Flexibility
● Definition: in short, range of motion
○ Functional capacity of the joints to move through a full range of motion (ROM)
■ RANGE OF MOTION = bend without breaking
■ ROM is joint specific, every joint has their own characteristics that
determine how much range of motion it should have
○ Use of goniometer to measure joint ROM
● Determinants of flexibility
● Factors include
○ Joint structure
○ Health of soft tissue around the joint
○ Length of antagonist muscles
○ Temperature of the tissues being stretched
■ Warmer tissues, more pliable
○ Viscoeleastic (rubber band like)
● Influences of joint properties
○ Age
■ Older you get, less flexible you become
○ Gender
■ Females tend to be more flexible than males
○ Disease
■ E.g., arthritis (not using it as often so joint becomes stiffer)
○ Posture
■ Posture you are most often in impacts ROM
○ Muscularity
○ Heredity
○ Physical activity history
● Stretching
○ ACSM: include stretching exercises of the major skeletal muscle groups at least
2-3 days/week
■ Same thing as resistance training guidelines
○ Essential part of health related fitness
○ Deficiencies in Spine ROM — prognostic of low back problems
■ Extension exercise is important but NOT to exceed normal lordotic curve
● Assessment of ROM
○ Can help develop exercise programs
○ Some flexibility tests require the subject to be “cold” — no prior activity or warm
up, while others allow a warm-up
■ Will see better results once warm
○ Clothing should allow for full range of motion
● Types of strethcing
○ 3 types
■ Static
■ Dynamic
■ PNF
