Chapter Reading: Why Should I Stretch? Improving Flexibility

What is the main problem with someone taking medication, getting surgery, or receiving some other treatment for symptoms caused by long-term mistreatment of their body?

The underlying cause of the symptom is ignored

Without ____________, muscles can actually become dormant and the neuromuscular pathway “forgets” how to stimulate muscles.

routine stimulation

True or False? By participating in a flexibility training program and focusing attention on what is happening in your body, it becomes more challenging to bridge the gap between the experience of the exercise and the experience of enhanced daily function.

False

Which of the following activities would depend primarily on dynamic flexibility?

Reaching for something on a shelf, Bending over to tie your shoes, Playing a game of basketball

There are some limitations to how a joint can move that are not due to inflexibility, such as with _________ that provide stability to the joint by connecting bones together.

ligaments

What are the primary soft tissue structures involved in stretching and improving flexibility?

Muscles, Fascia, Tendons

There is some evidence that hypermobility, or being extremely __________, can lead to laxity in the joints and contribute to a potential risk of musculoskeletal injury.

flexible

A majority of postural misalignments are the result of muscles that are either not at a proper _________ or not at a proper _________.

length, tension

A postural condition that can result from imbalances in length and tension of muscles is called lordosis, or swayback, and is described as

excessive anterior tilt in the pelvis.

True or False? The more we move well, the more we are capable of moving well; and conversely, the less we move, the less we are capable of moving well.

True

Being able to bend, twist, jump, throw, run, stretch, push, and pull contribute to

enhanced daily function.

While not all research supports it will prevent injury, most sports medicine specialists support the use of ____________ to prevent muscle strain and injury.

flexibility training

Participating in stretching exercises such as yoga can lower stress and anxiety and increase self-awareness by utilizing which of the following techniques?

Slow and deliberate breathing, Calm focused thoughts, Slow relaxing movements

The psychological impact of ________ can also be related to many physical changes in the body, including elevated blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and nausea.

stress

When considering how flexibility can also mean the ability to adapt to challenges and new circumstances every day, we can say that ___________ can help us better adapt in a work, school, or personal relationship situation and achieve the best outcome.

mental flexibility

Which of the following abilities would one with great psychological flexibility be most likely to possess?

Ability to adapt to situation demands, Ability to change a mindset to achieve a personal goal, Ability to maintain behaviors that support personal values

There are additional benefits to flexibility that go beyond the physical, including a higher quality of life, reductions in stress and anxiety, and

increased body awareness.

Around what percentage of people in the U.S. report suffering from back pain at least once every three months?

25%

One of the ways you can prevent back pain is to avoid _________ when sitting.

slouching

Gwen has been smoking for six years and is beginning to experience pain in her lower back. How might her smoking be contributing to or causing her back pain?

Smoking is causing her spinal discs to degenerate

Our bodies have amazing resiliency, but after years of chronic neglect and disuse, we begin to

lose flexibility and function.

Ballistic stretching may be counter-productive to enhancing flexibility due to the ____________, which occurs when the muscle spindle is stimulated.

myotatic reflex

Dynamic stretching is similar to ballistic stretching but has which of the following main differences?

There is more control in the movement, The movements are slower

During static stretching, if the stretched position is held for more than 6 seconds at a maximal stretch, the Golgi tendon organ responds and causes an inverse myotatic reflex, which causes the stretched muscle to do what?

Relax

The hamstring stretch, in which you sit on the ground with one leg out in front of you and the other bent at your side as you reach for your toes, is a common example of what type of stretching?

Static stretching

During proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching, after a ___________, the muscle is allowed to relax and is then either passively stretched with assistance, or actively stretched by contracting the opposing muscle group.

maximal contraction

The contract-relax method of PNF stretching involves putting the target muscle in a maximum stretched position by

contracting the opposite muscle group.

With the contract-relax-agonist-contract method, the partner __________________, thereby actively placing the limb into a more stretched position.

contracts the opposite muscle group

Which of the following are functional flexibility tests mentioned in this chapter that can help you gauge your level of flexibility?

Shoulder reach, Sit and reach, Hip raise, Ankle flexion

Which of the following exercises require you to stand against a wall with one arm up as you slide the other down toward your knee?

Lateral reach

When doing the hip raise flexibility test, how far should you bend the knee and hip in front of you before turning the bent leg out to the side?

90 degrees

To improve flexibility on any of the flexibility self-assessment positions, how much should you perform the various exercises?

10 to 12 repetitions, 5 to 7 days a week

Which of the following is NOT a principle of flexibility training discussed in this chapter?

Rotation

Flexibility is ___________, which means, obviously, that stretching the hamstrings in order to improve hip flexibility will not increase shoulder flexibility.

joint-specific

True or False? When using the F.I.T.T. formula for flexibility training, the good thing about Frequency is that flexibility training can be performed 7 days per week without overworking the body.

True

When using the F.I.T.T. formula for flexibility training, what type of cooldown is recommended after each session?

Cooldown is not necessary

When considering the Type of activity when using the F.I.T.T. formula for flexibility training, which areas do people tend to lack flexibility in and therefore should be included in any stretching program?

Back of the upper leg, Shoulder, Front of the hip, Lower back

When performing a toe touch progression exercise, what should you do if you cannot reach your toes?

Bend your knees a little until you can reach your toes

When doing a deep squat progression exercise, where should your palms be placed as you perform the exercise?

Flat on the floor

When doing the deep squat progression exercise, what should you do if the squatting position does not feel comfortable?

Use an elevated platform for the hands

When doing a standing elbow curl, it is most effective if you can do what?

Stand against a wall

When performing a straight leg stretching exercise, if you feel too much strain on either side of your body, use ____________ instead of going all the way to the floor.

an elevated platform

If you notice differences in functional ability between your left and right sides when performing a straight leg stretching exercise, what should you do until the two sides feel equal in flexibility and control?

More repetitions on the less functional side

When doing a shoulder-hip rotation exercise, you can use a towel or small ball under the top knee if needed, but the idea is to maintain constant pressure between the knee and the _______.

floor

When doing the upper spinal floor twist exercise, it is important to maintain what position with the knees?

Stacked

Which of the following is NOT a trunk rotation progression exercise discussed in this chapter?

Static back pullover

Which of the following statements are NOT true about participating in a flexibility training program?

Ballistic movements safely progress the level of flexibility, Flexibility is not joint specific

To safely participate in a flexibility training program, what must you do before you begin stretching multiple joints together?

Stretch the individual joints before stretching them together