5 Factors That Affect Flexibility
- Age. Have you ever wondered why we seem to grow stiffer as we grow older? We’re all born naturally flexible, but as...
- Joint Structure. The human body contains several types of joints, and some have a greater range of motion than others.
- Muscle Mass. Sometimes our muscles can get in their own way! For example, picture someone...
What is the best workout for increasing flexibility?
To help golfers looking to improve their game, Get Good At Golf offers advice, aids, and practical tips on health and fitness for golf, how-tos, improvement, and golf lessons. It also discusses industry insights about new technologies and the latest news from the world of golf.
What affects flexibility and joint mobility?
- The tissues ability to lengthen
- The joint ability to move
- The nervous systems ability to relax and allow movement
- The neuromuscular systems ability to activate muscles and control movement through all ranges of motion.
What lifestyle factors can affect muscle tone?
- Olive oil
- Tomatoes
- Dark chocolate
- Oatmeal
- Sardines
- Green tea
- Kale
- Walnuts
- Orange peel
- Grass-fed beef
What factors effect body fluid balance?
People who live in hot environments (high temperatures) and low air humidity have increased loss of body fluids and electrolytes through sweat. While someone who is active in a hot environment can lose fluids up to 5L per day. A person's diet affects fluid and electrolyte intake.
What factors can affect flexibility?
5 Factors That Affect FlexibilityAge. Have you ever wondered why we seem to grow stiffer as we grow older? ... Joint Structure. The human body contains several types of joints, and some have a greater range of motion than others. ... Muscle Mass. Sometimes our muscles can get in their own way! ... Skeletal Structure. ... Gender.
What are 3 factors affect flexibility?
Here are five factors that affect your flexibility:Joint structure. There are several different types of joints in the human body. ... Age & Gender. ROM and flexibility naturally decreases as you get older. ... Connective Tissue. Deep connective tissue such as fascia and tendons can limit ROM. ... Muscle bulk. ... Proprioceptors.
What causes increase in flexibility?
Flexibility is improved by stretching. Stretching should only be started when muscles are warm and the body temperature is raised. To be effective while stretching, force applied to the body must be held just beyond a feeling of pain and needs to be held for at least ten seconds.
Why do we lose flexibility?
As our bodies get older we lose a small amount of flexibility as a result of the normal aging processes. This can happen for several reasons including a loss of water in our tissues and spine, increased stiffness in our joints and a loss of elasticity throughout the muscle tendons and surrounding tissue.
Does height affect flexibility?
The results of this study strongly suggest that the height has no influence on the flexibility of the students.
How do u know if ur flexible?
6:028:28A 1-Minute Test Will Show How Flexible You Are - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGet down on all fours. Your knees should be wider than shoulder-width apart your toes should beMoreGet down on all fours. Your knees should be wider than shoulder-width apart your toes should be turned out and the inner edges of your feet should lie flat on the floor.
What are the 3 types of flexibility?
These are static stretching, dynamic stretching and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). There has been lots of research to evaluate the effectiveness of each stretching type, and it shows that although each method has the ability to greatly improve flexibility, there are differences between the three.
Is it possible to improve flexibility?
A 2012 study concluded that flexibility training can improve range of motion in older adults, and a 2014 study found a regular exercise and stretching program can help increase lower-body flexibility, dynamic balance and low-back strength, which all help reduce the risk of falls in older adults.
What are 3 benefits of flexibility?
Here are a few ways that increased flexibility is likely to help you.Fewer injuries. Once you develop strength and flexibility in your body you'll be able to withstand more physical stress. ... Less pain. ... Improved posture and balance. ... A positive state of mind. ... Greater strength. ... Improved physical performance.
What factors affect flexibility quizlet?
- Relative contributions of soft tissues to total resistance a joint:Joint Capsule (nonelastic collagen) - 47%Muscle & Fascia (elastic tissue, most modifiable) - 41%Tendons & Ligaments (mostly nonelastic collagen) - 10%Skin - 2%
What are the five principles that affect flexibility?
The principles of flexibility - progressive overload, specificity, reversibility, individual differences, and balance - need to be taken into consideration. Static stretching can help alleviate soreness and greatly improve flexibility. Remember to be safe when introducing stretching into your routine.
What are types of flexibility?
There are two types of flexibility exercises: static stretching, in which you stretch a muscle without moving, and dynamic stretching, which combines stretching with movements.
Gender
Gender is another factor that affects flexibility. Women are naturally more flexible than men. One reason may be that women do more activities that involve stretching, such as yoga and ballet.
Genetics
Just as some people are stronger or faster than others – some people are more flexible. As you might expect, certain sports like gymnastics and ballet attract people who are naturally more flexible.
Muscle Imbalances
Here’s one you might not have considered. Many people have muscle imbalances and aren’t aware of it. Muscle imbalances not only increase the risk for injury – but also reduce flexibility.
Temperature
Temperature affects muscle flexibility too. Warm joints and muscles are more flexible ones. That’s why raising your body temperature through light exercise before lifting weights is so important. Doing at least a five-minute warm-up before a workout increases the temperature of the muscles and joints, you’ll be working.
The Bottom Line
Now you know some of the factors that affect flexibility. Now, it’s time to take action. Having a healthy, flexible body isn’t something you can buy from a store like the latest iPhone or Android, and it’s not something that comes with age. Taking care of your health is all about being proactive.
What factors can be modified to improve flexibility?
Other factors affecting flexibility and joint mobility that can be modified to improve flexibility include injury, tissue bulk, quality of movement, and activity level.
Why is full joint mobility important?
Full joint mobility should be obtained prior to strengthening the surrounding muscles. The mobility allows the body to withstand the eccentric loads that generate power. Without a normal joint range, athletes are at an athletic disadvantage and place themselves at a higher risk for injury.
How does injury affect the kinetic chain?
For example, if an athlete with a history of ankle sprains and decrease dorsiflexion attempts an overhead squat their technique will be compromised and compensations will be noted through the movement.
How long should you hold static stretches?
This increase in fibrous connective tissue may make it necessary for individuals 65 years and older to hold static stretches for up to 60 seconds compared to the standard 10-30 seconds. This decline in muscle mass is also linked to decreased levels of physical activity and thus impaired flexibility.
What happens when a muscle is forced beyond its normal active limits?
Injury or Dysfunction. Injury often occurs when a muscle or joint is forced beyond its normal active limits. If the muscle does not have enough elasticity to compensate for the additional stretch, the musculotendinous unit will likely be injured resulting in a muscle strain.
What is a hamstring flexor strain?
Hamstring and hip flexor strains are common in sports requiring short explosive bursts of speed. Joint sprains are forceful wrenching or twisting of a joint that stretches or tears its ligaments but does not dislocate the bones. In this case, the ligaments are forced beyond their normal capacity.
Does strength training increase flexibility?
Although a comprehensive strength training program has a positive effect on flexibility gains, heavy strength training through a limited range of motion during an exercise can decrease range of motion.
How does your skeletal structure affect your flexibility?
Skeletal Structure. Your bones themselves (and the ways they all fit together) can also affect your flexibility — or at least, how flexible you appear to an outside observer. A person with longer arms will have a much easier time touching their toes than someone with shorter-than-average arms.
Why do women have more flexible joints than men?
For example, women tend to have more flexible joints than men because of the higher levels of the estrogen hormone in the female body. Studies have shown that estrogen has a relaxing effect on collagen, the core material of ligaments (which hold bones together and prevent joints from hyperextending).
Why is yoga important?
Many people associate yoga with flexibility, with good reason — dedicated yogis can often train their bodies to contort into positions that the average person finds insane! Flexibility is an often-overlooked part of fitness, but the truth is, it’s important to cultivate in yourself. Tight muscles can cause pain, stiffness, ...
How much moisture does the body lose when you are active?
Even if you stay healthy and active, by the time you are an adult, your tissues will have lost 15% of their moisture content, growing less supple and more prone to injury. Muscle fibers begin to adhere to one another, creating tight links at the cellular level that may prevent parallel fibers from moving independently.
Do women have longer legs?
Women also tend to have lower muscle mass, and less bulky muscle composition, allowing for a fuller and freer range of motion. Finally, in terms of skelet al structure, most women have longer legs compared to their torsos, along with wider hips and roomier hip sockets.
What are the changes in flexibility?
These include: loss of muscle mass. loss of bone density. decrease in water content in tendons, making them stiffer.
What is flexibility in physiology?
Flexibility, in physiological terms, is the degree of range of motion in a joint or group of joints.
Why does flexibility decrease as we age?
Barring any pre-existing medical condition, our loss of flexibility is simply because our muscles, ligaments, and tendons become weaker as we age.
Can you stop your flexibility as you age?
It’s important to remember, however, that we can’t stop this natural decrease in flexibility as we age. There’s no question whether our muscles, ligaments, and tendons will weaken as we age – they definitely will no matter what stretch routine and exercises we do!
How does flexibility help you?
Here are a few ways that increased flexibility is likely to help you. 1. Fewer injuries . Once you develop strength and flexibility in your body you’ll be able to withstand more physical stress.
Why is flexibility important in physical activity?
Once you develop strength and flexibility in your body you’ll be able to withstand more physical stress. Plus, you’ll rid your body of any muscle imbalances, which will reduce your chance of getting injured during physical activity.
How to get your hips to move?
To do this: Come onto all fours with your hands under your wrists and your knees under your hips. Press into your hands as you tuck your toes under and lift your knees, keeping your heels lifted. Extend through your spine and lift your sitting bones up toward the ceiling.
How to correct muscle imbalances?
Correcting muscle imbalances requires a combination of strengthening the underactive muscles and stretching the overactive (tight) ones. 2. Less pain. Your body is likely to feel better overall once you work on lengthening and opening your muscles.
What happens when your muscles are looser?
When your muscles are looser and less tense, you’ll experience fewer aches and pains. Plus, you may be less likely to experience muscle cramps. 3. Improved posture and balance. When you focus on increasing muscular flexibility your posture is likely to improve.
Why is it important to unwind?
You may find it easier to unwind once your body feels better. 5. Greater strength. It’s important to increase strength as you become more flexible. This ensures your muscles will have the right amount of tension so that they’re strong enough to support you and your movements, allowing you to become more physically fit.
Why is it important to stretch your body?
Such training allows for easier and deeper movements while building strength and stability. Stretching your muscles and joints also leads to greater range of motion, improved balance, and increased flexibility.
Why is flexibility important?
Benefits of flexibility exercises. Activities that lengthen and stretch muscles can help you prevent injuries, back pain, and balance problems. A well-stretched muscle more easily achieves its full range of motion. This improves athletic performance — imagine an easier, less restricted golf swing or tennis serve — and functional abilities, ...
How to get blood flowing to muscles?
Newer recommendations suggest that you start your workout routine with a warm-up, such as an easy walk or a sport-specific routine, such as serving some tennis balls and practicing ground strokes before a match. This gets blood and oxygen flowing to your muscles.
Is it better to stretch before or after exercise?
Stretching can also be a great way to get you moving in the morning or a way to relax after a long day. Activities such as yoga combine stretching and relaxation and also improve balance, a wonderful combination. However, note that experts no longer recommend stretching before exercise.
How does flexibility help your body?
Flexibility exercises stretch your muscles and can help your body stay flexible . These exercises may not improve your endurance or strength, but being flexible gives you more freedom of movement for other exercise as well as for your everyday activities.
What is flexibility exercise?
Flexibility exercise is one of the four types of exercise along with strength, balance and endurance. Ideally, all four types of exercise would be included in a healthy workout routine and AHA provides easy-to-follow guidelines for endurance and strength-training in its Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults.
Why do we do variety exercises?
You can do a variety of exercises to keep your physical activity routine exciting. Many different types of exercises can improve strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance.
When is the best time to do flexibility exercises?
The best time to do flexibility exercises is when your muscles are already warm so they can stretch farther without tightness or pain. If you’re doing only stretching exercises, warm up with a few minutes of easy walking first to warm up your muscles.
Can you exercise after a stroke?
The AHA published a statement in 2014 that doctors should prescribe exercise to stroke patients since there is strong evidence that physical activity and exercise after stroke can improve cardiovascular fitness, walking ability and upper arm strength.
How to improve flexibility in a person?
Weight. Carrying extra body weight can slow a person down during activities and prevent them from building optimum flexibility. However, performing simple stretching exercises, such as those practiced in basic Pilates routines can help people develop flexibility, despite body size. Stretch and tone with Pilates exercises, ...
Why are people not flexible?
Body flexibility involves joints, muscles and various connective tissues. People who lead sedentary lifestyles usually aren’t very flexible because they simply don’t move their bodies very often. Joints get stiff and muscles become tight without regular movement, and inactivity can lead to chemical changes in surrounding connective tissue that restrict flexibility, according to Brad Appleton for CM Crossroads. Also, a sedentary lifestyle often leads to weight gain and obesity, which further taxes and inhibits joints, muscles and connective tissues. In this way, body size affects flexibility, but even obese individuals can increase their flexibility with regular stretching exercises.
Why is flexibility important for basketball?
However, many tall athletes such as basketball players rely on flexibility to perform successfully during games. Taller people have more body mass to move around during any activity. However, flexibility training can especially help those with a naturally larger body size gain better coordination, control and balance, according to Yoga Journal. ...
Can you increase flexibility with exercise?
No matter what your body size, you can increase your own flexibility with a daily stretching and exercise routine. Nevertheless, certain factors related to size, such as joint pain due to obesity, can inhibit your flexibility initially and prevent you from performing certain activities.
Does flexibility change with age?
Body size and flexibility naturally change with age. It’s important for anyone at any age to maintain flexibility to keep fit and help prevent injury. However, as people age, they tend to gain weight and automatically lose flexibility, and many also become shorter. If you begin flexibility training as an older person, it might take you longer to develop it, but eventually, you will see and feel the benefits if you stick with it daily.
Does obesity affect flexibility?
In this way, body size affects flexibility, but even obese individuals can increase their flexibility with regular stretching exercises.
Age
Gender
- Gender is another factor that affects flexibility. Women are naturally more flexible than men. One reason may be that women do more activities that involve stretching, such as yoga and ballet. One study found that women have a higher tolerance for stretch, meaning their muscles will stretch further before their nervous system signals that the muscle is overstretched. Men and w…
Genetics
- Just as some people are stronger or faster than others – some people are more flexible. As you might expect, certain sports like gymnastics and ballet attract people who are naturally more flexible. Some people are gifted with greater flexibility, but anyone can improve how flexible they are by staying physically active and through a consistent stretching program. So, don’t assume y…
Muscle Imbalances
- Here’s one you might not have considered. Many people have muscle imbalances and aren’t aware of it. Muscle imbalances not only increase the risk for injury – but also reduce flexibility. What exactly is a muscle imbalance? The term muscle imbalance describes a condition where the muscles are weak or tight on one side of the body, while muscles on the opposite side are too p…
Temperature
- Temperature affects muscle flexibility too. Warm joints and muscles are more flexible ones. That’s why raising your body temperature through light exercise before lifting weights is so important. Doing at least a five-minute warm-up before a workout increases the temperature of the muscles and joints, you’ll be working. This enhances the flexibilit...
The Bottom Line
- Now you know some of the factors that affect flexibility. Now, it’s time to take action. Having a healthy, flexible body isn’t something you can buy from a store like the latest iPhone or Android, and it’s not something that comes with age. Taking care of your health is all about being proactive. Make sure you’re staying mobile, taking breaks from sitting, and stretching after a wor…