Muscle
Stretching & Flexibility
From a Research Article by Simon Le Mare,
2nd Duan, Rochford
Flexibility is said to be the absolute range of movement in a joint or series of joints. It is specific to a particular joint or set of joints.
Flexibility is affected by the following factors:
| - | the temperature of a joint and associated tissues (body temperatures 1-2 degrees higher than normal offer better flexibility) |
| - | the ability of a muscle to relax and contract to achieve the greatest range of movement |
| - | the elasticity of muscle tissue (muscle tissue that is scarred due to a previous injury is not very elastic) |
| - | the elasticity of tendons and ligaments (ligaments do not stretch much and tendons should not stretch at all) |
| - | the elasticity of skin |
| - | the internal resistance within a joint |
| - | the type of joint |
| - | bony structures which limit movement |
| - | the temperature of the training location (a warmer temperature is more conducive to increased flexibility) |
| - | the time of day (most people are more flexible in the afternoon than in the morning, peaking from about 2:30 pm - 4pm) |
| - | the stage in the recovery process of a joint (or muscle) after injury (injured joints and muscles will usually offer less flexibility than healthy ones) |
| - | age (pre-adolescents are generally more flexible than adults) |
| - | gender (females are generally more flexible than males) |
| - | ability to perform a particular exercise |
| - | commitment to achieving flexibility |
| - | restrictions of any clothing/equipment |
Warm-Up:
Stretching is NOT warming up. It is a very important part of warming up,
which is raising your body temperature (to about 1-2 degress Celsius).
The warm up is divided into three phases: 1) general warm up; 2) stretching;
3) specific sport activity.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU PERFORM THE GENERAL WARM-UP BEFORE YOU STRETCH. Do not attempt to stretch before your muscles are warm.
Perform static stretches before any dynamic stretches in your warm-up. This reduces risk of injury through overstretching. Also, it is preferable to stretch only one group of muscles at a time - the fewer muscles you try to stretch at once, the better.
Research suggests that stretches should be held for approximately 20 seconds for adults, 7-10 seconds for children.
Breathing:
Proper breathing control helps to relax the body, increases blood flow
and helps to remove lactic acid and any by-products of exercise.
Take slow relaxed breaths when you stretch, exhaling as the muscle is
stretching. The proper way to breathe is to inhale slowly thorugh the
nose expanding the abdomen (not the chest), hold the breath a moment and
then exhale slowly through the mouth.
Water:
It has been suggested that an increased water intake can contribute to
increased mobility as well as increased total body relaxation.
Ageing has some of the same effects on muscle tissue as lack of use. With appropriate training, flexibility can be developed at all ages. Flexibility cannot be developed at the same rate by everyone. In general, the older you are, the longer it will take to develop the desired level of flexibility.
Strength Training:
Strength training and flexibility should go together as these enhance
one another. If you are attempting to increase active flexibility, you
should also strengthen the muscles responsible for holding the stretched
limbs in their extended positions.
One of the best times to stretch is right after a strength workout - this will help increase flexibility, promote muscle growth and decrease the level of post-exercise soreness.
Static stretching of a 'pumped' muscle helps it to become 'looser' and to remember its full range of movement. It also helps to remove lactic acid and other waste products from the muscle. Do not perform stretching exercises for a given muscle group without also performing strength exercises for that same group of muscles.
Benefits of Stretching:
When done properly, benefits of stretching include:
- enhanced physical fitness
- enhanced development of body awareness
- reduced risk of injury to joints, muscles and tendons
- reduced muscular soreness
- reduced muscular tension
- increased suppleness due to stimulation of the production of chemicals
which lubricate connective tissues
Common Mistakes:
- improper warm-up
- inadequate rest between workouts
- overstretching
- performing the wrong exercises
- performing exercises in the wrong (or sub-optimal) sequence
Overstretching:
It is undesirable to overstretch ligaments and tendons as this may weaken
the integrity of joints increasing the risk of injury. Ligaments will
tear when stretched more than 6% of their normal length and tendons are
not supposed to be able to lengthen. Once a muscle has reached its absolute
maximum length do not attempt to stretch it further.
You should expect to increase flexibility GRADUALLY. Stretch no further than the muscles will go WITHOUT PAIN.
Sources
of Pain:
If you experience
soreness, stiffness or some other form of muscular pain, then it may be
due to one of the following:
1. Torn Tissue: overstretching and training without proper warm-up can
tear muscle fibres or connective tissues. It is hypothesised that torn
fibres heal at a shortened length, thus decreasing flexibility in the
injured muscles.
2. Metabolic Accumulation: overexertion or intense activity will fatigue
the muscles and cause them to acculumate lactic acid and other waste products.
Static stretching or a good warm-up/cool down will help alleviate some
of the soreness. Massaging will also help.
3. Muscle Spasms: exercising above a certain threshold can cause decreased
blood flow to the active muscles. To relieve muscle spasm pain, massage
and relaxation may prove more useful than stretching.
Note: if you stretch properly you should NOT be sore the day after you have stretched.
Warm Down:
Light warm-down exercise immediately following your training is a better
way of clearing lactic acid from the blood than complete rest. This will
reduce any muscle tightness or soreness. If muscles are still tight the
next day a light warm up or warm down is a good way to reduce lingering
muscle tightness.
Massage:
Massaging muscles immediately prior to performing stretching or strengh
exercises increases blood flow, relaxes the muscles and helps with the
removal of metabolic waste products the body produces during training
(such as lactic acid).
Summary:
- Drink water before and after your training session.
- Warm-up properly before you stretch.
- Perform static stretches before any dynamic stretching.
- Don't overstretch muscles (if you feel any pain stop immediately).
- Remember to breathe out as you stretch (use relaxed deep breathing).
- Increasing flexibility takes time and patience.
Simon Le Mare, 2nd Duan, Rochford
Research
Sources:
B. Appleton; M. Alter; T. Kurz; Synerstretch; T. Gummerson; F. Pages Ruiz
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