There is a lot to be said about the role of flexibility in movement and effective movement patterns. For every muscle or joint that is tight there is a restricted ROM that expends more energy and effort to move about and produces more wear and tear from tighter friction in the articulating parts. It’s like trying to bend over to tie your shoelace with a massive rubber band around your chest holding you from behind. You’d have to pull through the force of the lackey band to get down there and the force of the band pulls stronger and stronger as it gets pulled longer and tighter. Imagine this ‘restricted’ movement occurring with every turn, twist, step, push or pull and feel just how energy consuming and inefficient it becomes, tiring the body and hindering your performance. Compare this to effortlessly bending forward or twisting without any resistance at all and you get an idea of the quality of life benefits of flexibility.
Maybe ramping up your stretching routine can make a big difference to your fitness!
