What are some factors that limit your flexibility?
Here are some factors that could limit your flexibility:
Scroll ned for å lese på norsk.
Joint structure: Your shoulder and hip joints have the greatest mobility, whereas your elbow and knee joints have a more limited range of motions.
Muscle mass: Large muscle mass leads to less mobility. For example, large hamstrings limit the ability to fully do the forward bend.
Age: We become less flexible as we get older as a result of certain changes that take place in our connective tissues. As we age, our bodies gradually dehydrate to some extent and collagen in ligaments and tendons mature. Another thing is that we tend to become less active when we get older.
Gender: Women are generally more flexible than men due to different bone structure and muscle mass. Men tend to have larger muscle mass, which limits their flexiblity.
Temperature in the environment and body: Connective tissues in the body become less elastic when the body is cold, hence more vulnerable to injury. Therefore it is important to warm up. Your joints and muscles offer better flexibility at body temperatures that are 1 to 2 degrees higher than normal.
Injury or sickness: Injured joints and muscles will usually offer a lesser degree of flexibility than healthy ones.
Your daily movements and activities: Your body adapts to whichever requirements of the movement it performs. If you are inactive, your body will adapt to this inactivity. When connective tissue is unused or under used, it provides significant resistance and limits flexibility. If you have an office job and spend hours sitting in front of a computer, your shoulder muscles may become stiff, and you will find it more difficult to perform pole moves that require shoulder flexiblity.
Stress: When you are stressed, your body release stress hormones and your muscles become tightened.
With consistent practice your flexibility will improve. Check out Fit and Bendy for some great advice on stretching.
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På norsk:
Hva kan forhindre din fleksibilitet?
Leddtyper: Skulder-og-hofteleddene har den høyeste mobiliteten i kroppen mens albue-og-kneleddene er ikke like fleksible.
Muskelvolum: Større muskelvolum fører til mindre mobilitet. F.eks. det er vanskeligere å gjøre en forward bend med store hamstrings.
Alder: Med økende alder øker også stivheten i kroppens bløtdeler. Dette skyldes blant annet at antall krysskoblinger i bindevevet øker, noe som medfører at bindevevet ikke kan tøyes ut like lett. En annen grunn er at vi blir mindre aktive når vi blir eldre.
Kjønn: Kvinner er ofte mer bevegelige enn menn. En grunn til dette er anatomiske forskjeller, slik som skjelettets utseende og muskelvolumet.
Skader eller sykdommer i bevegelsesapparatet: Skadet ledd og muskler vil ha mindre fleksibilitet.
Temperaturen i omgivelsene og kroppstemperaturen: Bindevevet blir mindre elastisk ved lave temperaturer, og skades da også lettere når det strekkes. Derfor er oppvarming viktig. Leddene og musklene er mer elastisk når kroppens temperatur er 1 til 2 grader høyere enn normalt.
Personens bevegelsmønster og aktivitetsgrad: Kroppen tilpasser seg de kravene som stilles, og hvis en person er helt inaktiv, vil kroppen tilpasse bevegelseomfanget etter dette. Det betyr at bindevevets evne til å strekkes blir redusert.
Stress: Ved stress øker mengde stresshormoner i kroppen. Dette fører til økt muskelspenning.
Du blir mykere når du øver og trener oftere. Sjekk ut Fit and Bendy for tips om bevegelighetstrening.
Article written by Mai Phan. She is a XPERT level 1/2 and It's Pole Art certified pole fitness instructor. She is also undertaking Personal Trainer courses at SAFE Education.
Reference: http://web.mit.edu/tkd/stretch/stretching_3.html
