Chapter 12

Chapter 12 main topics

Flexibility training, warm-up, body weight exercises, and stability ball training.

Chapter 12 main goal

Teach trainers how to supervise flexibility, body weight, and stability ball exercises safely and effectively.

Flexibility

Range of motion of a joint or series of joints.

Practical flexibility definition

Ability of a joint to move freely through full normal ROM.

ROM

Range of motion.

Flexibility training purpose

Improve movement performance, reduce awkward movement, and lower injury risk.

Extreme flexibility misconception

Clients do not need extreme flexibility; they need enough ROM for their goals and activities.

Flexibility as part of training

Important part of the total program but should be based on individual needs.

Warm-up before every workout

Every workout should begin with a warm-up to raise core temperature.

When flexibility training occurs

Depends on the activity that follows.

Flexibility before dynamic activity

If the client will do basketball, racquetball, or another dynamic activity, flexibility work should occur after warm-up and before activity.

Flexibility after less dynamic activity

If the client will do stationary bike or stair climber work, flexibility can occur after the session.

Benefits of flexibility training

Improves movement efficiency, allows full normal ROM, may increase resistance to muscle injury, and supports skill performance.

Optimum flexibility

Enough ROM to move freely and safely without sacrificing joint stability.

Flexibility and skill performance

ROM can improve skills requiring flexibility, such as serving a tennis ball or picking up objects from the floor.

Flexibility and athletic success

Flexibility can help movement, but strength and coordination are also necessary.

Goal of flexibility training

Strength combined with flexibility so the client can better control movement.

Flexibility and injury prevention

Normal ROM in each joint reduces injury risk.

Poor flexibility and low back pain

Tight quadriceps, iliopsoas, and back muscles, plus weak abdominals/hamstrings, may contribute to low back pain.

Poor flexibility and muscle tears

Tight muscles on one or both sides of a joint may increase risk of muscle tears.

Sport-specific flexibility rule

If a sport requires greater than normal ROM, more flexibility emphasis may be needed.

Trainer role in stretching

Trainers should supervise stretching like any other training component.

Factors affecting flexibility

Joint structure, muscle/connective tissue, hyperlaxity, age, sex, temperature, activity level, resistance training, and regular stretching.

Joint structure

One of the main limits on static ROM.

Hinge joints

Knees and elbows allow mainly flexion and extension, so ROM is limited.

Ball-and-socket joints

Hips and shoulders allow movement in all anatomical planes and have the greatest ROM.

Flexibility is joint specific

A client may be flexible in one joint but limited in another.

Single flexibility test limitation

One test cannot accurately measure total body flexibility.

Connective tissue and flexibility

Muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joint capsules are major structures limiting ROM.

Main adaptation from stretching

Improved ROM mainly comes from connective tissue adaptations.

Stiff muscles and tendons

Reduce ROM.

Compliant muscles and tendons

Increase ROM.

Passive tension

External force required to lengthen a relaxed muscle.

Viscoelastic stretch relaxation response

When a muscle held under static stretch tension gradually relaxes and passive tension decreases.

Duration of increased pliability after stretching

Increased pliability may last up to about 90 minutes.

Agonist during movement

Muscle actively contracting.

Antagonist during movement

Muscle relaxing or being stretched.

Antagonist flexibility importance

The easier the antagonist yields, the less energy is wasted overcoming resistance.

Flexibility limitation from poor coordination

ROM may be limited if antagonists do not relax or agonist-antagonist coordination is poor.

Hyperlaxity

Joint ROM that exceeds normal due to tissue structure.

Hyperlaxity training caution

Avoid overstretching and ensure assessment by a health care professional.

Why hyperlaxity matters

Excessive ROM can increase injury risk by reducing joint support.

Age and flexibility

Flexibility decreases with age in childhood, reaches a low around ages 10–12, then improves but not to early-childhood levels.

Best time to start flexibility training anatomically

Childhood, especially before puberty.

Child flexibility program goal

Develop flexibility in all joints.

Sex and flexibility

Females typically have greater flexibility than males.

Female flexibility reason

Generally due to anatomical differences in joint structures.

Largest sex differences in flexibility

Trunk, hips, and ankles.

Boys’ puberty flexibility decrease

Related to increased muscle size, stature, and strength.

Temperature and flexibility

Increased core or external temperature improves ROM.

Warm-up and flexibility

Warm-up improves flexibility by increasing core temperature and tissue pliability.

Activity level and flexibility

Physically active people tend to be more flexible than inactive people.

Inactivity and connective tissue

Limited ROM makes connective tissue less pliable.

Body fat and flexibility

Increased fat around joints can obstruct ROM.

Resistance training and flexibility

Full-ROM resistance training can improve flexibility.

Poor resistance training and flexibility

Heavy loads through partial ROM can decrease flexibility.

Muscle-bound misconception

Flexibility loss is usually from improper muscle development around a joint, not simply being too muscular.

Balanced resistance training

Should train agonists and antagonists through full available ROM.

Elasticity

Ability of tissue to return to original resting length after a passive stretch.

Plasticity

Tendency of tissue to assume a new greater length after a passive stretch.

Muscle tissue adaptation

Muscle has elastic properties only.

Ligament and tendon adaptation

Ligaments and tendons have both elastic and plastic properties.

Permanent ROM increase goal

Stretching should emphasize plastic elongation.

How to emphasize plastic stretching

Stretch to mild discomfort, hold the stretch, and stretch after core temperature is elevated.

Types of flexibility training

Ballistic, dynamic, static, and PNF stretching.

Active stretching

The client supplies the force of the stretch.

Passive stretching

A partner or device supplies the force of the stretch.

Most important flexibility program factor

Correct exercise technique regardless of stretching method.

Poor hamstring toe-touch issue

Lower back flexion posteriorly rotates the pelvis and reduces hamstring stretch effectiveness.

Better hamstring stretch method

Hinge forward from the hips with the back arched to keep the pelvis tilted forward.

Ballistic stretching

Rapid, jerky, uncontrolled bouncing movement using momentum to force ROM.

Ballistic stretching status

No longer considered acceptable for increasing ROM in any joint.

Ballistic stretching problem

Speed and force are hard to control.

Ballistic stretching injury risk

May exceed tissue extensibility limits, especially after previous injury.

Ballistic stretching disadvantages

Higher injury risk, higher energy cost, more soreness, and activation of the stretch reflex.

Muscle spindles

Sensory organs in muscle that initiate the stretch reflex.

Golgi tendon organs

Sensory organs at the musculotendinous junction that initiate the Golgi tendon reflex.

Stretch reflex

Reflex contraction triggered by rapid or excessive stretch.

Why bouncing limits stretching

The muscle contracts to protect itself from overstretching.

Knee jerk example

Rapid stretch of the quadriceps activates muscle spindles and causes the lower leg to jerk.

Golgi tendon reflex

Inhibits muscle contraction and causes relaxation when excessive force develops.

Static stretching

Slow stretch held in a stretched position, usually for 30 seconds.

Static stretching advantage

Does not activate the stretch reflex as much because movement is slow.

Static stretching injury risk

Low when proper technique is used and stretch is not too intense.

Static stretching before dynamic activity

May negatively affect performance in running, jumping, or throwing.

Beginner static stretch hold

Start with 15–20 seconds if 30 seconds is difficult.

Ideal static stretch hold

30 seconds.

Static stretch 60-second hold

Holding 60 seconds does not improve flexibility more than 30 seconds.

Static stretch intensity

Move slowly to minor discomfort only.

Static stretch tension rule

Tension should diminish while holding; if not, reduce the stretch slightly.

Static stretch warm-up rule

Stretching should be preceded by 5–15 minutes of warm-up until light sweat appears.

Static stretch breathing

Inhale deeply, exhale into mild discomfort, ease back slightly, hold while breathing normally, then stretch slightly farther on exhale.

Static stretch pain rule

Mild discomfort is okay; pain means stretching too far.

Static stretch joint rule

Do not lock joints.

Static stretch bouncing rule

Avoid bouncing to reduce stretch reflex activation.

Static stretch order

Stretch large muscle groups first.

Static stretch frequency

At least 3 times per week.

Static stretch time-of-day consistency

Stretch at the same time of day when tracking improvements.

Morning stretching issue

Clients are least flexible in the morning because core temperature is lowest.

Ideal static stretching time

After aerobic activity or resistance training when core temperature is elevated.