By Sam Cortes, Communications Coordinator
Everyday activities like bending down to pick up grocery bags, reaching up to take a box down, or moving furniture around the house require our muscles and joints to move through a desired range of motion.
This is why, no matter your age or fitness level, it’s a great idea to try stretching exercises to improve your flexibility.
What is Flexibility Training?
Flexibility training is a type of exercise that aims to improve the range of possible movement about a joint and its surrounding muscles during a movement.
It can help you move with more ease when performing daily activities or sport-specific movements. Besides the physical benefits, stretching exercises can also help you mentally; to get you moving in the morning or a way to relax after a long day.
Performing stretching exercises regularly will help you keep muscles and joints flexible, strong, and healthy. Depending on your personal goals and fitness level, stretching exercises can vary from simple movements to more complex ones.
Try these exercises at home or at the gym to improve your flexibility:
Shoulders and Chest
-Standing, place both arms behind the back.
-Interlock fingers with palms facing each other.
-Straighten the elbow fully.
-Slowly raise the arms, keeping the elbows straight.
-Keep head upright and neck relaxed.
Upper Back and Arms
-Stand with arms in front of the torso, fingers interlocked with palms facing out.
-Slowly straighten the arms above the head with the palms up.
-Continue to reach upward with the hands and arms.
-While continuing to reach upward, slowly reach slightly backward.
Glutes and Hamstrings
-Lie on your back with legs straight.
-Flex the right knee and hip, bringing the thigh toward the chest.
-Place both hands behind the thigh and continue to pull the thigh toward the chest.
Hamstrings and Lower Back
-Sit with the upper body nearly vertical and legs straight
-Lean forward using hip flexion and grasp the toes with each hand.
-Slightly pull the toes toward the upper body and pull the chest toward the legs. If you have limited flexibility, try to grasp the ankles.
Regularly adding these kinds of stretching exercises to your workouts will improve your quality of movement and overall fitness performance!
Feel free to reach out to us at fitness@sportmanitoba.ca if you have any questions or want to learn more.
Sources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/benefits-of-flexibility-exercises
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-stretching
