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The importance of flexibility as a component of physical fitness, the benefits of having good flexibility, and various techniques for improving flexibility, including static stretching and PNF. It also provides guidelines for feeling comfortable in physical activity and includes exercises and examples.
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Moving Together: Feeling Comfortable in Physical Activity Take It Home: TEAM (Together, Everyone Achieves More)
Biomechanical Principles: Range of Motion
Flexibility Exercises:
Level 3 of the Physical
Activity Pyramid
Lesson Vocabulary ballistic stretching, gravity, joint, ligaments, muscles, PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation), range of motion, static stretching, strain, strategy, tactics, tendons
Ñwww.fitnessforlife.org/middleschool/
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One of the types of activities in the Physical Activity Pyramid is flexibility exercise. Do you know what flexibility is? Do you know the best way to stretch your muscles to build flexibility? When you finish this lesson, you’ll know the answers to these questions. You’ll also know some guidelines that will help people to feel comfortable in physical activity and to make it more fun.
What Is Flexibility?
Flexibility is the ability of your joints to move as they’re supposed to move. Each joint (loca- tion where your bones join together) in your body is designed to move in a certain way. The amount of movement in a joint is called its range of motion. Some joints, such as the hip and the shoulder, allow a large range of motion because they can move in many directions (see Bio- mechanical Principles on pages 73-74). Other joints, such as the knee and the elbow, bend in only one direction. So the amount of flexibility you have is affected by your joints.
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Flexibility is also affected by other factors such as your age, your gender, and the structure of your bones. Most parts of health-related physical fitness improve with age. However, flexibility is the one part of physical fitness that decreases with age. Chil- dren are more flexible than most teens, and teens are typically more flexible than adults. Very old people are the least flexible of all. Girls and women typically have better flexibility than boys and men, though that’s not always true. Other factors, such as the structure of your bones and the way the joints fit together, can affect flexibility. Some people have a joint structure that allows more range of motion than in other people who have joints with a tighter bone structure. No matter how old you are, whether you’re a male or a female, or what types of bones and joints you inherit, you can improve your flexibility by doing regular stretching exercises. All physical activities require some flexibility. For example, bas- ketball requires long and fit muscles, especially in the legs. The girls in the photos below do regular stretching exercises, so they have good flexibility and good range of motion.
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Regular stretching lengthens muscles that are used in physical activities.
Chapter 6 Flexibility Exercises 65
Self-assisted stretch with opposing muscles. Contract the muscles of your shins to pull your toes forward and stretch your calf muscle.
Self-assisted stretch with the use of arms and hands. Loop a towel behind your toes and pull gently with your hands and arms to stretch your calf muscle.
Gravity-assisted stretch. Stand on a box or curb and let gravity force your heels lower than your toes, stretching your calf muscles.
Body-weight assisted stretch. Lean forward, keeping your heel on the ground and stretching your calf muscle.
Partner-assisted stretch. Have a partner push gently on your toes, causing your calf muscle to stretch. Partners need to communicate to avoid overstretching.
Note: Static stretches can be performed as PNF stretches by contracting a muscle or muscle group before you stretch it. For example, the girl doing the self-assisted stretch with the towel can push against the towel with her toes (contracting her calf muscles) before pulling with the towel to stretch her calf muscles.
Chapter 6 Flexibility Exercises 67
There are many reasons why teens sometimes avoid participating in physical activity with others. They might be afraid of making a mistake and looking bad. They might want to avoid being teased by others who’d put down the activity by saying, “That’s just for girls” or, “That’s just for boys.” They might have missed the beginning of the activity and think it’s too late to join in. Do you sometimes feel uncomfortable in certain activities? Do your friends sometimes seem uncomfortable in activities that you enjoy? What can be done to make activities more comfortable for different people? Tenzin, Sam, José, and Jasmine have learned a lot since they started the Fitness for Life program. They’ve learned about the many different parts of physical fitness and the different kinds of physical activity. They’ve begun to learn how to use practice to build the skills they need to do physical activities that they enjoy. But recently they became involved in a situation that made them uncom- fortable. On a weekend they planned to go to the park with friends from school. The four met at Tenzin’s house so that they could walk to the park together. However, José said that he was going to go home because he didn’t have what he called “fancy sports clothes” like some of the other teens who would be at the park. José’s friends encouraged him to go with them. The plan was to play a competitive game of vol- leyball. But before the game started, several problems occurred. Two boys started choosing teams, and many of the girls said they didn’t want to play—they just wanted to watch. Some of the boys who were waiting to be picked said that they didn’t want to play, either. Tenzin and Jasmine really wanted to play volleyball, but they decided to watch because so many other girls were watching.
Talk about the activities you all enjoy. Before you plan an activity, talk with all members of your group to learn which activities they enjoy. Vary your activities. If possible, choose an activity that everyone enjoys. That’s not always possible, but you can agree to do different activities so that you’ll eventually do an activity for everyone in the group. Modify games. Change the rules and equipment to make the game more fun for your group. For example, try using a larger, softer ball in place of an official volley- ball. Or play two games with smaller teams rather than one big game. Form- ing new teams from time to time allows people to be team members with many different people. Consider cooperative rather than competitive games. Competitive activities can be fun if all people have similar skills. But if some members of the group don’t have good skills, noncompetitive activities can be more fun. For example, play a game of volleyball in which the goal is to see how many hits in a row both teams can make together.
Moving Together:
E3792/Corbin/276483/Argosy/R1 Feeling Comfortable in Physical Activity
68 Fitness for Life: Middle School
How Much Stretching Is Enough? You already know that a muscle must be stretched beyond its normal length for it to get longer. But how far should you stretch a muscle? If you stretch it too little, it won’t grow longer. If you stretch the muscle too far, you could injure it. For example, athletes sometimes stretch a muscle too much, caus- ing a muscle injury called a strain.^ For best results you should follow the FIT formula for flexibility.
TEAM (Together, Everyone Achieves More) “We did it!” Team members made this statement after they had just finished playing in a community sports tournament. They didn’t win the tournament, but they got the team together, entered the tournament, and played several games. They developed a team strategy (an overall team plan) and tactics (specific methods to reach the team goal) that are necessary to work together as a team. Being part of a team that works together and supports each other is a lot of fun. Maybe you’ve already experienced this, but if not, look for the opportunity. Sometimes teamwork brings the thrill of victory when your team wins. But you don’t have to win to experience the fun of being part of a team that works hard together, pursues a goal, and does its best. Team members don’t all need to have the same abilities and interests. Teams gain strength when different people contribute
Flexibility exercises Static stretching PNF Frequency Stretch daily if possible; if not, at least three days a week.
Daily if possible; if not, at least three days a week. Intensity Stretch so that you feel tension in the muscle and even a slight burning sensation, but you should not feel pain.
Contract the muscle to be stretched (10 sec- onds), and then stretch as described for static stretching. Time Hold each stretch 15 to 30 seconds. Perform one to three times. Rest at least 10 seconds after each stretch.
Hold each stretch 15 to 30 seconds. Perform one to three times. Rest at least 10 seconds after each stretch.
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Lesson Review What is flexibility? How do you build flexibility? Describe some guidelines for feeling comfortable in physical activity. How much stretching is enough?
The FIT formula for static stretching and PNF is shown in table 6.2. Before you stretch specific muscles, it’s important to get the muscles warm. To get warm, you can do a general warm-up as described in chapter 1 (page
different things. You’ve learned about physical flexibility in this chapter, but that’s not the only type of flexibility. Flexibility also means the ability to change. Being able to adapt to different situations is an important part of teamwork. Use the worksheet supplied by your teacher to develop a strategy for being active with people on your support team. Build good teamwork by giving each person a special role in the group.
70 Fitness for Life: Middle School
FIt Fact
Muscle cramps are often caused by dehydration (not drinking enough water). Replacing water lost when you sweat can help prevent cramps.
When you do flexibility exercises, you get health, wellness, and fitness benefits. Can you describe some of the benefits of stretching and good flexibility? Do you have good flexibility? How can you tell whether you have good flexibility? When you finish this lesson, you’ll know the answers to these questions. You’ll also understand the importance of range of motion to your performance in physical activity.
What Are the Benefits of Flexibility?
There are many benefits to being flexible, including good health, good posture, reduced risk of injury, and improved performance. One of the health ben- efits of good flexibility is the prevention of back pain. Back pain is a major cause of missed work and results in millions of dollars in medical expenses each year. As many as 80 percent of American adults will experience back pain at some time in their lives. But back pain isn’t just a problem for adults. Nearly one third of preteen children have experi- enced some type of back pain, and the incidence of back problems among teens is nearly as high as for adults. Having good muscle fitness and flexibility in the back, chest, shoulder, neck, and upper leg muscles can reduce the risk of back problems.
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Poor flexibility can also contribute to poor pos- ture. Short muscles in the chest can lead to rounded shoulders and can cause the head to lean forward. Short muscles in the back and the back of the leg can cause a curve in the lower back that can result in muscle soreness and pain. Regular stretching can help you maintain good posture.
If a muscle is too short, it’s at risk of injury. Frequently i n j u r e d m u s c l e s include the ham- strings (the back of the upper leg), the calf (the back of the lower leg), the quadri- ceps (the front of the upper leg), and the muscles of the lower back. Regular stretching can lengthen these muscles and reduce the risk of injury. Also, these muscles may cramp during exercise. Statically stretching a muscle that has a cramp can cause the cramp to go away. For example, the calf stretch in lesson 6.1 can be used to stop a cramp in the calf muscle. Good flexibility can also enhance performance in sports and in daily life. A gymnast or a diver must have good flexibility to perform well. The same is true for skateboarding and playing hacky sack. Without good flexibility, you can’t perform at your best. Good flexibility is also necessary to perform tasks in your daily life. For example, a person with
Benefits of Flexibility
Lesson Vocabulary cramp, flexion, hypermobility, joint, muscles, range of motion
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E3792/Corbin/Fig 6.08/274774/Argosy/R3-alw
Rounded shoulders (kyphosis)
Excessive back arch (lordosis)
Hyperextended knees
Forward head
Sunken chest
Protruding abdomen (ptosis)
Poor flexibility can contribute to poor posture.
Chapter 6 Flexibility Exercises 71
Your body joints allow a certain amount of motion in each possible direction, and exceeding that limit can cause injury. A joint is the location where your bones (your body’s levers) join together. Each joint allows motion in certain directions, and in each direction there is a range of motion. The amount of movement that a joint allows is called range of motion. Some joints allow movement in more directions than others. For example, the hip joint is where the bones of the pelvis join with the bones of the thigh. The hip joint allows forward and backward movement (see photo below left). The thigh can also be moved to the side or rotated (moved in a circle) around the hip joint. The upper arm can be moved in similar ways around the shoulder joint (see photo below right). The knees and elbows have more limited directions of motion (see the photos on page 74). They can flex and extend, but they don’t bend sideways or twist. In other words, these joints have no range of motion in certain directions. You should know how much range of motion a joint will allow when doing flexibility and muscle fit- ness exercises. Forcing a joint to move beyond a safe range of motion in any direction can result in injury to ligaments, tendons, and muscles. For example, when you do a full squat such as a catcher does in baseball, the weight of the body on the levers of your legs can
Biomechanical Principles:
Range of Motion
cause your knee to bend too much. Doing an exercise such as a full squat with weight on your shoulders is bad because it can cause injury to the knee. If you know about the normal range of motion of your joints, you can avoid exercises and movements that can cause injury. Stretching to increase flexibility can increase range of motion by lengthening tendons and muscles. However, stretching beyond the normal range of motion is dangerous, because it can leave a joint too loose to provide needed stability for the body. Hypermobility is a term used to describe joints that lack stability and have too much range of motion. When stretching to increase flexibility, don’t force joints to move in directions where they have no range of motion. For instance, twisting or bending sideways at the knee can cause damage to the knee ligaments, which hold the joint together.
As you learned earlier, each joint has its own range of motion in each possible direction. Movements that cause a joint to move beyond its normal range of motion in a particular direction can cause small injuries in the joint that can lead to bigger injuries later in life. An example of movements that cause too much range of motion in joints is too much bending (flexion) of the
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(continued)
Running hurdles requires good range of motion in the hips.
Pitching in baseball requires good range of motion in the shoulders.
Chapter 6 Flexibility Exercises 73
knee by a catcher in baseball. That’s why catchers wear special pads on the backs of their legs to stop them from doing a full squat. It’s also dangerous to bend the knee to the side, bend too far forward while standing (as in the standing toe touch), or bend too far backward (as in the back arch exercise). In which direction(s) is it appropriate to move each of these joints? In which direction(s) is it not appropriate? Describe an activity that uses each of these joints in the best range of motion.
Hip Shoulder Knee Elbow
It’s important to know how to move joints through a normal range of motion to prevent injury. Move each of the following joints through its comfortable range of motion in each direction to determine your current range of motion: shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, and neck. Do you have the same range of motion on both sides of your body? Always avoid exercises and activities that require unsafe ranges of motion, and practice only the exercises that have a safe range of motion. All of the exercises in this book have a safe range of motion except those that are shown to describe unsafe exercises. The purpose of exercise is to improve your ability to move, not to damage your joints, muscles, or bones.
The hip allows motion in several directions, while the knee only allows motion in flexion or extension.
The elbow only allows flexion and extension, while the shoul- der allows motion in several directions.
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74 Fitness for Life: Middle School
6
Chapter Review
Number your paper from 1 to 5. Read each question. After the number for the question, write a word or a phrase that best answers the question. The page number where you can find the answer is listed after the question.
Number your paper from 6 to 10. Next to each number, write the letter of the best answer.
Number your paper from 11 to 15. Follow the directions to answer each question or statement.
Unit Review on
the Web
You can find unit II review materials on the Fitness for Life: Middle School Web site.
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When is the best time to do stretching exercises to improve flexibility? Get the answer and ask your own questions at the Fitness for Life: Middle School Web site.
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76 Fitness for Life: Middle School
