Vorige week benaderde de enthousiaste en sportieve blogster Lenise Collimore (van Eindhoven in Motion) Personal Trainer Shanna voor een artikel over flexibiliteit. Haar blog is in het Engels en zeker de moeite waard om eens te bekijken! Inmiddels is deze ook verschenen op de website van Eindhoven Sport. Hieronder het artikel:
Eindhoven in Motion is devoting February to flexibility! Some of us have it, some of us need to work a bit harder for it. Me? I fall into the latter! But luckily, the very flexible Personal Trainer, Shanna van Mens (pictured), has helped out with her expert knowledge and tips!
Flexibility
According to Shanna, flexibility is the ability of the joints or muscles to move freely. With greater flexibility comes ease of movement.
“Take the squat, for example – one of the most important exercises in the sports world. With a technically correct squat, flexibility is needed in the back, hips, butt, hamstrings, and calves. If one or more of these muscle groups lacks flexibility, the chances of poor technique and / or injury is greater.” – Shanna van Mens
So how can we improve our overall flexibility?
Dynamic Stretching
This refers to stretching in motion and is a great way to warm up your body. It improves your range of motion and activates your muscles. Think of swinging / circling your arms, shoulders and hips, as well as exercises like leg swings, knee lifts, high kicks, and walking lunges (a quick google search will help if you’re not sure what these are). Shanna also stresses that you need to do dynamic stretches which utilize the muscles and joints that you will be using in your workout, and to gradually build the intensity of the movements. This way you will prepare your muscles for what you want them to do later on.
Static Stretching
This refers to stretching a muscle and holding the position for 30+ seconds. This temporarily decreases the maximum strength, power, and explosiveness of the muscle – the very things you need in both cardio and strength training. Therefore, if you do static stretching before you exercise, you are going to increase the risk of injury and negatively impact your performance. So these stretches are best done after your workout – the time when your muscles are still warm but they no longer need to perform strenuously. Shanna also recommends that you incorporate static stretches on days when you don’t workout. But listen to your body – stretching is also taxing!
Yoga
Shanna also recommends yoga, especially Bikram, as an excellent way to improve flexibility. Because it is performed in a hot room, the muscles can relax more easily. I have personally tried this kind of class at Hot Yoga Eindhoven. At first I thought that I wouldn’t be able to get through the whole hour in a room that was heated to 38 / 30 degrees (ironic considering I’m from Australia), but I soon forgot about that as I relaxed into each pose, and really enjoyed the class.
Useful resources
“Everything revolves around balance, including flexibility. I highly recommend regular exercises which stretch the whole body.” – Shanna van Mens
Great morning workouts (especially the cat – camel stretch)
And one of Shanna’s personal favourites: Hip-flexor stretch to prevent lower back pain
I’d really like to thank Shanna for taking the time to answer all my questions. If you’d like to find out more about her, please take a look at her website (Dutch only), or follow her on Facebook. I really recommend that you also follow her on Instagram for a daily dose of fitness inspiration!
Personal Trainer Shanna - Eindhoven 