ARTICLE: Get Flexible To Improve Performance

Get flexible to improve performance!


As addressed in ‘Intelligent training for beginners’, flexibility is an issue in a lot of people. Poor flexibility can mean an individual is unable to perform certain exercises, tight muscles when combined with weak antagonist muscles can cause postural problems which can lead to, for instance, back pain. Also if someone is inflexible and happens to end up in a position outside of their range of motion (common in people who play sports), an injury is much more likely.

How flexible do I need to be?

The question of flexibility limits is a very individual thing. For instance, a kickboxer will need great hamstring flexibility to be able to perform efficiently in his chosen sport, however for the powerlifter, hamstring flexibility beyond that needed to perform the lifts he needs to perform will actually slightly impair performance as he will lose the stretch reflex, which is gained when a muscle begins to enter the limits of its range. In the case of an individual that plays a sport or has specific flexibility demands, they will be addressed according to how important they are to the individual sports. For instance if we consider a dancer to need a flexibility level of 10 out of 10, and your flexibility level is 7 and you wish to dance, developmental flexibility work will be used. A runner, who may need a flexibility level of 5 out of 10 and is currently at 6, will only require maintenance stretching.

In general with clients and people I advise, if they are able to perform every exercise I prescribe and have no postural problems they will generally not need to do much flexibility work. However, in most cases there are tight muscles causing imbalances, bad posture and possibly pain and certain positions will be uncomfortable or even impossible to attain. In this case, developmental flexibility work will be performed only on the muscles that require it to bring their body to the correct length-tension ratios. There is no need to perform developmental stretching on muscles that do not require it, certain amounts of tension are required in certain muscles to hold good posture. If we look at the body as a series of ropes and pulleys holding up a skeletal framework, if the ropes on one side are too tight the framework will be deformed, if the ropes on both side are balanced the frame will be held in the correct position. However if we loosen both ropes too much we now have an unstable frame. Therefore it is important to focus our stretching on the muscles that need it and just maintain flexibility in those that do not.

How can improve my flexibility?

There are three types of flexibility work we will look at in this article. They are:-

- Static stretching
- Dynamic stretching
- Muscle energy techniques (METs)

Each type has its own merits and disadvantages, and can be used at different times according to needs and available time. Here is a description of each type:

Static stretching

This will be what most people think of when someone says ‘stretching’. Involves assuming a position where the muscle is stretched to a point where the stretch is felt but before it is painful and held for 10-20 seconds. To try and increase flexibility with this method, I would recommend holding for 20 seconds then taking a deep breath and relaxing the stretch a bit (with things like hamstring stretches this will happen automatically, as the air will bring the torso into a more upright position), then exhaling and trying to increase the range of motion slightly. Repeat 2-3 times. Static stretching is so called for a reason – do NOT bounce into the stretch as it is not only dangerous but counter-productive. Also do not push a stretch past ‘discomfort’ – if pain is felt or the muscle starts shaking, back off a bit.

Dynamic stretching

Involves gradually increasing the range of motion through a joint or series of joints using (voluntary) movement of the limbs. Examples of this could be as simple as swinging the leg forwards and backwards, increasing the range of motion each time, which will stretch the hamstrings and hip flexors. This is also one of the benefits of movement prep, which is a series of dynamic exercises designed to loosen up the body and activate certain muscles that are often not properly used in everyday life so the training can be more effective. This type of stretching also increases the temperature in the muscle, which in turn makes it more pliable and less likely to be injured by the workout that will usually follow.

MET’s (Muscle Energy Techniques)

There are various types of MET, the one we will focus on is the one that is in my opinion the most useful, which is PIR stretching (Post-Isometric Relaxation). Here is a basic explanation of the technique:-

- PT or partner will take you into the stretch
- Hold for 20 secs, or as long as it takes for the stretch to lessen in intensity
- PT/partner will take you into a more comfortable position
- Push towards PT/partner, therefore using the muscle that was just stretched
- Relax the muscle, take a deep breath in and out while PT/partner takes you into a further stretch
- Repeat as necessary

This type of stretching generally shows good results very quickly if no other problems are preventing improvements in flexibility. The drawbacks are it is quite hard to do correctly alone, although you can attempt to do something similar using a length of rope.

Why is my flexibility not improving?

There are a few people whose flexibility seems to never improve. There are a few reasons for this, but the most common is…..they aren’t stretching enough! If you think about the average person who has tight hamstrings; they sit at a desk for 8 hours plus every day, where their hamstrings are in a shortened position, then stretch once after a workout, which maybe 5 minutes 3 times a week. That makes a weekly time sitting in a shortened position of at LEAST 40 hours, and a time spent stretching of…….15 minutes! Obviously this is not going to make a huge impact in terms of improving flexibility. What I recommend to people with flexibility problems is to try and stretch the muscles that improvement is required in at least 4 times a day statically, and try and use METs at the end of each workout. The longer a muscle has between stretching sessions, the more opportunity it has to shorten. Even if your static stretching is just maintaining the length of the muscle in between MET stretching sessions, you will be ahead of someone who does a developmental stretching session at the end of a workout then sits without stretching for the next 2 days, as their muscles will usually return to the start position between sessions and an improvement will never be seen!

Another reason why you may not be seeing improvements in flexibility is that adhesions within the muscle may be preventing the muscles from lengthening. These adhesions can be caused by micro-trauma caused by exercise or just a lack of movement in a muscle group. Basically the muscle fibres get stuck to each other and the entire group stiffens up. An easy way to envision this is a brake cable on a bicycle or a handbrake on a car – it is a central wire that slides up and down inside a sheath. This is the same as your muscles, round each muscle is a sheath of tissue. In the case of a brake cable, the cable is lubricated and the inside of the sheath is smooth, and when you pull on the cable it slides through easily. If you have adhesions within the muscle, it is like there is no lubricant and the cable is rusty – it will make it very difficult to slide the cable through the sheath. The cure for this is to oil the cable and move it around to get a correct range of motion back. Similar can be said for the treatment of muscle adhesions. The sheath and muscles need to be moved around if various directions, but mainly in the direction the muscle acts.

Two main ways of achieving this are to get massage treatment (I recommend ‘sports’ massage over ‘relaxation’ massage, as it will be working deeper into the tissue and get more involved in fixing any problems. The sports massage therapist will also know what to look for and how to cure any issues you may have)

The other method of treatment is a foam roller. This is a relatively solid round piece of foam (but still with enough give to not cause excruciating pain in most people) which you can ‘roll’ the muscles across, giving the basic effect of a massage for a lower price and without requiring a massage therapist handy! May not be effective on breaking down major problems inside the muscle, but is very good at maintaining the condition of a muscle once it is working correctly. For the cost of a foam roller and the potential benefits, everyone should own at least one!

Hopefully this article has given you some ideas about how important flexibility is and how to go about increasing yours. Remember that although stretching (and taking care of your muscle condition in general) may seem boring at the time, it can be priceless if it prevents an injury from occurring further down the line. Just a few minutes investment when needed can prevent major problems in the future.


Alex Gold is a strength and conditioning coach and sports therapist specializing in working with sportsmen to increase performance. He can be contacted on 07931 561 807 or via his website, www.hardcoresportstraining.co.uk where you can also sign up for a free newsletter with training tips and more!