Just about everyone knows the importance of stretching after exercising in order to improve one’s flexibility. There are even studies that show results can be seen in just four weeks of regular stretching.
This, of course, requires a strong commitment though.
There are also certain activities that can improve your flexibility, like Pilates and yoga.
However, your flexibility is influenced not only by your routine but also by factors such as genetics and age. Moreover, your flexibility also comes into play when it comes to avoiding injury when exercising.
It’s important to be mindful of any tightness found in certain muscle groups prior to working out. Here’s how you can test your flexibility and work on increasing your range of motion.
To perform this upper body flexibility test, you’ll need a medium sized towel, sticky tape, and a measuring tape.
To begin, you’ll want to roll up the towel longways or diagonally. Then, stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Grip the rolled-up towel horizontally, with one hand holding each end.
Keeping the towel taught, and keeping your arms straight, move your arms towards the ceiling and behind your back. As your arms move behind your body, you’ll want to stop when you feel you’ve reached a comfortable stretch. You should be able to feel it in your shoulders, chest, and biceps.
Repeat this test, each time moving your hands closer together until you can no longer complete the action. Mark where your hands were with the sticky tape, measure the distance between the markings and record the number. Practice this test weekly.
These muscles impact your posture. If these muscles feel tight, it can cause a hunched back or rounded shoulders. The test exercise helps you to see what your range of motion is, and, over time, should increase flexibility.
For this test, you’ll again need a tape measure as well as some sticky tape.
Start by sitting tall against a wall. Your legs should be out in front of you, kept as straight as possible. Your legs should also be about a foot apart with your knees and toes both facing the ceiling.
Holding a piece of sticky tape and keeping your hands placed on top of each other, you’ll proceed to step two.
Reach out in front of your body and begin to lean forward. Extend your reach as far as you can. Then, place the sticky tape on the floor as far forward as you can. Make sure not to round your upper back while reaching forward.
To gauge your flexibility, you’ll want to measure from the wall to your sticky tape.
By repeating this test each week, you’ll see how much your flexibility has increased. Tightness felt in these muscles can create lower back pain. Additionally, it can affect the quality of movement and your ability to function in daily activities.
