Improving flexibility can have a range of physical benefits. Flexibility training can allow greater freedom of movement and improved posture, increase physical and mental relaxation, help release muscle tension, and reduce the risk of injury. All you need to get started is a yoga mat, an open mind, and realistic expectations.
Take up Pilates
- Pilates is fantastic for making you more flexible and mainly involves mat-based stretches
- It improves your core strength and stress levels and it has a significant impact on your flexibility
- Core strength training can improve flexibility and dynamic balance in sedentary people
Perform stretches before and after training
Child’s pose:
- Start on all fours (your hands and knees).
- Drop your buttocks back onto your heels.
- Stretch your hands forwards, dropping your head between your shoulders towards the floor. You will feel this stretch through your back and upper arms.
- Hold the stretch for 60 to 90 seconds.
Pigeon pose:
- Start on all fours (your hands and knees).
- Bring your right knee forward and get as much external rotation in your hip as you can.
- Lay your leg down on the mat and lower your chest down to the floor as far as you can.
- Hold the stretch for 60-90 seconds.
- Repeat for your left hip.
Start foam rolling
You may associate foam rolling with a post-workout strength training session. But research shows that it can also be an effective tool in helping promote flexibility and therefore boost performance, as it helps to reduce muscle knots in the tissue.
Try yoga
Yoga relies on improving your strength, flexibility and breathing through a series of increasingly difficult stretches. A study revealed that participants who took up a 10-week long, bi-weekly yoga practice, saw a significant increase in their flexibility and balance, specifically in their shoulder flexibility and their sit reach.
