Flexibility: the ability to move a joint through its full range of motion with ease.
Increasing flexibility is important to maintain health and prevent injuries. There are many ways to increase flexibility.
☆ Static- a slow and constant stretch with the end position held for 15 to 30 seconds. (1,2)
☆ Ballistic- involves active muscular effort and uses a bouncing-type movement in which the end position is not held (1) This kind of stretching is not recommended as it may injure the muscles.
☆ Dynamic- involves flexibility during sport-specific movements (1) Even though this is related to ballistic because it utilizes movement, but it avoids bouncing. This is a great method to use for pre-workout warmup.
When should you stretch?
While there is some debate on how much stretching to do before exercise, I am of the belief there needs to be a focus on it.
Pre- exercise: after a brief warm-up, this can decrease the likelihood of injuries, particularly muscle strains. (1)
Post- exercise: this is a good method of facilitating ROM due to increased muscle temperature (1)
1. Baechle, T., Earle, R., eds. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Human Kinetics. Champaign, Il. 2000.
2. Thompson, D. "Fitness Focus Copy-and-share: Flexibility" 1 Jan 2008. ASCM's Health & Fitness Journal.