Flexibility training can maintain the elastic function of which tissues in the human body

Regular flexibility training can maintain the elastic function of muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint capsules, deep and superficial fascia, and skin connective tissue for a long time. These tissues together constitute the "elastic buffer network" of our body activities. Without any of them, it is easy to get stuck or injured when moving.

There was a 40-year-old brother in the running group I led a while ago. He never stretched after running for almost two years. The quadriceps on the front of his thighs were as hard as old bacon that had been sunburned. After running for 5 kilometers, his knees were so sore that he couldn't lift his legs. Later, he followed us and did it before every run. I did 10 minutes of dynamic stretching, followed by foam rolling and static stretching after running. I persisted for 3 months. I just finished a half-marathon last week and said my knees were not upset at all. I went to a sports rehabilitation institution for an ultrasound test. The elasticity index of the muscle fibers increased by 40% faster than before. In fact, the muscle spindles and tendon organs in the muscles have the function of sensing stretch. Regular flexibility training is to help them adapt to the normal elongated state, so that the slightest stretch will not trigger excessive tension reflexes and freeze into a lump at every turn.

Don't think that only the muscles can benefit. The tendons and ligaments around the joints that feel hard to the touch, as well as the joint capsules surrounding the joints, also have a lot of elastic fibers distributed in them. Speaking of which, there is a controversy that has been discussed for many years: some people say that flexibility training will loosen the ligaments, which will make the joints brittle and prone to injury. There are indeed two schools of thought in the academic circles - one school believes that long-term stretching that exceeds the safe range of motion of the joints, or excessive static stretching for more than 90 seconds per set, may indeed reduce the rigidity of the ligaments and affect the stability of weight-bearing joints such as knees and ankles. ； The other group believes that as long as the stretching range is controlled within a pain-free range, instead of pursuing the extreme angle, it can reduce micro-tears in the ligaments due to long-term stiffness and maintain normal elastic recovery. I have personally come into contact with several basketball enthusiasts who have habitual sprained ankles. During the recovery period, they followed moderate ankle joint mobility training, and the probability of recurrence was about 30% lower than that of people who stayed still.

The deep and shallow layers of fascia that everyone usually rolls with a foam roller should be mentioned. This thing is like a close-fitting elastic garment wrapped around the muscles. If you sit for a long time and do not move much, the fascia will wrinkle and stick together. The elasticity will be reduced and the muscles will be sore. Whether it is dynamic stretching, yoga postures or foam roller relaxation, it is actually slowly stretching these wrinkled "fabric" and restoring its original stretch. I changed my plan and sat in the office all afternoon. My lower back was as stiff as a hard board. I rolled the foam roller for 5 minutes and then did a few cat-cow poses. The tightness in my whole back immediately disappeared, and it felt like the elasticity of the fascia had returned.

Many people don’t know that regular flexibility training is also good for skin elasticity. There are many elastic fibers in the connective tissue under the skin. Regular stretching and stimulation can help maintain their vitality and delay the rate of sagging. I know an aunt who has been practicing yoga for 12 years. She is almost 60 years old, and her skin is still very tight, with a lot less loose skin than her peers. She herself said that she doesn’t do any special medical beauty treatments. She just practices yoga for 40 minutes every day, which makes her whole body stretch.

In fact, there are many opinions about flexibility training now. Some people say that static stretching is better, while others say that dynamic stretching is more effective. There is really no need to compete for superiority. Dynamic stretching before exercise can activate tissue elasticity in advance, and static stretching after exercise can relieve tension. Just adapt to your own exercise habits. To put it bluntly, we do not practice flexibility just to do the splits and shoot friends. The core is to keep these activity-related tissues in a comfortable elastic state so that they do not get stuck when moving and are not easily injured. This is the most practical use.