Day Eighty-One: Flexibility

We knew that flexibility was important on our P90X Journey when one of the pre-P90X fitness test components was the measurement of the seated hamstring-stretch....

...and then there was yoga, once weekly for a 90 minute session as a key component to the program...
...and also XStretch each week for 50 minutes as an option to a day off.

In the extreme home-fitness program, Tony Horton discusses the importance of not only having strength, but strength with flexibility. It allows us to avoid injury, and repair more quickly. A key part of each workout is the stretch both before and after for a good 5-7 minutes. Stretching before workout warms up both joints and muscles, and stretching after a workout helps reduce soreness. He often says that flexibility is just like strength...

We have to work at it to increase it.

Ligaments, tendons, and the end of the muscle all come together in the area where two bones meet referred to as the joint. When we increase the distance of motion in a joint, we increase the amount of tension that can be placed on it before injury occurs. Like a rubber band stretching instead of breaking, we are given a greater degree of "give" in the amount of tension a joint can take.  Flexibility increases through stretching this area repeatedly under the right conditions and circumstances.

It is best to do some warm-up before stretching instead of trying to stretch cold. Because body temperature and circulation are both factors that affect flexibility, running in place, light jogging, yoga sun salutations, or any kind of movement that elevates the heart rate is advised for a few minutes before beginning the stretch.

I challenge you to work on ways to increase your flexibility.