Download Components of Fitness - FLEXIBILITY PRESENTATION

COMPONENTS OF
FITNESS
FLEXIBILITY
FLEXIBILITY
• Flexibility is “the range of motion (RoM) around a joint or
a series of joints”
• Flexibility is joint-specific, sport-specific and has two
components Static Flexibility and Dynamic Flexibility
• Static Flexibility is the ‘range of movement without taking
into account speed of movement. It is the maximum RoM a
muscle or connective tissue will allow without external
force.
• Dynamic Flexibility is the range of motion which takes into
account the speed of movement and reflects the joints’
resistance to movement
• Flexibility is the RoM and stretching is the training method
used to increase flexibility
• A lack of flexibility in some muscles can affect an
individual’s natural body alignment (posture)
BENEFITS OF FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
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Reduced risk of injury (prevention)
Improved posture, alignment and ergonomics
Reduction of DOMS
Performance Enhancement:
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Flexible muscles perform better than tight muscles
Improves range of motion at joints
Increased RoM for applying force (Power)
Improved economy of movement (strength
endurance/aerobic capacity)
– Improved motor performance/skills
FACTORS AFFECTING FLEXIBILITY
• Type of joint (ball and socket joint has more flexibility than a hinge
joint)
• Joint shape (arrangement, shape and alignment of articulating
surfaces)
• Length/elasticity of connective tissue (ligaments and tendons)
• Muscle length/elasticity
• Gender (generally females are more flexible than males)
• Age (flexibility decreases with age)
• Elasticity (suppleness of skin and adipose tissue)
• Temperature (elasticity of muscles and connective tissue improves
when warm)
• Muscle mass (excess muscle mass around a joint will restrict RoM)
• Nerves (nerves passing through the joints)
• Hypermobility (this increases RoM but can lead to joint instability
and increases the risk of injury)
• Flexibility Training
MEASURING FLEXIBILITY
• Sit and Reach Test
• Goniometry (uses a double-armed
goniometer, which is an angled-ruler, which
measures the degrees of movement at
selected joints)
– Goniometry is usually performed on hip flexion,
hip extension, hip abduction, shoulder flexion and
shoulder extension
FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
• Maintenance Stretching – stretching as part of a warm up
and cool down which helps maintain an individual’s RoM
but does not increase it
• Developmental Stretching – whole or part of training
sessions (a minimum of 10-15 minutes) devoted solely to
stretching, which increases as individual’s RoM
• To improve flexibility performers must stimulate sufficient
overload using the FITT principle
– Frequency – 2-4 times a week
– Intensity – varying from mild tension through to the extreme
point of resistance
– Time/Duration – hold each stretch for a minimum of 10 seconds
and a maximum of 30+ seconds and repeat 3-6 times
– Type – Static, Dynamic, Ballistic or PNF
• Specificity is also needed (selecting the correct joints and
the correct type of stretching)
FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
STATIC STRETCHING
• Static Active Stretches – these are unassisted and
the performer actively completes voluntary static
contractions of an agonist muscle to create the
force to stretch the antagonist muscle just
beyond its end point of resistance while held still
• Static Passive Stretches – these are assisted by an
external force
• The problem with static stretching is that it does
not prepare the joints for the more dynamic and
powerful RoM that will be performed in the
actual activity
FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
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BALLISTIC STRETCHING
This involves the use of momentum to move a joint
forcibly through its extreme end of range or point of
resistance. It involves fast, swinging, active or boncing
movements to complete the joint’s full RoM
Ballistic stretching does carry greater risk of muscle
soreness/injury and produces limited long-term
adaptations for increasing muscle length
Ballistic stretching mimics the action in the sport being
carried out and can be done in a safe and progressive
way (Gymnasts tend to use this method frequently)
This should only be performed by athletes who already
have a good range of flexibility
FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
DYNAMIC STRETCHING
• This is a more controlled version of ballistic
stretching and involves taking the muscle
through a joint’s RoM, with muscle tension
but with the entry and exit under more
control
• This develops a more optimum level of
dynamic flexibility
• This should only be performed by athletes
who already have a good range of flexibility
FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
PROPRIORECEPTIVE NEUROMUSCULAR FACILITATION
(PNF)
• PNF attempts to inhibit the stretch reflex mechanism to
allow a greater stretch of the muscle/connective tissues
• Muscles contain muscle spindles which, when a muscle
is stretched, stimulate the central nervous system via the
spinal cord to activate the stretch reflex
• The muscle contracts in a protective mechanism to
prevent the muscle from being overstretched and this is
what PNF attempts to stop occurring
FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
PROPRIORECEPTIVE NEUROMUSCULAR FACILITATION
(PNF)
• A PNF technique called ‘static-contract-relax’ involve the following
stages
– Static = muscle is stretched just beyond the point of resistance
– Contract = isometric muscle contraction held for a minimum of 10 seconds
– Relax = muscle is then relaxed and the sequence is repeated at least three
times
• The isometric contraction inhibits the stretch reflex, allowing the
muscle to be stretched further in each consecutive PNF stretch
• Most PNF techniques require the assistance of a partner to resist
the movement of the performer as they contract their muscle
isometrically
• PNF produces quicker and equal or better flexibility gains than
static stretching
FLEXIBILITY ADAPTATIONS
• Increased elasticity/length of muscle/connective
tissues
• Increased resting length of muscle/connective tissues
• Muscle spindles adapt to the increased length,
reducing the stimulus to the stretch reflex
• Increased RoM at a joint before the stretch reflex is
initiated
• Increased potential for static and dynamic flexibility
(RoM)
• Increased distance and efficiency for muscles to create
force and acceleration
• Increased RoM reduces potential for injury to
muscle/connective tissues during dynamic sports
movements