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Medical Video: The 10 Most Important Mobility & Flexibility Exercises
Although there have been many studies that show the benefits of exercise for physical and mind fitness, the focus on exercise to train body flexibility seems to be less of a public concern.
Why is it important to have a flexible body?
Physicians and physical therapists agree that flexibility is an important part of maintaining body fitness to function optimally. "Flexibility is the third pillar of body fitness after cardio training and muscle strength training," said David Geier, director of Sports Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, as well as a spokesman for the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. Real Simple. A flexible body can help you achieve the most optimal level of body fitness, prevent injury, and even act as a protective shield against a variety of difficult conditions, such as arthritis and other serious diseases.
When you stretch your muscles, you also extend the reach of tendons, or muscle fibers, which connect the muscles to the bones. The longer the tendon, the easier it is for you to increase muscle size when you do strength training. That is, muscles that are flexible have the potential to become strong muscles too. Building strong muscle fibers will encourage the work of the body's metabolism and overall fitness level. Flexural muscles can also make it easier for you to go about your daily routine and reduce your risk of injury.
Repetitive habits, such as bending while working in front of a computer, can shorten the reach of several muscles. This, coupled with a decrease in natural muscle elasticity due to age, can make it difficult for you, so that fast or spontaneous movements (for example, catching a glass that will fall) can pull your muscles beyond their limits, resulting in easy sprains or sprains. Having a flexible body can help you more easily adapt to external factors that cause physical stress.
10 types of powerful movements to increase body flexibility
Do some easy but super effective flexibility exercises, one or two times a day, anytime just before you exercise. Research shows that stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of significant injury or pain. In fact, stretching cold muscles increases the chance of injury. If your goal is to increase your flexibility, stretch your muscles 5-10 minutes after your exercise session when the muscles are still hot and flexible.
1. Hip Flexor / Quad Stretch
Stretch your hip muscles, quads, and hamstrings
Kneel on the floor with the knees bent, the shin touching the floor. Swing your right foot forward so that the right knee position is now 90 degrees in front of you, the right foot is firmly on the floor just below the right knee, and the left foot is still bent flat against the floor, parallel to your right foot. Place your hands on your right knee and press your hips forward, leaning back to stretch while keeping your upper body upright. Hold for 30 seconds, release Repeat three times, then change legs and repeat from the beginning.
2. Bridge with Leg Reach
Stretch your chest, abdomen, hips, glutes and legs
Lie on your back, bend your knees to 90 degrees with the position of your feet flatly leveling on the floor, and place both hands straight on the side of the body. Lift and extend your right leg in front of you, then slowly lift your hips up until you form a diagonal line from your right knee to your right shoulder, while pressing your upper back against the floor and pushing your chest up. Lift your right leg higher, then lower it. Do 10 reps, and hold the last repetition for 10 seconds. Change legs and repeat.
3. Seated Trunk Twist
Stretch your back, abdomen and oblique muscles
Sit straight on the floor, tighten your abdominal muscles, and position the two legs tightly in front of your body. Rotate the ribs to the right, keeping the nose position parallel to the sternum and the abdominal muscles still contracting. Lift the ribs away from the hips to rotate them further to the right, so that the upper body position appears higher, rotating as far as you can. Return to center; repeat turning the body to the left side to complete a set. Repeat 10 sset, while holding the last body rotation for 30 seconds for each side
4. Foldover Stretch
Stretch the neck, back, glutes, hamstring and calf muscles
Stand straight with both feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands on sides. Exhale when you bend forward from your hips, while keeping your head, neck and shoulders relaxed. Wrap your hands behind your calves and hold for as long as you can from 45 seconds to 2 minutes. Bend your knees and slowly straighten.
If you feel uncomfortable bending that far, bend your knees deeper and / or place your hands on an elevated surface, such as a yoga beam.
5. Butterfly Stretch
Stretch neck muscles, back, glutes, hamstrings, thighs
Sit upright on the floor with the position of the foot bent inward from the knee, like going cross-legged, putting both feet together (the position of the knees sticking out of the body). Hold both feet with your hands, tighten your abdominal muscles, and slowly advance your upper body forward towards your feet, as far as you can. Hold for 45 seconds to 2 minutes, release if you feel you can't.
If this pose feels uncomfortable to you, prop your buttocks with a few piles of blankets to support your hips, then repeat.
6. Lower Back and glutes
Stretch your back, bottom and glutes back muscles
Lying on your back, bend your knees to 90 degrees with the position of your flat feet flat on the floor. Place both hands behind your thighs and pull both feet into the chest. Continue to pull until you can feel a little resistance. Hold for 30 seconds. Return to the starting position
Still lying down, straighten both legs forward. Bend one leg and push your heel towards the buttocks. Get your ankle with one hand and knee with the other. Gently pull your foot diagonally towards the opposite shoulder, until you feel a little resistance. Hold for 30 seconds, return to starting position. Change legs and repeat.
7. Swan Stretch
Stretch the muscles of the shoulder, back, chest, abs, oblique, hip flexor
Lie on your stomach with your hands in front of your shoulders, your fingers facing forward, both feet straight slightly behind you. While tensing your abdominal muscles, flex your shoulders, and your pelvis against the floor, lift your upper body lengthwise and away from the floor - reaching for the sky from the top of your head. Pull the two shoulder blades to open the chest. Hold for 30-45 seconds, release. Repeat five times.
8. Reclining Pigeon
Stretch the muscles of the lower back, hips, glutes, and hamstrings
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Tighten your right leg and cross it over your left thigh, hook your hands behind your left thigh, and lift your left leg up while keeping your back and shoulders stuck to the floor. Slowly, pull the right foot towards the chest until you feel a little tension; hold for about 45 seconds to 2 minutes, as long as you can. Gently release starting from the lower back. Then exchange feet, and repeat.
9. Quadriceps
Stretch your front and thigh muscles
Kneel and give enough distance between legs so you can sit between them. Reach your hands behind your body and lean as far as you can, feeling the tension in your quadriceps, hold for 30 seconds, and release.
10. Standing Thigh Release
Stretch your back, abdomen, hips, glutes and quads
Stand straight with your abdominal muscles tightened, both hands at your sides. Swing your right leg behind the palm of your right foot with your right hand (position of the heel towards the buttocks). Raise your left hand straight above your head (or place it in a chair) to maintain balance. Press the right foot into the hand to increase the tension along the quadriceps. Hold position for 1 minute, release, then change legs and repeat.
Apart from making it easy for you to adapt to your daily routine and prevent injury, exercising your body's flexibility can also increase blood circulation to the muscles. Having good blood circulation can help protect you from various diseases, diabetes, to kidney disease. More optimal body flexibility has even been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular problems due to a reduction in stiffness in the arterial muscle wall, thereby reducing the chances of strokes and heart attacks.
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