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Flexibility Training & You: Part I
Flexibility is a joint's ability to move through a full range of motion. Flexibility training (stretching) is not about becoming a world class gymnast--it's about balancing the muscle groups you use or overuse during exercise and other activities, or from bad posture. Read on to learn about the benefits of a good flexibility program.
1. Improved Performance, Decreased Injury Risk
A safe and effective flexibility training program increases physical performance. A flexible joint greatly decreases your risk of injury--it has the ability to move through a greater range of motion and requires less energy to do so. Stretching decreases resistance in tissue structures; you are, therefore, less likely to become injured by exceeding tissue extensibility (maximum range of tissues) during activity.
2. Reduced Muscle Soreness
Recent studies show that slow, static stretching helps reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Static stretching involves a slow, gradual and controlled elongation of the muscle through the full range of motion, held for 15-30 seconds, in the furthest comfortable position (without pain).
 Improved Posture
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