1. F l e x i b i l i t y

2. What is Flexibility?  Flexibility refers to a joint’s ability to move through its full range of motion.  Range of Motion refers to the degrees of motion allowed around a joint.

3. Ball and Socket Joint  Ball and Socket Joints - Shoulders and hips and provide a joint with a wide range of motion.

4. Hinge Joints  Hinge Joints - Elbows and knees - Allow only for back and forth movement.

5. Other Joints  In the neck there are Pivot Joints that allow a rotating movement.  In the wrists and ankles there are Gliding Joints that allow each tiny bone to glide over the other

6. Factors Affecting Flexibility  Heredity  Gender- females are more flexible than males in some movements  Age- younger people are usually more flexible than older people because of elasticity (ability of muscles and tissues to stretch and give.  Body Temperature- importance for warm up  Injuries- limitations  Percentage of Body Fat- excessive can limit ROM  Activity Level- inactivity limits flexibility Keep your elasticity and stay active and flexible.

7. Lower-Back Pain  Often associated with inflexible and weak muscles that support the spine and pelvis  Leading cause of back injury is improper lifting  To lift correctly- bend knees, keep stomach tight, keep object close to body, use legs to lift object, find a partner if necessary  Good posture helps to distribute force of gravity throughout the body so that no one structure is overstressed like the lower back tends to be.

10. Benefits of Flexibility Conditioning  Healthy Joints- increases ROM, decreased injury  Healthy Muscles- stabilizes joints, increases ROM  Fewer Injuries- controls instability, reduces joint pain  Reduced Stiffness and Soreness- increased blood flow and ROM, keep on stretching  Healthy Emotions- tension and stress levels are lowered  Healthy Image- future participation in physical activities

11. Hyperflexibility  Excessive flexibility  Joint is stretched beyond normal ROM  Torn rotator cuffs are very common in people who have stretched shoulder ligaments

12. Muscle Imbalance  When you strengthen muscles around a joint, you need to be sure to work the 2 opposing muscle groups involved. This helps to avoid muscle imbalance which is when one muscle group becomes too strong in relation to complimentary group.

13. Core Stability  To treat hyperflexibility and muscle imbalance develop your core stability. This is the stretching and strengthening of the muscles around the spine and pelvic regions.  Examples?

14. FITT and Flexibility  Frequency- You should stretch a minimum of 3 times per week but daily is best  Intensity- reach beyond the point where a muscle or connective tissue is stretched just beyond its normal resting state  Time- hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds  Type- apply specificity

15. Types of Stretching  Static - slow, smooth, sustained for 20-30 seconds until you feel slight discomfort  Ballistic - quick up and down bobbing movements where stretches are held briefly (may cause injury)  Reflex - assisted-stretching movements that challenge the reflexes to adapt…plyometric  Passive - against a counterforce (partner, chair, towel) and in which there is little or no movement