Tips For Increasing Flexibility

When so many of us sit all day for our jobs, we don’t always use our full range of motion. But maintaining good flexibility is an important part of overall health. 

This is especially true if you participate in physical activities after work, such as lifting, running, team sports, or other active hobbies. Regular flexibility practice can keep your muscles from getting too stiff and becoming injured during periods of activity. Check out these approaches to maintaining good flexibility.

Try Foam Rolling Or Massage

Using a foam roller or other massage techniques following exercise is a great way to loosen up muscles and help increase flexibility. This process helps rid your muscles of tightness and temporarily increases flexibility. You can use a foam roller before static stretching to help improve your flexibility gains.

Dynamic Stretching Before Activities

While many of us were taught to do static stretches in gym class, these are not the best approach to increasing flexibility before activity. Try practising dynamic stretches incorporating motions you will use while you exercise. This will not only give you a light stretch but help warm up your muscles.

Static Stretch To Cool Down

After your workout is completed is the best time for static stretching. Your muscles are already warmed up, so this is a great time to stretch to increase your range of motion and reach new flexibility goals. Try to do static stretches with your muscles engaged first before doing any passive stretches to avoid pulling any muscles.

Stretch Where You Need It

You can often feel when a certain part of your body is tight or sore. You can find stretches that will target these muscles and help alleviate any tension you feel. Make sure as you work toward greater flexibility that you listen to your body and don’t push it farther than it can go. Slow and steady is the best philosophy when it comes to gaining and maintaining flexibility.