Flexibility exercises, the right way to go about them

by | Sep 11, 2013 | Health

There is little doubt that one of the keys to easy movement is joint flexibility. The more flexible the joints, the easier it is to move around, and one of the keys to flexible joints is to undertake flexibility exercises.

There are an entire range of exercises that can be done, many of which are aimed at certain age groups. One can find a flexibility exercises DVD and quickly identify exercises that are more suited for the young versus the seniors. There is however, one common denominator when it comes to exercising; warming up is extremely important. Many people prefer to buy a Yoga DVD and use some of the positions and movements applicable to Yoga as warm up exercises for serious stretching. The warm up exercises are not intended to be arduous, simply rotating the legs at the knees or circling the arms from the shoulder is ample; walking at a reasonably brisk pace is also an excellent warm up exercise.

When you watch the flexibility exercises DVD you will notice that flexibility is improved by stretching as far as possible. When the joint is moved in all the common motions, with each strong stretch the tendons and the muscles that give the joint support are stretched and strengthened. As time goes by, this allows the joint to be stretched a little further, when you feel a slight burning sensation in the muscle you know it’s working.

Because every joint has a unique purpose, it’s fair to say that there cannot be any common flexibility exercises, each joint must be treated a little differently. Take for example the knee, one of the range of motion exercises is to bend the knee, drawing the calk as close to the thigh as possible and holding it there for say 30 seconds. Then extend the leg at the knee so that the limb is straight. The shoulder muscle obviously cannot be exercised as if it was the knee. A great exercise for the shoulder is to hold the arm out perfectly straight at the same height as the shoulder and then rotate it a full 360 degrees. The same exercise can be done but start with the arm straight in the air and rotate in the vertical plane.

You will see on your Yoga DVD that the objective of stretching exercises is to put the joint under tension. Most of the exercises are held motionless for about half a minute, try to stop any movement or bouncing. Stretch to the point where you can feel a slight sensation of burning but do not over do it; don’t stretch to the point where you feel pain. As you continue with the exercises you will be able to go further, but little bit by little bit.

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