Physical Fitness: Mastering Flexibility and Strength Training

Understanding Flexibility

Flexibility is a physical quality that allows for large-scale movements. This quality is different for each person.

Components of Flexibility

The degree of flexibility is determined by two factors:

• 1. Muscle Elasticity: The ability of the muscles and tendons to lengthen and return to their original shape without deformation.
• 2. Joint Mobility: The ability of joint movement. This movement is different for each person and varies depending on the type of joint.

Types of Flexibility

• Dynamic: The practice performed when we are doing a movement looking for the maximum amplitude of a joint and maximum stretching.
• Static: The practice when no movement is appreciable. These are determined by taking one position and stretching from this degree; it should not reach the point of pain and must continue for a few seconds.

Factors Influencing Flexibility

• 1. Age: Flexibility is a quality of involution; i.e., it gets worse with age.
• 2. Sex: Women generally are more flexible than men.
• 3. Temperature: Influences the development of flexibility.
• 4. Emotional State: Determines the degree of flexibility.

Benefits of Flexibility

The benefits are endless:

• It slows down aging.
• Prevents arthritis.
• Improves mobility.
• Decreases muscle contractions and tensions.
• Facilitates relaxation.
• It promotes personal balance.

Practice Tips

Prefer regular practice, however brief, over occasional major efforts.

Muscular Strength and Its Importance

Strength is the ability to resist or overcome resistance through muscular action.

Types of Strength

• Maximum Force: It is the largest force that can be exerted using one voluntary contraction of muscles. Example: Weightlifting.
• Explosive Strength: The ability to overcome resistance by using a high speed of muscle contraction movement. Example: This type of force is seen in athletics.
• Force-Resistance: The ability to move light loads for a long time. Example: Swimming.

Development of Strength

The development of force depends on: the constitution, the degree of training, nutrition, coordination, age, and sex.

Dangers of Premature Strength Training

• Spine deformation due to excessive weights or bad utilization.
• Deformations in the nucleus of growth in bones.
• Joint injuries, broken fibers, etc.
• Curbing growth.
• Excessive weight gain and loss of speed and flexibility.

Effects of Strength Work on Health

• A better approach to improve postural muscular tone.
• Avoid diseases related to awkward body postures.
• Strengthen the muscles, tendons, and bone structure.

The Role of Abdominal Strength

Why Strengthen Abdominals?

• It helps breathing, since the abdominal muscles are involved in it.
• Promotes the operation of the digestive and intestinal tract.
• Aids circulation as they are involved in venous return.
• Improves the health of the spine and improves posture.
• Avoids back pain.

Abdominal Anatomy

The anatomy includes the Rectus, Oblique, and Transverse abdomen.

Types of Abdominal Exercises

• Upper Abdominals: They are in the upper anterior rectus abdominis muscle.
• Lower Abdominals: They are in the bottom of the rectus abdominis. They work by keeping the legs elevated.
• Obliques: They are found in the lateral trunk. The work is equal to the upper abdominal work, but turning left and right when we rise.