Better training? It's not that much of a stretch!

Wednesday, 1st June 2016

Flexibility, Mobility and Stretching - Just how important are these 3 things within your training?

Imagine driving your car every single day for 5 years without any type of maintenance, MOTs or servicing. Will it really be running optimally and to its full potential? Not at all. This applies to our body too. We need to make sure our muscles, joints and bones are well looked after in order for us to carry on achieving our goals.

Not only is this type of training great for the body, it also helps to rejuvenate the mind and allows us to feel calm and relaxed towards exercise. There are also lots of benefits:

• Releases tension and stress within the target muscles in order to develop further during exercise
• Helps towards posture correction 
• Reduces risk of injury within activities
• Improves everyday performance, from walking to the shop, cleaning the house and even chasing those little ones around the house. Our functional movements are so important, so keep them healthy!

It only takes between 5 and 10 minutes, before or after a workout sessions. It can be done at home, in the garden or at the gym. It’s something we should all start to look at!

Types of Mobility/Flexibility training:

• Hamstrings
• Quads
• Calves 
• Glutes
• Hip Flexors
• Adductors
• Chest
• Shoulders 
• Latissmus Dorsi

KYLE'S HEALTH TIP: Spend 15 minutes, twice a week to incorporate flexibility and mobility training into your sessions. This will help you see postural differences and an all-round improvement in your fitness ability

By Kyle Longbottom, Personal Trainer