Flexibility Flashcards
Define flexibility.
The range motion around a joint or a series of joints.
Define static flexibility.
The range of motion around joint without accounting for speed.
Define dynamic flexibility.
The range of motion around a joint which occurs in the performance of a physical activity at either normal or rapid speed.
Name 12 factors affecting flexibility.
- Joint type
- Joint shape
- Length of connective tissue
- Muscle elasticity
- Age
- Gender
- Elasticity
- Temperature
- Muscle mass
- Nerves
- Hypermobility
- Flexibility training
Explain how joint type effects flexibility.
- Ball and socket = full ROM
- Pivot = only allows rotation
- Hinge = only allows flexion and extension
Explain how joint shape effects flexibility.
The arrangement, shape and alignment or the joints’ articulating surfaces/bones dictate ROM.
E.G. the shoulder joint has an increased ROM having a shallow joint cavity compared with the hips deeper cavity which limits ROM but increases stability.
Explain how the length of connective tissues effects flexibility.
E.G. tendons, ligaments, fascia and joint capsule all limit ROM.
Explain how muscle elasticity effects flexibility.
The muscle spindles activation point before it initiates the stretch reflex prevents further ROM.
Explain how gender effects flexibility.
Females are naturally more flexible.
Explain how age effects flexibility.
- Flexibility is greater in children.
- Decreases with age due to the decrease in elasticity of muscle and connective tissue.
Explain how temperature effects flexibility.
Elasticity of muscles and connective tissues are increased as temperature increases by 1-2 degrees celsius.
Explain how muscle mass effects flexibility.
Excess muscle mass around a joint restricts joint ROM.
Explain how nerves effects flexibility.
Nerves pass through the joints - as joints are taken through a full ROM, nerves become stretched or compressed and trigger a stretch reflex within the muscles, increasing their resistance to stretch.
Explain how hypermobility effects flexibility.
Inherited (double-jointed) or trained factors increasing ROM but can lead to joint instability and the increased risk of injury.
Explain how flexibility training effects flexibility.
Stretching within a training programme may maintain and increase ROM.
Name and describe 2 methods of evaluating flexibility.
Sit and reach test:
- sit and reach board
- feet flat on board, legs fully extended
- arms fully extend forward, legs stay straight
- measured in CM
- hold reach for 3 seconds
- measure how far you’ve reached then compare on the ratings table
Goniometry:
- most valid and accurate
- double-armed goniometer used to measure the number of degrees from a neutral starting position to the position at the end of a full ROM at specific joints
Why should we do flexibility training?
- Undervalued part of fitness training - flexibility is central to sport.
- Easy to do as part of a normal training session (warm up and cool down).
- Can be very sport-specific.
- Can be done anywhere.
- Cheap and easy.
- Benefits to health and performance - decreases the risk of injury, increases ROM and increases performance.
Name 5 flexibility training methods.
Maintenance stretching Developmental stretching Static Ballistic Dynamic PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation)
What is maintenance stretching?
Stretching to improve flexibility in a warm up routine.
What is developmental stretching?
Specific stretching session aimed at improving the ROM.
Describe static stretching as a method of flexibility training.
Active:
- unassisted, the performer actively completes a voluntary static contraction of an agonist muscle to create the force to stretch the antagonist muscle just beyond its end point of resistance.
- stretch held for 6-20 seconds.
Passive:
- stretches are assisted by an external force (partner or apparatus), to help move the joint just beyond its end point of resistance in order to stretch the muscle/connective tissue.
State 2 positives of static stretching as a method of flexibility training.
- Safest method - slowest but most effective form of stretching to increase the length of the muscle.
- Static stretching ost effective/appropriate at the end of a session to help muscle relaxation using:
- maintenance stretching to return muscles to their pre-exercise length
- developmental stretching to increase ROM
State 2 negatives of static stretching as a method of flexibility training.
- Static stretching doesn’t prepare the joints for the more dynamic and powerful ROM that are involved in the actual activity to be performed.
- Limit static stretching to less than 20 seconds to prevent loss of subsequent speed, power and strength work.
Describe ballistic stretching as a method of flexibility training.
- Uses momentum to move a joint forcibly through to its extreme end of point of resistance.
- Involves fast, swinging, active or bouncing movements to complete the joints’ full ROM.
- Primarily promoted and used by performers whose activities involve similar fast, dynamic and active ROM of joints.
State 3 negatives of ballistic stretching as a method of flexibility training.
- Least effective as it fails to allow adequate time for the tissues to adapt to the stretch, and creates muscle tension making it more difficult to stretch connective tissue.
- Greater risk of muscle injury.
- Should only be performed by athletes who already have a good ROM in the muscle/connective tissues being stretched.
Describe dynamic stretching as a method of flexibility training.
- Involves taking the muscles through a joints full ROM.
- There is muscle tension but with the entry and exit under more control and therefore not the extreme end point of resistance as with ballistic stretching.
- Dynamic stretching can be performed actively or passively.
State a positive of dynamic stretching as a method of flexibility training.
- More controlled version of ballistic stretching or a more technical form of mobility exercises.
State 2 negatives of dynamic stretching as a method of flexibility training.
- Should only be performed by athletes who already have a good ROM.
- More appropriate for a warm up than static stretches to increase subsequent speed, power and strength work.
Describe PNF as a method of flexibility training.
- The ‘contract-relax’ is a simple variation of PNF techniques.
‘Static-contract-relax’: - Static: muscle stretch just beyond point of resistance.
- Contract: isometric muscle contraction held for a minimum of 10 seconds.
- Relax: muscle relaxed and sequence is repeated at least 3 times.
- Requires assistance of a partner to resist the movement of the performer as they isometrically contract the stretched muscle.
State 3 positives of PNF as a method of flexibility training.
- PNF most appropriate in muscles with poor ROM.
- PNF seeks to inhibit this stretch reflex to allow a greater stretch of the muscles.
- Isometric contraction inhibits the stretch reflex allowing the muscle to be stretched further in each consecutive PNF stretch.
State 2 negatives of PNF as a method of flexibility training.
- PNF is a more complex technique, requiring more time to learn and tolerate the greater discomfort and associated injury risks.
- Limit stretching to less than 20 seconds to prevent loss of subsequent speed, power and strength work.
State structural adaptations that will occur as a result of flexibility training.
- Increased elasticity.
- Increased ROM.
- Increased length of resting muscle.
- Muscle spindles adapt to the increased length, reducing the stimulus to the stretch reflex.
- Increased ROM at a joint before the stretch reflex is initiated.
- Increased potential for static and dynamic flexibility.
- Increased distance and efficiency for muscles to create force and acceleration.
- Increased ROM reduces potential for injury to muscle during dynamic sports movements.
State overall adaptations that will occur as a result of flexibility training.
- Decreased risk of injury.
- Increased ROM.
- Decreased inhibition from antagonist (increases ROM and allows stretch to go further).
What are muscle spindles?
Proprioceptions within muscles which send information on the length and rate of change of muscles to the central nervous system.
What is the stretch reflex stimulus?
Provides automatic regulation of muscle length.
What is the inhibition from antagonist?
Where the antagonist muscle resists the lengthening to prevent over contraction of the agonist muscle.
