Everything you need to know about Flexibilty Training [Ultimate Fitness Series Part 3]

Welcome back to another installment of the Ultimate Fitness series.

After delving into endurance training last time, today we’re exploring flexibility training.

There are various reasons why one might desire to train for flexibility.

These include injury prevention, improved posture, increased performance, and stress reduction for many individuals.

Convinced? Then let’s dive in.

Defining Flexibilty

Flexibility refers to the relative degree to which the musculoskeletal system can perform and endure functional movements with a high amplitude.

It is divided into general and specific mobility, each further subdivided into static and dynamic variants, and then into active and passive variants.

The range of movement achievable passively exceeds that attainable actively.

A simple way to feel this is when attempting to lift your foot as close to your buttocks as possible without support, comparing the knee angle when lifting your foot with your hand.

You can also categorize stretches into self and external stretches.

Self-stretching involves active stretching using your own muscle strength or passive stretching using aids like walls, bars, or bands.

External stretching involves stretching with the assistance of partners.

Extremes of mobility are referred to as hypermobility or hypomobility.

Hypermobility denotes above-average mobility, which can occur locally due to injury or be generally prevalent throughout the body due to congenital weaknesses in connective tissue.

Contortionists are a prime example of hypermobility.

Hypomobility signifies reduced mobility, possibly caused by osseous restrictions, for instance.

Bone construction, the functional state of cartilage, and the guidance of capsules and ligaments, muscles, connective tissue, tendons, and skin all play a role in flexibilty.

The condition of these body parts influences mobility.

Factors like age, hormonal differences, time of day, fatigue, and temperature also influence stretchability.

Stretchability can be determined using various parameters, including joint range of motion, functional muscle length, maximum stretching tension, and submaximal stretching tension—the tension present when the muscle is at rest.

Muscular imbalance is significant in this context.

Incorrect or excessive strain can cause tonic muscles to shorten and phasic muscles to weaken, increasing the risk of injury.

This imbalance can be mitigated by stretching shortened tonic muscles and strengthening weakened phasic muscles.

An intriguing study suggests that sustained stretching can lead to hypertrophy.

This study involved a bird carrying 10% of its body weight on one wing for 30 days, resulting in a 12% increase in muscle thickness in that wing.

Differences in stretching ability exist between women and men and within age groups.

Women tend to be significantly more elastic than men across all age groups, with both sexes reaching maximum flexibility between ages 15 and 18, which declines with age.

Diagnostics of Flexibility

There are specific tests designed to assess flexibility.

One such test is the Sit and Reach Test, where the individual sits and reaches forward with legs extended, aiming to touch or surpass their toes.

Another is the Star Execution Balance Test, where the individual stands on one foot and endeavors to reach as far as possible in all directions with the other foot.

A modified version of this is the Y-balance test.

Flexibility Training

As previously mentioned, flexibility training involves both active and passive stretching, which can be executed statically or dynamically.

In passive stretching, the force exerted by the antagonist muscle is utilized.
- In static active stretching, a position is maintained to elongate and stretch the muscle.
- In dynamic active stretching, rhythmic or ballistic movements are employed to stretch the muscle.
Passive stretching utilizes gravity, a partner, or equipment, along with non-antagonistic muscles, to induce muscle elongation.
- In static passive stretching, often termed “stretching,” a continuous stretch is applied, either sustaining muscle extension or re-engaging after muscle tension (further elaborated momentarily).
- Dynamic passive stretching employs similar mechanisms to dynamic active stretching.

Various stretching methods aim to leverage different muscle effects, including PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) methods.

This may result in AC stretching, where the antagonist remains contracted during stretching.

CR stretching, on the other hand, involves tensing the target muscle before stretching it.

CR AC method combines CR stretching with AC stretching, where the target muscle is tensed before AC stretching, and the antagonist is tensed during the stretch.

Studies distinguish between short-term (10 to 20 minutes) stretching sessions targeting specific muscles or muscle groups and long-term stretching programs performed regularly over weeks (daily or at least every 3 days).

Consequently, there are acute effects post-stretching, dissipating after a few minutes, and long-term effects resulting from the training regimen, which may last for weeks or months.

Long-term stretch training indicates a reduction in submaximal stretch tension and an increase in potential maximal stretch tension.

Additionally, an increased range of motion correlates with the number of stretching repetitions, with optimal results typically achieved between 5 and 6 repetitions.

Other potential effects include:

Increased range of motion for both acute and long-term stretching
Increased maximum stretching tensions during both acute and long-term stretching
Decreased submaximal strain stress during acute stretching and increased submaximal strain stress during long-term stretching
Reduced contractile strength post-acute stretching and increased contractile strength post-long-term stretching
Decreased speed performance following acute stretching (of significance to athletes requiring explosive movements)
Increased well-being following both acute and long-term stretching

In sports science, the impact on speed performance immediately post-stretching has long been debated due to conflicting study findings regarding the duration of this effect.

Given the evolving nature of research, providing uniform recommendations on stretching proves challenging.

The prevailing stance suggests incorporating some stretching exercises in warm-ups before activities involving intensive stretching.

However, extensive maximal stretching during warm-up is discouraged, as it could impair performance and heighten injury risk.

Hope I could help. If you enjoyed the article or if you have any questions or comments please let me know down below.

Nick