A brief overview of Flexibility

    Flexibility is the Goldi locks of fitness.

Too inflexible increased the probability of injury.

Too flexible (hyperflexible) increases the probability of injury.

Much like the temperature of porridge for Goldi Locks. If you have to be just right in terms of flexibility in order to maximize performance.

The bigger question is what is flexibility? 

    Flexibility is the measure of Range of Motion; Range of motion is the degree of movement that occurs at a joint. In more laymen's terms how well, the body moves throughout a movement. In itself flexibility is not indicative of future performance. Elasicity is the body's ability to return to resting length while plasticity is the "gains" for flexibility or in more nerdy science terms greater length applied to the stretch. 

Why is it important?

     Just because a person is flexible doesn't mean success when applied in a sports environment. We do know that movement or in this context mobility applies to the weight room. The more range of motion we can put ourselves through or our clients through then more successful the workout. Another way to look at resistance training is weighted stretching. Resistance training (or activity in general) will increase mobility and range of motion, however limited range of motion in the weight room decreases ROM. This is why ego lifting has the potential for injuries down the road. 8 reps of clean technique are much better then 10 reps with the last two being wonky. In a sense we are putting our muscles in more time under tension with full complete repetitions. Now, there are factors that our out of our control in terms of ROM and flexibility. Specifically joint structure. Ball and socket joints like the shoulder and hip have the greatest potential for range of motion because they move in all three anatomical planes. Ellipsoidal joints like the wrist and ankles only move in the sagittal (side to side) and frontal planes (front and back). Hinge joints like the knee and elbow only move in the sagittal plane. Age and gender matter as well. Younger, females would have the greatest flexibility while older males are restricted in movement. The best indicator of flexibility is the stretch tolerance or the ability to tolerate mild discomfort of stretching. I say mild because pain is an indicator of the upper levels of the stretch tolerance.

How does it apply to sports?

    Individual sports require certain levels of movement. A gymnastics or cheerleader athlete requires a higher level of flexibility then a shot putter. Stretching should be individualized towards the sport. Additionally, sports that require a bulkier frame like shot putters or American football lineman supersede the need for flexibility.