Flexibility exercises

There's a great range of flexibility exercise out there, the hard part is knowing which ones are right for you. Which you choose to perform will depend upon the exercise you take, and whether there are specific needs for flexibility exercises as part of your training.

For most of us, a general program of stretching will be sufficient to keep us loose and prevent injuries. Typically people focus on the following areas when choosing flexibility exercises:

• Lower Leg (calf muscles and Achilles tendon area)
• Upper Leg (thigh, hamstrings)
• Lower Back
• Shoulders
• Chest
• Neck

Most good gyms and health clubs will include a basic stretching routine as part of the induction given to new members. This should serve you in good stead unless your sport demands higher levels of performance (for example, martial arts), in which case these are likely to be included as part of the specific workouts you perform.

For many years, people have been using stretching as a part of their warm-up before their workout. However, recent research has suggested that this is in fact counter-productive, reducing performance and increasing the chances of injury.

It is far better to stretch at the end of a workout, as a part of your cool down, when muscles are properly warm.