Chapter 6

Muscular Flexibility Assessment and Prescription

General Information

• Flexibility=The ability of a joint to move freely through its full range of motion

• Most people either don’t stretch or stretch improperly

• Decreased flexibility = poor posture, aches, pains, limited joint movement

• 80% low back pain flexibility related• Billions of dollars a year lost in work productivity

Factors Affecting Flexibility

• Genetic • Physical activity• Joint structure• Ligaments• Tendons• Muscles• Skin• Previous injury• Adipose tissue• Body temperature• Age• gender

Factors Affecting Flexibility

• Plastic Elongation = permanent lengthening of soft tissue

• Elastic Elongation = temporary lengthening of soft tissue

Factors Affecting Flexibility

• Muscle temperature changes (+/-) 20%• Proper warm-up = increased flexibility• Adipose increases resistance to movement• Women more flexible than men• Low flexibility

– Sedentary living– Lack of exercise– Injury scar tissue

Assessment of Flexibility

• Most are specific to certain sport

• Sit-and-Reach best for overall flexibility

• Perform test using Fig 6.1 and Table 6.1

• Record results

Principles of Muscular Flexibility Prescription

• Mode of Training– Ballistic stretching– Slow-sustained stretching– Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)– Functional warm-up

• Intensity– Point of discomfort

• Repetitions– 4-5 times holding 10-30 secs each

• Frequency– 5-6 times per week

When to Stretch?

• Warm-up and stretching are different– Warm-up = gradual activity to increase blood

flow to body and muscles

– Stretching = movement of joints through full range of motion

• Post workout = optimal time to increase flexibility, decreases muscle soreness

Low Back Issues

• 75 million chronic low back pain Americans

• 80% preventable with proper flexibility– Posture, physical inactivity, excessive body

weight

• Increased hamstring flexibility and increased abdominal strength = healthy back

Assignments

Take on-line textbook quiz: Lifetime Fitness textbook link can be found

on right margin of blog site. • E-mail to ke_tslattery@kentschools.net or

print out copy• Complete lab 6.1 and 6.3