Your flexibility involves joints, muscles and connective tissue, which allow you to move through full range of motion. You can gain flexibility through different modes of exercise. Whichever mode you choose, aim at a frequency of two to three days per week for each major muscle group and spend additional time stretching chronically tight muscles.
Water Aerobics
Two properties of water provide an environment that aids movement through full range of motion. Water's buoyancy affects the way gravity pulls down on your body while you are in motion. If you are performing the cross country ski exercise on land, you can only stretch your legs to a certain point before your support base collapses. In water, you can reach your legs farther because the water holds you up. Another helpful property of water is hydrostatic pressure, which means the water surrounds your body and applies gentle pressure. This pressure increases circulation, which decreases swelling in joints and allows them to move more freely. Water aerobics therefore is a mode of flexibility training called dynamic stretching, which actively moves your joints through range of motion.
Pilates
Pilates is another form of dynamic stretching because your body is in motion while you stretch. Being in motion warms your muscles and makes them able to stretch farther. As your body warms up, you can move it through a greater range of motion. Pilates is a series of exercises performed on your stomach, sides and back that involve all major muscle groups. Pilates applies exercise principles of control and lengthening while you move your muscles and joints through their natural range. After about six weeks of three Pilates sessions per week, you are likely to see a noticeable improvement in your flexibility and range of motion.
Static Stretching
Holding a stretch with no movement of the joint is called static stretching. It is recommended to hold each stretch 10 to 30 seconds for each muscle and repeat the stretch three or four times, or to hold a single stretch for 20 or more seconds. Stretch to the point of tension not pain. Improve your stretching results and prevent stretching injury by warming your body temperature prior to stretching. Your goal is to increase joint mobility and prevent injury.
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
The proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching technique actively contracts a muscle before stretching it. It has shown to have better results toward improved flexibility than static stretching. Proprioceptive refers to sensors in your muscles that sense the degree of tension and muscle length. In short, these sensors communicate from your muscle through your nerves to your brain, which sends a message back to your muscle to contract or to relax the muscle. This is known as your stretch reflex. PNF stretching cooperates with your stretch reflex to facilitate flexibility. Contract the targeted muscle for five seconds, relax it, then stretch it for 15 seconds. Repeat this process several times and notice how much farther you can stretch each time. Try it: lift your shoulder to your ear for five seconds. Relax momentarily. Then stretch your ear away from your shoulder and hold for 15 seconds.
References
- "The Pilates Body"; Brooke Siler; 2000
- "Stretching"; Bob Anderson; 2010
- "YMCA Water Fitness for Health"; YMCA of the USA; 2000
- "YMCA Personal Training Manual"; YMCA of the USA; 2006
- "Fitness Theory and Practice"; Aerobics and Fitness Association of America; 2002
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