Chapter 5 – Flexibility
Setting Flexibility Goals
Once you determine which areas of your body are most and least flexible, you can develop a training program to maintain or improve your ROM. This fitness plan should include activities that are safe, meet the recommendations for flexibility training, and are adapted to meet your personal goals. A flexibility goal should focus on the process of training and meet the SMART goal standards outlined in chapter 1.
Example of a SMART goal for Flexibility:
I will participate in active, static hamstring stretches after each workout (5 days per week) for the next 4 weeks to improve hamstring flexibility.
Applying the FITT Principle
When designing a flexibility program use the FITT Principle (Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type). Your flexibility program should include multiple stretching exercises that target all major joints, including the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, trunk, hips, knees, and ankles.
After selecting your exercises, follow the recommendations below when performing your routine:
- Frequency: Stretch a minimum of 2-3 days per week, ideally 5-7 days per week.
- Intensity: Stretch to the point of tightness or mild discomfort.
- Time (duration of each stretch): Stretch for a minimum of 10 seconds for very tight muscles with an emphasis on progressing to 30-90 seconds. Complete two to four repetitions of each stretch.
- Type (mode): Select the technique that best suits your circumstances: static, dynamic, ballistic, or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.
When to Stretch
Although stretching can be done any time, the ACSM traditionally recommends that flexibility training be incorporated into the warm up or cool down phase of an exercise session. Recent studies suggests that stretching before an exercise session will compromise the force-producing capabilities of muscles and should be avoided. Therefore, it is recommended that stretching be restricted to after the warm-up or workout, when the temperature of the body and muscles has increased.
Stretching Safely
In addition to warming up your muscles before performing stretching exercises, additional precautions can be taken to ensure the safety of your routine. When muscles are stretched quickly and forcefully, the stretch reflex can be activated. This creates significant tension because the muscle fibers will not only be stretching but also attempting to contract. As mentioned previously, this is one of the reasons ballistic stretching may not be suitable for everyone. To avoid this, stretch slowly and in a controlled fashion while holding the stretch for 10 seconds or more.
Stretches to Avoid
Research indicates that some stretches are contraindicated, which means they are not recommended because they provide little to no benefit and may cause injury. The following exercises are generally considered by biomechanical research to have the greatest potential for causing injury.
Standing Straight-Leg Toe Touch
Using toe touching as a means of stretching hamstrings is relatively ineffective and places undue strain on the spine and lower back muscles.
Modification: Lay on your back and raise one leg straight in the air. Put your hands around the raised leg (on the lower part of the hamstring) and gently pull towards your chest. Ensure that the raised leg is maintained close to straight throughout to maximize the stretch.
Back Arches
Exercises that involve hyperextending the low back, such as back arches, tend to place excessive strain on the lower back and can be particularly dangerous if performed in a bouncing fashion.
Modification: Some extension in the low back is important. However, stretching and strengthening should be done in a passive (slow and controlled) manner.
Straight Leg Sit-Ups
By keeping the legs straight during sit-ups, the individual exercises the hip flexors more than the abdominals and puts additional stress on the lower back.
Modification: A curl-up, performed with the knees bent and as a partial sit-up, allows the abdominals to be targeted. Strong abdominal muscles can help relieve low back pain.
Head Circles
Rolling the head/neck around in circles puts undue stress on the uppermost part of the spine in the neck, particularly if this movement is done quickly and/or forcefully. Neck hyperextensions can cause compression of the nerve roots in the neck.
Modification: Whenever moving your head to loosen up your neck, do so in a slow and controlled fashion.
Hurdler’s Stretch
This exercise is performed sitting on the floor with both legs apart and one leg tucked behind and outward while the individual reaches forward to touch the toe of the extended leg. This exercise places a great deal of stress on the ligaments in the knee joint of the bent leg.
Modification: Perform this exercise on a raised bench or bring the foot of the bent leg in towards the midline of the body. This will allow the leg not being stretched to remain in a neutral position. Also, when bending forward, bend from the hips and not from the mid-back to maximize the stretch on the hamstring.
Any stretch that causes discomfort or pain should be evaluated and modified to ensure that the stretch is lengthening the intended muscles without putting any unnecessary stress on bones or soft tissue.
