Stretching may not require weights and other forms of equipment. To you, it may be a relaxing and mentally detoxing yoga session or a quick warmup before tackling your fitness routine. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes.
As is the case with strength and endurance, there are also flexibility myths that are floating around the internet and within the minds of beginners and professionals alike. So, let’s take a look at some common flexibility myths and shine some light on the truths behind them.
Lengthening Your Muscles
You’ve probably heard that stretching your limbs means that you’re lengthening your muscles. It may seem like the truth since you gain a wider range of body motions as you become more flexible. The actual truth is we all have similar skeletal muscles, whether we are flexible or not. However, it is our nervous systems that differentiate us.
When an individual has trouble stretching or experiences more discomfort, it usually means they have a sensitive nervous system. Likewise, a person with less sensitivity will be more flexible. This is why, when you increase your stretch tolerance by performing stretching exercises the right way, you change the way your nervous system reacts to the pain. In turn, you gain more mobility and enhance your flexibility.
How Much Pain is Too Much?
Many people who stretch tend to believe they have to feel a lot of pain for the stretch to be effective. However, similar to lifting weights, you shouldn’t do too much too soon. If your stretch tolerance is low, you can injure yourself or pull a muscle if you force your flexibility. Strong feelings of discomfort or pain can also mean that you are doing the exercise incorrectly.
In this case, you should stop immediately. It is suggested that a pain level of five out of ten should be expected if you are progressing slowly but safely and if you are doing your stretches correctly.
On the flip side, people also tend to believe in the myth that claims you shouldn’t feel anything at all when stretching. As relaxing as yoga or pilates may look, you should never take it so easy that you don’t feel some discomfort. You should always feel a little pull in order to increase your stretch tolerance. Otherwise, you won't make any progress at all.
Who Is Flexible?
How many times have you been asked whether or not you’re flexible? A surprising amount would say that they’re not. The truth is, anyone can become flexible with the right dedication and training. When you stretch, you are improving your blood circulation and your mobility. In other words, some people are naturally more flexible than others, but everyone has the ability to improve with time and effort.
Increasing your flexibility also comes in handy as you age. Whether it is because of the loss of water in our tissues as we age or diminishing elasticity in our muscle tendons, flexibility tends to regress if we don’t keep up with our flexibility regimes.
There is a flip side to this myth as well. While some claim to not be flexible, others believe that their flexibility is a given. In other words, they believe they are not required to stretch in order to maintain their flexibility. Like I’ve said before, flexibility changes with time. So whether you’re flexible or not, keeping up with your stretches and other physical activities will keep you healthy, happy, and bendy!
Sometimes stretching can be difficult if you’re not exactly sure of what to do. You may not know the difference between the discomfort caused by a natural pulling sensation or the discomfort caused by doing something incorrectly. If this is the case, take advantage of the many yoga classes or personal/ at-home instructions given by professionals in the field. You never know...one day you could be one of them.
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