Strength Vs. Mobility
Courtesy Z-Health Performance
Strength Vs. Mobility
By Shane Sauer
Here’s a question for you… “Does being stronger improve your flexibility or limit it?”
If you’ve been to the gym, you’ve probably seen some really strong people who don’t move very well.
But you might be surprised to find out that many bodybuilders are pretty flexible. Well, at least until their bulk gets in the way.
The difference in these two situations is all about where the strength exists within the muscles.
People who become very strong in a few select exercises tend to be less flexible because they only work in those specific ranges.
Bodybuilders, however, are trying to create symmetry throughout a muscle. That means they tend to exercise throughout the entire range of many muscles with a variety of exercises.
So… the answer to this question is the same as for many good questions – It depends!
If you’d like to improve your flexibility, you should consider building the right kind of strength for two reasons:
Your brain uses muscle tightness as a protection mechanism. If you’re stronger at end ranges of motion, your brain feels safe because it knows the muscles can handle that motion. So the brain stops creating tight, limiting, muscle tone.
Stronger muscles that oppose a tight muscle can assist in bringing that muscle into a more lengthened state. For example, try to touch your toes. While there, tighten your quads (front of thigh). You’ll probably feel your hamstrings (back of thigh) stretch more.
The trick to improving your flexibility is building the right kind of strength. Fortunately, there is an easy way to do this – Isometrics!
Isometric means creating tension without creating movement. Because of the lack of movement, your brain views isometrics as a very safe way of strength training. It’s also much easier to safely perform at end ranges of motion.
Check out this video to try some end range of motion isometric exercises. I chose to share some core exercises with you this week since that’s what we’ve been discussing all month.
I can’t wait to hear how these exercises work for you!