Blog #3: How do I Increase My Flexibility…Really?

Flexibility is a tricky thing…

Neglecting mobility can lead to debilitating chronic conditions like low back pain, IT Band Syndrome, neck pain, tendonitis, and many other injuries. Flexibility is crucial for everybody: especially athletes and the aging population. In this blog post, I will be covering the three most important principles to increasing range of motion and, thus, your quality of life.

1. Strengthen

2. Self-Myofascial-Release

3. Stretch

Strengthening:

I know, it sounds counterintuitive. Why would I work a muscle that is already overactive and ruining my life? Let me explain…

A tight muscle is not necessarily a strong muscle. The muscle likely became tight because of it’s inability to cope with the demands of life. Thus, your nervous system restricts its mobility to protect it from injury. Weakness can cause tightness, and if that is the case, then no amount of stretching or foam rolling will help.

Resistance training, especially through a full range of motion, has been widely proven to increase a muscle’s flexibility because of how it reshapes the muscle itself. Strength training causes a muscle to grow more muscle fibers. Since each muscle fiber is only able to stretch so far, having more muscle fibers is the key to a flexibility break through. Some studies suggest that strength training may actually be more effective than stretching because stretching does not physically change a muscle’s structure: only your ability to tolerate stretching.

In addition to strengthening the tight muscle, you should strengthen the other muscles working about a joint to ensure there are no imbalances. The muscle appearing tight may have been over-exerted because of how it compensates for other weak muscles around a joint. There are three planes of motion:

1. Forward and back (sagittal)

2. Side to side (frontal)

3. Rotational (transverse).

Training should be in three planes of motion. If you are weak in one plane of movement, something will likely compensate and thus tighten. Be on the lookout for future blogs discussing some common muscular imbalances and how they can be corrected.

Self-Myofascial-Release (SMR):

SMR can be done using a foam roller, tennis ball, or massage gun. Seeing a professional masseuse can also work wonders if you have the budget for it. The objective here is to target a specific muscle group and break up muscle adhesions, which are areas of stiffness and tenderness, by slowly applying pressure to the area. When using a foam roller or massage ball, you should pause on a spots of tenderness from anywhere between 30 seconds to a couple minutes, depending on how stiff the muscle is.

This is often the least favorite among my clients and for good reason. SMR should be uncomfortable but not agonizing. If a muscle is very stiff, it will feel very tender and sensitive to any pressure, but my best advice is to try and ease into it. Slowly apply more more and pressure. Discover the trigger points (where it hurts the most), and focus on those areas.

A quality massage gun can also do the trick. I personally use percussive therapy via a Theragun at the end of each training session for 10-15 minutes, focusing on the muscles worked. Although these devices are still new, recent research has suggested they can be more effective than a standard foam roll, while also benefitting power and strength. If you do go this route, I would suggest investing in a higher-end model or brand because, let’s be honest, those cheap things off Amazon are not even close. The two most important things to look for in a massage gun are amplitude (how far the head travels back and forth) and its stall force (how hard you can push before it stops). Percussive massage guns have a higher amplitude, while vibration-style massage guns have lower amplitude but a higher frequency. The best one for you depends on your personal preference and needs.

Stretching:

This one is quite simple and straight forward. Hold a pose at tension, not pain, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You can repeat this 1-6 times depending on how tight you feel that muscle is and how much effort you are willing to put into flexibility. Stretches are best done in the morning to set you up for the day, after any exercise, and at night before bed. Simply a 5-10 minute session covering various body parts will suffice for most people. Keep following for more guides on what stretches target each muscle.

Tying It All Together:

The three principles discussed here are best done in that order. Strengthen first, SMR next, and then stretch last for optimum results. You can do SMR and stretch for hours a day and not experience any change in your flexibility because you are missing the strength component, which is the only thing physically altering the muscle.

For instance, if we look at the hips, most people experience tight hip flexors from sitting, running, or cycling. Symptoms of tight hip flexors are low back pain and an anterior pelvic tilt (arching of the back while standing). Unfortunately, most people do not strength train their hip flexors.

Here’s a practical flexibility program I would recommend:

1. Warm up for 5 minutes on a cardio machine, walking, or anything that gets the blood pumping.

2. I would recommend using an ankle strap on a cable machine to do a simple knee raise by pulling the knee to chest against the cable resistance, going down slow for 4 seconds each repetition. A routine of 1-3 sets for roughly 10 repetitions on a comfortable but heavy weight would be perfect. Follow this exercise set with 1-3 sets (same reps) of hip abduction, adduction, and then extension, while you are still on that machine. Repeat on the other leg. This will not only stimulate the hip flexors but also balance hip strength in multiple planes. Repeat this strength routine on non-consecutive days.

3. After strengthening, use a foam roller, massage ball, or massage gun to target the front/inner hip and release tension.

4. Lock in a few 30 second-long hip flexor stretches to close out the session.

5. Keep up the stretching on your off days, and do your strength work two to three times a week.

This will work for just about any muscle, and you should notice improvements within two weeks of consistency. YouTube is a great resource for correct exercise form if you are seeking more detail. A little consistency goes a long way, and, as always, it gets back to your “why”.

To your new and improved mobility,

Ethan Gendron