FOCUS ON: My Fitness Hut’s Top 100 Fitness And Nutrition Tips, #7
Submitted by My Fitness Hut Blog
Flexibility training is under-rated as a tool for injury prevention…..stretching your soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons) will allow the full range of motion of your joints (in all 3 planes of motion)….
55. Flexibility training corrects muscle imbalances, increases joint range of motion, relieves joint stress, decreases excessive tension of muscles, maintains the normal length of all muscles and helps your body to function efficiently.
56. You should incorporate static stretching and dynamic stretching into your workout routine. With dynamic stretching, you use your muscles to warm up your muscles with exercises like bodyweight squats, lunges and jump rope. Research suggests that dynamic stretching prepares your body best for your workout. Static stretches require little movement and a hold for 20-30 seconds. Examples of static stretches are the standing quadriceps stretch and the piriformis stretch. Static stretches should be done after your workout to bring your muscles back to normal length.
57. Use self myofascial release with foam rolls (SMRF) in your flexibility routine. It is a form of self massage and you can do it anywhere, anytime.
58. Also, use other massage techniques, such as deep tissue massage, to help relax your body and muscles.
59. If you are in rehab for an injury, flexibility is critical. You should rehabilitate the injured area as follows: a) restore the range of motion, b) restore flexibility and strength of the injured area and c) regain balance lost because of the injury.
60. There are also flexibility tests that you should have done such as the sit and reach test. It measures the flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings. You will want to avoid painful, nagging low back and hamstring injuries.
Don’t underestimate the importance of flexibility training!
Keep your FOCUS! See ya tomorrow!
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