What are the items and movement requirements for flexibility training

The mainstream flexibility training programs that we have access to on a daily basis generally include dynamic stretching, static active/passive stretching, PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) stretching, as well as related modules in yoga, Pilates, and martial arts flexibility specialties. To put it bluntly, the core requirements of all movements are "not to touch sharp pain, match the scene, and follow the body's feedback." There is really no need to suppress the pain in the shoulders and legs, but it is easy to leave chronic injuries.

There was a young girl born in 2000 in the running group I led a while ago. In order to increase her stride, she stretched her legs and pressed her forks every day when she first joined the team. Within a week, she slightly tore her hamstring muscles. It took her two months to dare to run again. She was a typical example of not understanding the applicable scenarios of different events and not stepping into the safe boundaries of movements. If you warm up before playing ball or running, you should basically use dynamic flexibility exercises, such as front and back leg swings, lateral cross steps, turning and touching feet, walking lunges and rotating hips. The movements do not need to be large, as long as they can activate the joints and ligaments to avoid sudden pulls during exercise. If you finish exercising or want to improve long-term flexibility in daily life, static stretching is more commonly used. For example, sitting on the ground and bending forward to stretch the hamstring muscles, turning shoulders against the wall to stretch the chest muscles, and hugging the legs to the chest to stretch the buttocks. These are all things that ordinary people can do at home without any equipment. Oh, by the way, there is also PNF stretching commonly used by professional athletes. You can understand it as "stretching after resistance." For example, when pressing your legs, stop at a position that feels stretched. Find a partner to hold your legs. You first exert force to resist for about 5 seconds. Wait until the muscles relax and then press down a little. This kind of increase speed is much faster than pure static. You need to find a partner who understands strength, otherwise it will be easy to strain. As for the seated angle pose and downward dog pose in yoga, and the cat-cow and spinal rolls in Pilates, they actually combine flexibility with core control. They train not only the softness of the limbs, but also the flexibility of the core of the trunk, which provides more comprehensive benefits than pure stretching.

Speaking of movement requirements, there are actually quite a lot of controversies on the Internet nowadays. Some people say that stretching is useless, and some say that stretching will reduce strength. In fact, they are all said regardless of the scene. For example, if you do static stretching for more than 30 seconds before strength training, there is a high probability that the weight of the squat and deadlift will drop by 5%-10% that day. This is a temporary decrease in strength after the muscles are lengthened. It is not a problem with the stretching itself. If you move static stretching to after training, it will not only relieve muscle soreness, but also will not affect strength growth at all, so there is no need to worry about it. Our muscles and ligaments are like rubber bands that have been left for a long time. When they are frozen and hard, they will definitely break if you pull them hard. First shake them twice to move them, and then slowly pull them apart to make them longer without destroying the elasticity. The logic of flexibility training is actually that simple. No matter what kind of flexibility program you practice, you just need to remember one thing: the stretching sensation is enough to the point of "soreness, swelling and tightness". If there is a sharp tingling or numbness, it is an alarm from your body. Stop immediately and don't hold on. Ordinary people don't need to pursue the softness of dancers who can do the splits and lower the waist. For example, if you sit for a long time and your waist is as hard as a slate, when you are fishing at work, sit on the chair and slowly turn your waist, or stand up and hold the table and do a small forward bend. Holding it for 10 seconds is considered an effective flexibility training and can relieve the tension of sitting for a long time.