137 A Christian Guide to Body Stewardship, Diet and Exercise However, individuals who participate in regular mobility, flexibility, balance and stability training have a lower incidence of low back pain, reduced risk of injuries, increased range of motion (ROM) and improved posture (Gordon & Bloxham, 2016). An active stretch involves actively moving one muscle group in order to stretch another. Active stretching not only helps to improve the flexibility of the target muscle but also prepares it for the physical activity to follow. A passive stretch, on the other hand, uses some type of external force (e.g., stretching strap, partner) to stretch the target muscle without any muscular contraction from the individual being stretched. Factors Influencing Mobility and Flexibility There are several anatomical and training-related factors that can influence an individual’s mobility and flexibility (Haff & Triplett, 2016). Some of these factors include: • Neural Control. The central nervous system (CNS) plays a major role in determining the overall ROM an individual is able to attain. If the CNS perceives a particular ROM as either unfamiliar or unsafe, it will prevent the muscle from relaxing and thus reaching its full-length capacity. Regularly performing mobility and flexibility exercises will expose the CNS to positions of new or greater ROM, thereby reducing or eliminating the protective response and allow for greater ROM to be obtained. • Joint structure. Joint type largely determines the ROM surrounding a joint. There are three basic types of joints in the body: fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial. Fibrous joints (e.g., sutures of the skull) allow for little to no movement; cartilaginous joints (e.g., intervertebral disks) allow for limited movement; and synovial joints (e.g., elbow, knee) all for the greatest amount of movement. • Connective tissue. The elasticity (ability to return to resting length) and plasticity (ability to assume a new or greater length) of tendons, ligaments, and joint capsules can also affect ROM. Regularly performing mobility and flexibility exercises can help improve the elastic and plastic connective potential of the various connective tissues. • Gender. Generally speaking, females are more flexible than males. These gender-related differences are most likely due to structural and anatomical differences (e.g., pelvis width, amount of fat-free mass). Regardless of these differences, significant improvements in ROM can be achieved by both genders with regular mobility and flexibility training. • Age. Generally speaking, younger individuals are more flexible than older individuals. These age-related differences are most likely due to increased inactivity with age and fibrosis (a condition in which fibrous connective tissue replaces degenerating muscle fibers). As long as mobility and flexibility training are performed regularly, full ROM can be maintained throughout all phases of life (e.g., adolescence, adulthood, old age). However, a substantial amount of ROM can be gradually lost if mobility and flexibility training are not performed regularly. Figure 7.1 depicts how mobility and full ROM can be maintained with age. Figure
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