Welcome to the 3rd pillar of whole body fitness: flexibility.
Flexibility doesn’t mean you need to be able to put your legs behind your head.
It’s just about having enough range of motion in your joints so that you can complete everyday tasks.
As we saw in the introduction to this mini-series, overall fitness is about being able to complete the physical tasks you want to do, when you want to do them.
If you struggle with bending down to do up your shoe laces, and watch in awe as the toddler in the park bends over so far that her head touches her toes, then you’ll realise that your flexibility isn’t what it used to be.
Why is that? And more importantly, what can we do to stop ourselves from becoming as stiff as a bored?
Let’s explore the theme of flexibility a little deeper.
Why am I so inflexible?
We are all born with the ability to move our joints through their full range of motion. I am totally jealous when I see baby K putting her feet in her mouth!
Over time we lose flexibility partially through our sedentary lifestyles. We are not made to sit on our bums all day, but if we do then we start to lose muscle and our joints settle into a limited range of motion.
Even if you are active and maintain strong muscles through regular resistance training, flexibility still diminishes with age.
This is due to changes in our muscle tissues – they dehydrate and age in a way that makes the connections between the tissues more unyielding.
For more on the science of flexibility check out this post in the Yoga Journal.
How to improve flexibility
There are many ways to work on improving your flexibility, but maintenance is also important.
Even if you think you are flexible enough right now, it is important to include flexibility training into your routine to maintain the movement in your joints.
Stretching
Stretching is the classic way of improving your flexibility. There are different theories about why stretching actually works, but here we are going to focus on the “how to”.
Basic stretching simply involves holding a position that takes a muscle to the point of tension.
The length of time you need to hold the stretch depends on whether you are aiming to maintain or improve your flexibility.
Real life tip: Make sure your muscles are WARM before you stretch, even just some easy walking before stretching will get the blood moving around your body & your muscles warm.
Maintenance stretching
Maintenance stretching is used to maintain your current level of flexibility.
If you have ever been to a group fitness class you will most likely have done a short stretch for the last few minutes of the class.
This is your maintenance stretching – stretching each of the major muscles groups for a short period of time.
You only need to hold each stretch for around 15 seconds for maintenance stretching.
Real life tip: NEVER skip the stretch at the end of your exercise session. Over time your muscles will get tighter and tighter which will really impact your flexibility.
Developmental stretching
Developmental stretching is used to improve your flexibility. In this type of stretching you need to hold the stretch for a longer period of time.
To explain how to do it I’ll use the example of the muscles at the back of the legs (the hamstrings), as these are tight muscles for many people.
- Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you and your back straight
- Tip forward from your hips and reach toward your toes, keeping your back straight
- Reach until you feel the “bite” of the stretch. If should not be painful, but you should feel a gentle pull
- Breathe deeply and imagine the oxygen from your breath going to the muscles at the back of the legs
- Hold this stretch until the pull at the back of the legs starts to lessen (around 15-30 seconds)
- Gently come back to an upright sitting position
- Then tip forward again until you feel the stretch, hopefully the second time you can reach just a little bit further than before
- Again, hold for around 15-30 seconds
- Hold the stretch at least twice, but ideally 3 – 4 times to improve flexibility
PNF Stretching
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation stretching – no wonder they shortened it to PNF – is commonly used by personal trainers to improve clients’ flexibility and also by physiotherapists to aid rehabilitation.
According to research from the University of Queensland, PNF stretching could offer the greatest gains in range of motion.
PNF stretching is best done with a professional, as there is a risk of injury if you don’t do it properly.
The basic method involves the following:
- Get into a position where your stretching partner is gently stretching the target muscles
- Contract the muscle by pushing against your stretching partner for 5 – 6 seconds. You do not need to push with full force: a force of around 5 out of 10 will do the job safely and effectively (or 3 out of 10 for smaller muscles, such as those in the neck)
- Relax the muscle and your stretching partner applies gentle pressure to push your muscle into a deeper stretch than would normally be possible and holds it for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Repeat this process 2 – 4 times.
To see PNF stretching in action, check out this tutorial from the Australian Institute of Fitness.
If you are interested in trying PNF stretching, why not find a local personal trainer or physio therapist to discuss.
Yoga
Although yoga isn’t specifically about improving your flexibility, it is a nice side-effect of regular practice.
As you hold the various poses (assanas) you are essentially doing developmental stretching, so gradually over time you should notice your flexibility improving.
Deep Tissue massage
Massage can also help to improve your flexibility.
Not the “gently gently fall asleep relaxing massage”, but the “intense, I think I might scream massage”.
By getting deep into the soft tissue, the elasticity of the muscle tissue can improve, leading to an increased range of motion.
So you can add that to the long list of reasons why going for a massage is a good idea!
How much do I need to do
The amount you should do all depends on your goal.
If you are looking to improve your flexibility, of course you will need to do more than if you are looking to maintain your flexibility.
It also depends on the type of stretching you are doing. Working with a personal trainer or a physio who do PNF stretches with you will be more efficient than stretching on your own.
My MINIMUM recommendation would be to stretch each of the major muscle groups 3 days a week. This stretch routine from Kit Rich is a good place to get started.
Remember: ALWAYS stretch after exercising to make sure you don’t end up super tight.
Benefits of improving flexibility
As we already talked about above, flexibility is important for being able to do everyday tasks, such as tying your shoe laces, putting your seat belt on and reaching to get something from a high shelf.
But there are other benefits of flexibility training:
- Improved posture
- Reduced risk of injury
- Physical and mental relaxation
- Reduced muscle soreness after exercise
Conclusion
Flexibility in our joints diminishes with age, but we can slow down this loss of flexibility by incorporating flexibility training into our weekly routine.
This is important because if you lose your flexibility, then even tasks such as putting your food shopping away become harder: you need to be able to bend down low and reach up high to put things away.
Stretching, yoga and massage are all effective ways to either maintain or improve your flexibility. Stretching should always, always be done after a session of exercise.
Do you already make flexibility training a priority? What’s your favourite method to maintain your flexibility.
This is part of a mini-series, so if you want to read about all the aspect of overall body fitness, I suggest you start with the introduction first.