We all know that being flexible is important for dancers and gymnasts, but what comes as a wake up call to many is that flexibility is one of the keys to decreasing the risk of injury, improving posture, lengthening your muscles for a longer, leaner look and making cardio workouts a lot lighter and easier, therefore it is no surprise that flexibility and Pilates go hand in hand. So it turns out flexibility is something that we should all be focusing on, and is inextricably linked to Pilates.
We can define flexibility as the ability of a joint to move freely through its natural range of movement. That range of movement should be primarily determined by the shapes of the bones of the joint, and the length of the ligaments surrounding the joint. Oftentimes, however, flexibility is limited by other factors, including: weakness of the stabilizing muscles around a joint, groups of muscles not working together as a well coordinated system, and shortened, tight muscles.
This last factor is the one we are most likely to focus on when we think about flexibility because it is generally accepted that if we can just keep stretching ‘those’ muscles then we can improve our flexibility! In many cases however is it because the stabilizing muscles of the joints are not functioning properly that affects the alignment of joints and therefore our flexibility.
Flexibility is one of the first things to disappear as we grow older, and therefore we need to make a conscientious effort to stretch and stabilize our muscles. As a runner from a young age, I hardly ever stretched before or after a run, and can now see the consequences of my actions: extremely tight ITBs (outer thigh area) causing knee pain and shin splints… What could have helped to prevent this would have been targeted stretching and strengthening of my inner thighs and hip muscles so that they could work to stabilise and support the load of my training. Flexibility has never seemed so important!
Alongside strengthening, one of the release techniques I have found hugely helpful in my Pilates sessions, is rolling the outside and front of my legs on a long round foam roller. Rolling techniques help loosen knots in the connective tissue of your body.
Foam rollers are affordable and easy to use on many areas of the body to improve flexibility and spinal mobililty.
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In your Pilates sessions, we not only focus on stretching, we also work on training the muscles that stabilize joints. This is working towards stabilizing the joints effectively, and this is the key to improving flexibility- flexibility, that is important for more reasons than being able to do the splits!
So, with this information, consider why you feel you need to be more flexible. Then ask your instructor what you need to do, for your body, as simply stretching alone may not be the best path to achieving your goals.
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