Who should stretch? Individuals participating
in regular physical activity, exercise, or athletic events should stretch.
Individuals that spend a good deal of time sitting, working on a computer,
or traveling should stretch. Individuals as they age should stretch.
In other words, everyone can benefit from a regular stretching program.
Flexibility is highly adaptable, which means it can be increased with regular stretching exercise and decreased with inactivity. The health of our joints is affected by the length and elasticity of the surrounding muscle fibers, tendons, and ligaments. Exercise, sport performance, and inactivity can all result in tight muscles and tissues, which place abnormal stress on joint areas and cause deterioration. For example:
- running may result in tight hamstrings and tight thigh muscles (quadriceps), which may put excessive pressure on the kneecap, leading to pain in the knee joint.
- Sitting for long periods of time can cause the muscle fibers in the hamstrings to shorten and become tight resulting in undue stress on the hip joints and lower back muscles.
- Working long hours over a desk or computer, or driving for long periods of time may result in tight chest muscles, which places additional stress on the shoulder joint and muscles of the upper back.
The natural elasticity of muscle fibers, tendons and ligaments decrease as we age. Inactivity compounds this natural loss and reduces joint mobility, which may lead to movement laminations and restricted daily activities. Participating in a regular stretching program has been shown to diminish the amount and rate of decline in flexibility, lessen the adverse effects of inactivity, and diminish muscular tightness.
How many times have I fit a quick workout in between clients and thought, oh I’ll stretch later? More times than I care to admit. This is the same with our clients.
Rarely do I see clients spending time after their training session stretching, and only occasionally do I see flexibility intermixed with training sessions.
With all the benefits stretching provides,
the priority of a regular stretching program is still placed low. Flexibility
seems to be the forgotten component of physical fitness. However, this
can be a great opportunity for the fitness professional. Look for my
next post where I discuss ideas for how flexibility can be used as a
tool for client retention and marketing your personal training business.
Karen Moreno, MA Candidacy Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology
BA Social Science/Education
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