Strength & Flexibility GIRL (Amazing Video)

@dancergeorgia (georgia louise). Stretching is one of the most misunderstood activities in fitness. Because it is mostly associated with the “bend down and touch your toes” variety of exercise its importance is frequently overlooked and the benefits it can provide are lost. As muscles grow and as they age, they change. A balanced stretching routine helps provide more even muscle growth along muscle fibers and an increased degree of flexibility, both of which provide a fuller range of motion, greater freedom to move our body as we wish and provide us with more power when we ask it to do something. Passive Stretching Passive stretching is an ideal form of stretching to perform with a partner. It requires the body to remain completely passive while an outside force is exerted upon it (by a partner). When used without a partner bodyweight and the force of gravity are allowed to do their thing. Passive stretching is also called relaxed stretching, for that reason. Doing the splits is one perfect example of passive stretching. By placing your feet as far apart as possible and simply resting your bodyweight on your hips you slowly allow your legs to slide further and further apart naturally. Because passive stretching happens gradually and it requires some time in each position studies show it is ideal for rehabilitating muscles after an injury. Static Stretching Static stretching is probably the most common form of stretching and it requires a stretch to be held in a challenging but comfortable position for anywhere between ten and 20 seconds. Because it doesn’t push the body to stretch to any extremes it is frequently used as part of the warm-up routine in sports. This has led to the misconception that stretching is required in the warm up in order to prevent sports injuries and that stretching enhances sports performance. Isometric Stretching Isometric stretching is a type of stretching that involves the resistance of muscle groups through isometric contractions (tensing) of the stretched muscles. Pushing against a wall to stretch your calves, putting your leg, straight on a bar and pulling your head down towards your knee and stretching your bicep by putting a straight arm against a wall and exerting force against it are all common examples of isometric stretching. Dynamic Stretching Dynamic stretching uses gentle swings to take the body and its limbs through their range of motion. Because the speed at which dynamic stretches are performed is gradual and the range of movement is within the comfort zone, dynamic stretching is one of the most highly recommended stretching routines that can be carried out as a warm-up. Golfers, boxers, martial artists and ballerinas routinely use dynamic stretching as part of their preparation routine for high intensity activity. A 2011 study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that dynamic stretching provided increased performance for sprinters and athletes involved in high intensit