Another research article found:
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Flexibility: Freedom of Movement
Courtesy of Omron, Written By Neil Wolkodoff, Ph.D.
Range of motion (ROM) is defined as the movement around a joint or
set of joints and the connecting muscles, tendons, ligaments, and
bones. Often called flexibility, this is an important fitness
factor
Muscular tightness and joint stiffness can start for some people in
their early 30's and then only gets worse with each advancing year;
thus, flexibility takes on more importance as one gets older. Not
only will you lose it if you don't use it, you have to work
consistently and harder as you age to maintain flexibility. The
modern lifestyle, with the emphasis on sitting and working at a
desk or terminal, only makes the lack of movement freedom worse
from inactivity.
Tight joints and muscles are typically the result of
inactivity-without regular exercise you lose flexibility and
strength. Regular stretching and general activity helps reduce
muscle tension, prevents muscle and joint injuries, increases range
of motion, and improves circulation, balance, and flexibility.
Studies have shown that stretching after strenuous exercise will
relieve both immediate and short-term discomfort.
Stretching Versus Warm-Ups
A warm-up is different from a stretch, but it can include
stretching. In most sports or physical activity, stretching
exercises have been included as part of a warm-up routine that
includes substantial movement. Active warm-ups can include
stretching or may be based on other kinds of movement. An active
warm-up will reduce injury, though not necessarily because it
includes stretching. The active part of the warm-up is what really
prepares the muscles for activity by increasing blood flow and
temperature. Callisthenic exercises done in increasing intensity
and range of motion are still a good warm-up activity. Using an
aerobic machine such as a treadmill or rowing machine for three to
five minutes before more vigorous activity is also a good active
warm-up.
Basic Types of Flexibility Training Methods Used in Sports and
Fitness
A. Static or Reach-and-Hold: In this method you stretch to a
specific position, then hold the stretch, normally for ten or more
seconds.
B. Ballistic Stretching: In this method the muscle is pushed so far
with active movement that it stretches back rapidly like a tight
rubber band that has been released, utilizing the physical
elasticity of the muscle and the activation of the nervous system
(stretch reflex).
C. Passive Flexibility: In this method a training partner or
external force is used to push a muscle or limb beyond its normal
range of motion.
D. Dynamic Movement: This method relies on sets of exercises that
gradually push the joints and muscles through greater range of
movement over a period of time. It refers especially to the use of
alternating muscle groups, as in swinging the arms forward to
stretch the rear deltoid, then backward to stretch the chest
muscles.
Stretching: Any activity that singularly promotes flexibility by
increasing range of motion through movement and formal stretching
techniques such as static and ballistic stretches. Warm-Up: Any
single activity or sequence of movement-based activities designed
to increase blood flow, muscle temperature, and prepare the body
for more rigorous activity. In order to prevent mature joint wear,
important to elongate the out affecting structures.
In picking the flexibility training methods best suited to
improving your personal goal, it's important to understand how
muscles function and what contributes to and detracts from
flexibility. In addition, there are factors that provide resistance
to increasing ROM. During passive motion, in which an external
force slowly moves a limb, the muscle itself accounts for around
40% of the resistance to ROM. The joint capsule, or surfaces of the
joint, on average account for 47% of resistance to flexibility.
Skin, tendons and ligaments combine for around 12% resistance. In
order to prevent premature joint wear, it is important to stretch
or elongate the muscle without affecting the support structures.
Stretch the muscle, don't injure the joint! Some exercise experts
have advocated that other methods besides static stretching can
more effectively increase ROM without potential joint
problems.
Research Conclusions: What Works the Best?
Most flexibility-training research centers on the static method and
its effect on everything from relaxation to sports performance. The
original research on the benefits of static or reach and hold
flexibility was conducted in the 1960's by the noted physiologist
Herbert DeVries, who observed that static stretching helped to
reduce muscular soreness. It is thought that muscular distress
produces "microspasms" in affected muscles. The research
demonstrated that static stretching definitely decreased electrical
activity and spasms. This is why static stretching is recommended
after resistance training or vigorous activity: It helps reduce
Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness (DOMS). This results when heavily
exercised or stressed muscle responds by taking on fluid,
temporarily decreasing spasms in order to repair itself. Stretch
after heavy exercise and you won't get as sore later. Ballistic or
bouncing movements, in which a muscle is rapidly pushed in one
direction until the stretch reflex and stored elastic energy
essentially pulls it back, have been blamed for causing injuries.
But little empirical research proves that this is actually the
case.
Ballistic stretching is just as effective at developing flexibility
as are static methods. There is a movement in sports toward
ballistic stretching, especially as the final component to a
scientific warm-up. Use of ballistic stretching initially requires
a better than average level of conditioning to begin with, and no
orthopedic problems. In addition, ballistic stretching is not
really effective at decreasing muscular soreness. Stretching Builds
Mental Muscle For athletes, regular stretching can be a mental cue
that practice or competition is about to begin. For general
exercise, stretching at the end of the exercise session can be a
sign to get re-focused and re-charged. Stretching-especially static
stretching- combined with deep-breathing exercises has been
demonstrated to decrease stress and tension. If you want to reap
full mental benefit from stretching, plan on developing a daily
routine, especially after exercise. Keep in mind that
movement-based stretching does not appear to provide the same
relaxation and tension-reduction benefits as static stretching.
Practicing stretching exercises on a regular basis helps to
establish a link between increasing focus and decreasing tension to
the actual activity of stretching.
