If sports performance is at the top of your priorities when you are enrolling in personal training sessions then you might already have aspirations of becoming more agile and flexible.
Mobility exercise can work wonders for improving your flexibility for sports. The beauty of training to improve your flexibility for a sport is that the results you see in your training will largely be tangible.
You will notice increased flexibility each time you step into the gym.
This can be a big motivator for those who are looking to improve their performance in sports. Seeing improvements as you are training is a great way to keep you motivated to achieve even more. It will often result in you adhering to your personal training sessions for an extended period of time.
Perhaps even more importantly it will go a long way in improving your performance in your respective sport. Increasing your flexibility can often provide athletes with a significant competitive advantage when competing in both team and individual sports.
Let’s take a look at how you can go about improving your flexibility and getting the most out of your workouts so you can get into the gym and begin improving your flexibility as soon as today.
There is no getting around the importance of hydration when you are training.
Taking the necessary precautions
Before we get into how you can improve your flexibility through working out in the gym or at home, it is important that we make sure that you are taking all of the necessary precautions to ensure you are doing so safely.
If you are an athlete competing at any level then you will be all too familiar with the importance of injury prevention. You will know firsthand just how impactful an injury can be on your sports training and performance.
For this reason, it is important that you know how to stretch safely and effectively before you start. Although you can stretch from just about anywhere and at any time of the day, good technique is still something that remains essential.
If you do get Into the habit of Incorrect stretching or adopting some bad habits this can often cause more harm than good. It is important that you nip any of these bad habits in the bud and maximise your flexibility and also your longevity as an athlete in the process.
You should never think of stretching as a warmup for the session that you are going to do in the gym or participating in sports. Warming up should be a crucial part of your workout routine before you begin stretching.
By rushing through your warm-up you can strain cold muscles, and you could also injure yourself. In order to avoid risking injury you should begin by warming up with 5 to 10 minutes of low-intensity walking, jogging, or biking before you start your stretching.
After you are finished with your exercises at the gym or from your personal training session you should stretch while your muscles are still warm.
On the other hand, If you're going to be engaging in an extreme activity, like sprinting or skating or playing a sport such as football or rugby you might want to skip the stretching.
Pre-event stretching may potentially harm performance, according to some research. Additionally, stretching right before an event reduces hamstring strength, according to research.
Muscle recovery is among the most essential pillars when progressing in the gym.
How to fuel your workouts
There are a number of factors that you will need to consider in order to find a diet that works best for you. Your meals will need to align with the goals that you set yourself at the beginning of your personal training sessions if you are going to achieve them.
In order to ensure that all of the hard work that you put into accomplishing your goals is being rewarded you will need to put the same effort into your nutrition.
First of all the content of your meals is potentially going to have the biggest influence on your progress at the gym. You will need to ensure that you are taking in the correct amount of calories to gain, lose or maintain weight.
Suppose you have been training for some time or just want to ensure that you have everything nailed down from the beginning, then you might want to give some thought to your nutrient timing and when you eat your meals. Even if your overall calories remain consistent, how you time your meals can impact how sustainable your personal training plan is in the long run
You will also need to ensure that your meals are fuelling your workouts. You might decide that taking in more simple sugars or a bigger meal yields better results when it comes to staying energised throughout your personal training sessions.
You could also prefer to save the bulk of your calories for a bigger meal at the end of the day. This can help you to satisfy any craving that you might have and help you to stay on track with your diet in the long run. It’s all about finding what works for you and sticking to that in the long run.
We all know just how difficult it can be to stay motivated with our workouts.
Exercising to improve your flexibility
Stretching can actually aggravate an existing injury, if you're injured, you should consult an athletic trainer about how to improve flexibility without disturbing the rehab process.
- Forward Lunges
- Side Lunges.
- Cross-Over.
- Standing Quad Stretch.
- Seat Straddle Lotus.
- Seat Side Straddle.
- Seat Stretch.
- Knees to Chest.
The excises that you will need to perform will differ depending on the muscle or muscle group that you are stretching. This may also be determined by the respective sport that you are training for.
Becoming more flexible is likely going to be a grind, keep up the training and you'll notice a difference.
There is also plenty of research that suggests that stretching the muscles that are most frequently used during your sport or activity can be beneficial. There probably isn’t as much of a return from spending months improving your wrist flexibility if you are a football player.
If you play football and are wondering how to improve flexibility, then you might want to try adding calf stretches or various other leg stretches to your workout routine.
Instead, you might want to focus on stretching your hamstrings if you play football, as hamstring strains are more likely to occur and the increased flexibility will have more of an impact on your performance.
Likewise, a gymnast will likely perform different stretches than a rugby player as they will be utilizing different parts of their body in both competition and training
For this reason, it is all the more important that you tailor your stretches to your sport. If you are unsure about the exercises that you should be performing in order to improve your flexibility then perhaps you could get value from availing of a personal trainer.
Low carb meals are a great way of achieving your dieting goals.
Improving your flexibility over time
It is also important for athletes to continue with their stretching regimen, and adhere to it in the long run. You are likely to see incremental improvements in your flexibility as you continue training and stretching regularly.
If you wish to continue improving and keep potential injuries at bay while you are practising a specific sport then stretching should be in your personal training program long-term.
It can take a while to stretch. But stretching frequently—at least twice or three times a week—will help you reap the greatest rewards.
Stretching for even 5 to 10 minutes at a time can be beneficial. Make sure to incorporate it into your schedule if you are looking to make improvements in your overall flexibility going forwards.
If you are stretching for a particular sport that requires performance you might want to try attempting a "dynamic warmup". This involves performing actions that are similar to those in your particular sport or physical activity at a low level and constitutes a dynamic warmup. As you warm up, you steadily increase speed and intensity.
If you are a powerlifter who is looking to increase the depth at which you are able to squat, then stretching prior to your workout might have a negative impact on your ability to lift the weights.
Instead, after you finish a 5 or 10 minute walk, you can try warming up with just the bar until the necessary muscles are warmed up.
A lot of stretching will come from feeling, while your training programme is useful in providing structure and metrics for improvement, you might find times when you feel more or less stretching and exercise is necessary. You will need to listen to your body.
While stretching, you should anticipate tension rather than pain. You've pushed yourself too far if it aches. Hold the stretch after backing off to the point when there is no pain.
Get started improving your flexibility for sport today with the help of a fitness professional.
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