Personal Fitness Looking Good Feeling Good Flexibility the

Personal Fitness: Looking Good Feeling Good

� Flexibility: the ability to move body joints through a full range of motion

� Joint: the point at which two bones come together �Types of joints: pivot, hinge, ball-and-socket, gliding

� Pivot joints �Allow a rotating motion �Ex. Neck � Hinge joints �Allow a back and forth motion �Ex. Elbow, knee � Ball-and-socket joints �Allow movement in multiple directions �Ex. Shoulder, hip � Gliding �Allow joints bones to slide over one another �Ex. Wrist, ankles

� Pivot Joint � Ball-and-Socket Joint � Hinge Joint � Gliding Joint

� Muscle: meaty tissue that surrounds bones � Ligament: strong fibrous tissue that attaches one bone to another � Tendon: connective tissue that anchors the muscle to bone

� To prevent injuries �Stretching lengthens muscles and tendons �Joints can move further without injury � Reduce post-exercise pain �Stretching keeps blood from pooling �Keeps your muscles from feeling stiff and tight � Relieve emotional tension �People stretch because it relaxes them �Also stretch when sitting for long periods of time � Prevent � 80% lower back pain of people in the US suffer from back pain

� Static stretching: slowly moving the muscle to its stretching point and holding this position for 15 -30 seconds �Ex. Touching your toes for 30 seconds �Think static=still �Cool down or warm-up � Dynamic stretching: done in a continuous, slow, and controlled manner �Ex. Frankensteins, leg swings �Dynamic=in motion �Warm-up

� Ballistic stretching: involves bobbing, bouncing, or jerky movements that use the body’s momentum �Ballistic stretching is NOT a safe way to stretch!

� Apply the principle of overload �Safely stretch ligaments, muscles, and tendons farther than you normally do �FIT (frequency, intensity, time spent stretching) � Apply the principle of progression �Gradually � Apply increase frequency, intensity, and time the principle of specificity �Stretching different parts of the body �Ex. Soccer vs. baseball

� Always make sure your muscles are warmed up before stretching � 10 -15 min. Of cardio (brisk walking, jogging, etc. ) � Avoid ballistic stretching (Dynamic and static are the best way to increase flexibility in a personal fitness plan) � Stretch opposing muscle groups equally �Ex. Hamstrings and quads

� Sit-and-reach: test that measures flexibility of lower back and hamstrings � Healthy Fitness Zones �Males age 14 -17+ 8 in. �Females age 14 10 in. �Females age 15 -17+ 12 in.

� Neck stretch � Back stretches

� Triceps stretch � Chest & Biceps stretch

� Quad � Hip stretch flexor stretch � Hamstring � Glute stretch

� Calf stretch � Groin stretch

� Leg swings � Frankensteins � Flamingos (Ballerinas)

� Calf pumps � Hip flexor with a twist �As long as you keep it a controlled movement

� Plow �Puts a lot of stress on the neck and lower back � Sitting quad stretch �Puts stress on the knees

� Hurdle stretch �Bending a hinge joint in a direction it is not intended to move in � Deep knee bends �When stretching past the point where thighs are parallel to the ground, a lot of stress is put on knees

� Four-count-toe touch �A lot of rotational stress on the disks of the lower spine � Bobbing �Any bobbing, jerkiness, or uncontrolled swinging is considered ballistic stretching

� Williams, C. , Harageones, E. , Johnson, D. , & Smith, C. (2005). Flexibility. In Personal Fitness: Looking Good Feeling Good (5 th ed. , pp. 106 -121). Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.