. Some wrist stretching is great as well if you need it. Moving down to the hips we can do 90/90s, couch stretch, and psoas stretches. Onto the knees and ankles, I recommend a deep squat as well as single leg touchdowns. Perform/hold these exercises/stretches for 30sec-1min each or 10-15 reps, and that can be it. A stretching routine does not need to be extremely complex. Some simple exercises and stretches will go a long way especially when done consistently.
And that’s the basics of unlocking flexibility, remember to stay hydrated when doing any physical activity and you will begin to see plenty of results in just a few weeks of staying consistent. I’ll be going in depth with more specific flexibility training in a new article coming soon. Until then, use what you’ve learned here, begin your journey into flexibility, and have fun with it!