What is the best way for sprinters to increase their flexibility?
Search the archives. There has been a great deal of discussion on this topic. Generally, different types of flexibility methods are used in conjunction with different types of training, so you’re looking at a multifaceted approach.
agreed, and you should also search and read about the dangers of being too flexible as well. Happy hunting.
I have trained for a whole 2 years without doing any static streaching or any kind of streaching program at all. Only some dynamic ones that serve as a warm up at the start of the session. But then after 2 years I was much more flexibale than before. I think its something we shouldn’t think much off. I believe that weight training with proper range of motion helps enough with that
Very Carefully
Flexibility is often disreguarded and should be treated very seriously.being supple and flexibile is a must but often isn’t always the case.i know one WC gold medal winner who had very bad h/s flexibilty but never really caused any real trouble.on the other hand i know a particular hurdler who is extremely flexible(hurdlers tend to be greater in this area due to greater range of motions) and was plagued with trouble throughtout his career.
personnally i find it hard for an athlete to be too flexible as i said before this area is often neglected.it goes hand in hand with warm-ups,cool-downs,diet and so on and must be treated in such manner as the other aspects are
The real key is trying to balance and optimize both the length and the tension in the soft tissues. Stretching obiously affects length, and some stretching techniques (MET, PNF) can also affect tension. Conversely, massage, myofascial release, etc., primarily affect tension, but can also increase length and ROM. This is why a multifaceted approach is usually necessary.
However, the length/tension relationships are always unique to the athlete and even to specific muscle groups. Therefore, there are many roads to the mountain top. For example, one athlete might be able to maintain good tension levels through his regular stretching routine, while another athlete might be able to maintain good ROM simply from massage work. I imagine most of us are somewhere in the middle.
Very true! I have extreme flexibility in my hamstrings (I can do a full split, lean forward and lie flat on my leg with my head on the ground and take a nap that way) and lo and behold… my hamstrings have given me more problems than anything else.
Then again, of course, my piriformis and back are tight and they are #2 on the list of trouble makers.
Personally I have found it useful to get evaluated or figure out myself where I am actually tight and focus there, and for things that are already loose I stretch less often or get massaged. What is the point of stretching to increase flexibility if it’s already there in spades? (That is not a rhetorical question…)
Kras,
in your grad pic are you the one on the left or right?
left… on right is my best friend
…kool…