Stretching your muscles and joints offers various physical benefits, most especially in the sport of gymnastics. It allows your muscles to loosen up and achieve their full range of motion, helping athletes' overall performance and functional capabilities.
From simple morning stretches to partaking in activities such as yoga, read on as to why you should start including flexibility training as part of your weekly exercise routine.
1. A wide range of motion allows you to become more capable of withstanding physical stress and less susceptible to injury.
Not stretching and attempting to maintain flexibility will cause your tendons to stiffen, which can lead to strains, sprains or possibly even ruptures when it comes to training in high impact sports. Practising stretching and making an effort to maintain and build up flexibility over time can help prevent this.
2. Less pain and fewer muscle cramps in between training sessions
When you are making an active attempt to practise flexibility and stretch regularly, you will find that your muscles lengthen and open up. Stretching can help limit tightness and pain in areas of the body such as the back and hamstrings, meaning you will experience fewer aches and pains post-training. Overall, it will allow exercise to take less of a physical toll on the body, allowing for less time to recover, and you can get back into doing what you love sooner!
3. Improvement in overall posture and balance
Increasing the flexibility in your muscles helps improve your posture and correct any imbalances that you may have. It helps make standing and sitting in a specific position a lot easier. It also makes general day-to-day tasks such as reaching overhead and bending over to pick up something less of a challenge.
4. An increase in physical strength and greater performance.
Making a conscious effort to stretch keeps our muscles strong, flexible and healthy. With improved flexibility, the more you can feel better in your body and do physical activities to the very best of your ability.
For ways to increase your flexibility, you can check out our blog here.
Do you incorporate flexibility stretching into your every regime? Let us know in the comments down below!
