What are the flexibility training methods

At present, flexibility training commonly used in the fields of fitness and sports is mainly divided into three categories: dynamic stretching, static stretching, and PNF stretching. Whether you are an ordinary fitness enthusiast or a professional athlete, you basically choose a combination that suits you from these three categories.

You must have seen marathon runners swinging their legs, turning their hips, and doing body turns to touch their ankles in the crowd at the starting point before the race. Those movements that are controlled and gradually increase in amplitude are typical dynamic stretches. There has always been controversy about dynamic stretching. One group of sports scholars believe that dynamic stretching itself can warm up and activate muscles and joints if done directly. Many front-line coaches also insist that it is best to do 3 to 5 minutes of jogging and jumping jacks before dynamic stretching to raise the body temperature. Directly stretching cold muscles to large movements can easily pull muscle fibers. There was a girl in the amateur running group I led before. When the weather first warmed up in the spring, she just pressed her legs and swung her hips without doing any aerobic exercise. She tore her hamstrings as soon as she got up, and it took her almost half a month to recover.

When you finish the formal training and all the muscles in your body are warmed up, sit down and bend forward to reach your toes for 30 seconds, put your legs on the bar and keep them still. This kind of maintaining a fixed stretch for a period of time is static stretching, which is also the most commonly used type by ordinary enthusiasts. Previous studies have shown that static stretching for more than 1 minute before strength training will temporarily reduce muscle explosive power. At that time, there was a lot of quarrel on the Internet. In fact, there is no need to be black and white. As long as long-term static stretching is not placed before formal training and is done after training to relax and lengthen muscle fibers, the effect is actually particularly good. The 12-year-old badminton team members I led before used to run with their bags on their backs after practice. Later, they set aside 10 minutes each time to do static stretching of their shoulders and legs. After half a year, the range of motion of their shoulder joints increased by an average of 12 degrees. No one complained about pain when raising their arms when hitting the ball.

If you have been stretching by yourself for more than half a year, and the horizontal and vertical forks are always stuck by a few centimeters, and your shoulders and back are so tight that it is difficult to lift your arms, you can try PNF stretching, which is the proprioceptive neuromuscular stimulation method. The term sounds deceptive, but the actual practice is not high. For example, if you can't lower the crossbar, find a partner to hold your knees and push down until you can feel the obvious stretch but not painful. You can actively use force to resist the partner's force for about 10 seconds. After you completely relax, the partner can press down another 2 to 3 centimeters, which is much more efficient than holding in the pressure yourself. This method was first used in the field of rehabilitation to restore joint mobility to post-operative patients. Nowadays, many dancers and fighters use it to overcome flexibility bottlenecks. However, you must also be reminded that if the partner who is helping you press is inexperienced, don't use too much force during the confrontation. If the force is not well controlled, it will easily lead to strain.

I have been practicing strength training myself for almost 7 years. I usually warm up with dynamic stretching to open my joints, and use static stretching to relax after practice. I do PNF shoulder and hip openings with a partner twice a month. I have never had any muscle strain problems for a long time, and there is no abnormal sound in my shoulders when I bench press. In fact, there is no need to worry about which method is best. The one that can match your training rhythm and will not cause pain is suitable for you.