Flexibility exercise: solutions to improve your flexibility

Why work on your flexibility? 

Working on your flexibility means improving the ability of your muscles to lengthen. On a daily basis, being flexible speeds up your recovery by promoting your blood circulation. Your joint and muscle tension is relieved and the risk of injury is therefore reduced. Doing flexibility exercises also allows you to obtain greater range in your sporting movements and therefore improve your performance. 

To take care of your health

No matter your age, training your flexibility allows you to take care of your body without risk and D'improve your physical condition.

Indeed, when you are flexible, the risk of injury are reduced. By doing exercises to improve your flexibility, you will stretch your muscles and work your joints slowly. You then increase the flow of your blood circulation. Some cardiovascular illnesses are also less likely to trigger. 

And many sports, such as yoga, demonstrate this: making your body more flexible helps you relax your mind at the same time. Improving your flexibility allows you to both take care of your body, but also to take care of your Mental Health.

To achieve fluid movements without difficulty

In daily life, being flexible will do you a favor, whether it be to lift something heavy, or to pick up an object that has fallen on the ground. If you do these movements too rigidly, you can easily trigger yourself. back pain.

Flexibility exercises will help you to protect your joints. Among other things, they allow you to reduce the risks of the appearance ofosteoarthritis. You will maintain a good general functioning of your body. 

You will also work on your posture daily. 

Indeed, with the efforts you make on a daily basis or in your sport if you practice it, some imbalances can be created between your different parts of the body. THE stress absorbed day after day doesn't help you either.

By working on your flexibility, you can reduce these imbalances. This rebalancing will contribute to to correct your bad postures and allow you to perform your daily movements much more fluid. 

To have better sports performance

When you become more flexible, you will also be able to exploit three other qualities of yours: your coordination, your speed and your strength. Indeed, these qualities all interact with each other. 

Stretching will allow you to gain amplitude movement around your joints. You thus improve the potential of your muscles and therefore your Muscular force.

With more flexibility, your body also avoids bad resistance in your movements. You will be able better carry them out, and more efficiently. This reduces your risk of injury as well as your aches. You will also recover faster after physical exertion. Whether in bodybuilding or in more common sports, these stretches will allow you to progress and to continually go further.

How to gain flexibility? 10 exercises to help you

Now that you understand why training your flexibility is important in your everyday life, let's get down to practice. Here is a list of 10 exercises to carry out to progress and obtain results.

For each exercise, hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat the movement 2 to 3 times depending on how you feel. Remember to repeat your stretch with the opposite side.

Warming up

Before you start anything, remember to warm up first for about ten minutes. You will thus help your body and mind to practice more intensively. 

To unlock your body and prepare it for exercise, you can perform some exercises. joint mobility. At the same time, you increase your body temperature.

Your spirit and your body will both be ready for the stretching session you are going to do. 

Exercise 1: back

Child's pose is ideal for relieve your back tension et stretch your back.

To begin, position yourself on all fours on the floor. Without moving your hands, sit so that your buttocks are on your heels. Then place your forehead on the ground while keeping your hands flat on the ground. 

Inhale then exhale while trying to extend your arms as far in front of you as possible. You will thus stretch your spine. You should feel that your back muscles are working.

Exercise 2: abs

With the cobra pose, you will mainly stretch your abdominals.

To perform it, lie on your stomach, hands flat at your chest. Push the floor back and straighten your arms to raise your torso. 

Remember to keep your shoulders down and the head held high : look in front of you or upwards.

When you breathe, try to straighten your arms as much as possible to properly lengthen your spine.

Little advice : If this position is too hard to hold, rest not on your hands but on your forearms, keeping your elbows in line with your shoulders.

Exercise 3: shoulders

To stretch your shoulders, you can Sit where to stay standing. The most important thing is that you keep the straight back. 

Place your right arm in front of you at the level of your left shoulder. Place your left hand at the level of your right elbow and pull towards you. 

You should feel the muscles in your right shoulder stretching.

Exercise 4: pectorals and biceps

To soften your pectorals and biceps, you will need a door frame. 

While standing, hook your hands on either side of the door frame. Lean forward with your arms extended horizontally behind you. Your torso should remain as straight as possible.

Little advice : If your grip hurts your hands or your muscles pull too much, vary the position of your hands. Place them higher or lower to vary the intensity of your stretch. 

Exercise 5: glutes

To relax your gluteal muscles, lie on your back and place your left ankle on your right knee.

Place both hands on the back of your right thigh and gradually bring it toward your chest. Promote a smooth ascent by adapting your movement to the rhythm of your breathing. Also remember to relax your upper body.

Exercise 6: iliopsoas

THE slots allow you to stretch your iliopsoas, the muscle that allows flexion of your hip and which contributes to your balance when you are standing.

To perform the exercise, it's very simple: put yourself in a lunge position, and place your back knee on the ground. Your front knee should be in the same axis as your ankle. Then tilt your pelvis forward and down.   

Hold the position while controlling your breathing. You should feel a stretch in your hip muscles.

Exercise 7: adductors

You can stretch the adductors, the muscle located on the inside of your thighs, while lying on the ground. You only need a wall to help you.

Lie on your back with your butt against the wall and your legs extended over the wall. Now spread your legs and slide them down as far as possible. It is the inside of your thighs that is involved in this movement.

Your legs should remain in contact with the wall throughout the exercise. 

Little advice : If doing this exercise with straight legs stretches you too much, or it hurts behind the knee, don't hesitate to bend your legs slightly or lift your glutes off the wall. Find the position in which you are comfortable while stretching your adductors well.

Exercise 8: quadriceps

For the quadriceps stretch, stand. Grab one of your ankles and bring your heel to level with your glutes. 

You should feel the front of your thigh pulling you.

Little advice : If you have difficulty maintaining your balance, do not hesitate to support yourself using a wall, table or other support.

Exercise 9: Hamstrings

Your hamstring muscles are located on the back of the thighs. To stretch them, start by standing up. Extend your right leg in front of you, heel on the floor and foot flex with your toes facing up. Your body weight should be on your back leg, with your left leg slightly bent forward.

Exercise 10: calves

Last exercise to make you more flexible: the calves. Use a wall to help you during the movement. 

Standing facing the wall, move your right leg back as far as possible so that your knee is straight and your heel is on the ground. Your left leg should be slightly bent and your body tilted forward.

You should feel a stretch in your calf. back leg.

How to relax very quickly? 5 tips for progress

Do you want to become more flexible quickly? Or on the contrary, do you feel like you're stagnating in your progress? Do not panic ! Here are the 5 key points to focus on. 

1. Set a goal 

Before even embarking on stretching sessions and carrying out flexibility exercises, you must set one (or more) goals. 

For what Do you want to gain flexibility? 

To be in good health ? To have better performance in your sport? To avoid injuries? Or just to relax? 

Depending on the answer you give to this question, your flexibility exercises will not be the same. You will indeed have to adapt your training more precisely to practice without risking injury and delaying achieving your goal.

2. Stay regular above all

THERE solution to obtain results is very simple: it is the regularity. Practice regularly to get results faster.

If you can't do your flexibility exercises every day, because you don't have time or your body hasn't yet recovered from your last stretching session, it does not matter. 

Adapt your workouts perhaps trying other exercises or holding your position for a little less time. You can also reduce the number of your sessions by deciding to only do them'every other day, or even one day in three. 

Listen to your body so as not to hurt yourself. If he asks for a little more recovery time, give it to him and take a day off. 

Regularity also involvesactivation of your members daily. If you train regularly but in everyday life you use your muscles and joints little, your muscle fibers will return to their usual and initial state. Your progress will then be slowed down despite you. 

3. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself

In terms of flexibility, our bodies are all different et unequal, and this, from birth. As they grow up, some work on their flexibility by doing dance or gymnastics, while others work on it less or not at all.

But no matter your age, your gender and your passive In terms of sports practice, everyone can improve their flexibility with regular exercises. 

For the same objective, some people may go faster than others, but nothing is impossible.

And what's more, we don't teach you anything: when you are stress, your muscles tense. To have better progress, try to be as relaxed as possible during your stretches. 

Focus on your breathing and go ahead gently et gradually. Flexibility is interdependent on the relationship between your body and your spirit. Enjoy this moment of relaxation that you grant yourself.

But beware ! Above all, do not force yourself during your movements. You also don't want to risk injury.

4. Also work on the mobility of your joints

You know, to gain flexibility, you must increase the length of your fibers muscles. 

When you do sessions to improve your flexibility, do not neglect the work on your joints. In your body, your muscles are attached to your joints with tendons. 

Improving your mobility allows you to perform exercises that target your tendons and your ligaments. At the same time, you also develop your flexibility.

5. Vary your pleasures to keep your motivation

Being regular is good, but stay motivated throughout your journey to achieve your goal, this is important too.

To avoid getting tired of your sessions and to maintain unfailing motivation, you can, for example, vary the types of your workouts.

If you have gotten into the habit of doing your exercises at home, in the comfort of your living room or bedroom, try a new approach. Choose a new session, vary your exercises, do your stretching music or change your playlist if it already is.

You can also try practicing a completely different practice which promotes flexibility: yoga, dance, gymnastics.

Find that little extra which will allow you to stay motivated and not abandon your goal along the way. 

What are the best sports to gain flexibility?

You now have a clearer vision of the importance of flexibility in your daily life. All you have to do is find which sport suits you best to help you become more flexible. We have listed the 3 most common disciplines to get there.

Yoga

When we talk about flexibility, the first sport that comes to mind is often yoga, and with good reason!

With yoga postures and movements, your whole body is involved: spine, ankles, hamstrings, psoas, hips, knees or wrists.

Whether certain parts of your body are knotted, blocked, tense Or little used on a daily basis, the practice of this discipline will make you work on their relaxation in candy.

Pilates 

In a Pilates class, the sequences focus particularly on strengthening your abdominal belt and your spine. With each exercise, you engage your muscles in depth. YOU tone your entire body without any attack on your muscles or joints.

On the contrary, you work on thelengthening your muscles and their reinforcement. You thus improve both your natural posture and your flexibility while you empty thespirit.

The floor bar

The floor bar is a gentle discipline, ideal for improving your flexibility. During the course you are on the ground and you reproduce the classical dance exercises which are usually practiced standing at the bar. 

If you suffer from problems with your joints or your back, a barre class will allow you to gradually and gently strengthen these muscle groups.

With each of your movements, you lengthen your muscles. Over the course of the sessions, you become more flexible and your posture more slender.

To conclude: what to remember about flexibility exercises

The role of flexibility in everyday life and in sports no longer needs to be proven. 

Here's what you need to remember about flexibility exercises: 

1. Working on your flexibility allows you to take care of your health and improve your sporting performance.
2. To progress, try to create a routine : be regular and take pleasure in achieving the goal you have set for yourself.
3. Try different practices to vary your exercises and stay motivated in all circumstances: stretching, yoga, Pilates, floor barre. 
4. Complete your routine by also working on mobility of your joints.

Improve your flexibility at POSES Studio 

Do you want to take action and improve your flexibility? Studio POSES is the solution you need! 

In a single studio, find three concepts : Yoga Flow, Pilates Flow et Barre Flow. 

During 50 minutes, you work on your flexibility while reconnecting your body and your spirit. You will also strengthen your endurance, your balance and your strength.

No matter your level, our immersive workouts are designed for everyone. In a dark room, no judgment is allowed between Posers! You're just going to exercise at the rate of exclusive and dynamic playlists. 

Dare to have a unique experience in the heart of the Marais. Enter POSES.