How Low Can You Go?Learn five skills you need to touch your toes.

Sara Sigel, Health & Wellness Professional

Why is flexibility important?

Flexibility makes every day tasks easier.

Flexibility reduces the risk

of injury.

Flexibility improves performance.

How to train to touch your toes.

✴ Perform daily flexibility training.

✴ Pay attention to the order of the techniques:

Warm the body and muscles.

Relieve tension points.

Stretch to increase ROM.

✴ Include your whole body. A tight neck, back, foot or calf could be the problem.

✴ Deep breathing. Increase blood flow and oxygen levels. Breathe in through the nose. Push out your diaphragm and fill the lower lungs, then upper. Breathe out through the mouth, until lungs are empty.

Things to learn(and master).

✴ Deep breathing.

✴Dynamic warm-up. Move a little before you move a lot. Slow and controlled motions prepare your joints within their normal range of motion. Repeat exercises ten times in succession.

Things to learn (and master).

✴ Deep breathing.

✴Dynamic warm-up.

✴Self-myofascial release (SMR). Everyone has experienced a knot in their muscle. Consider this method a form of self-massage. Put pressure on tension points and hold for 30 seconds. It will feel uncomfortable (but never painful) until the point of release.

Things to learn (and master).

✴ Deep breathing.

✴Dynamic warm-up.

✴Self-myofascial release (SMR).

✴Static stretching. Stretch until you feel a gentle pull in your muscle. Hold for 30 seconds.

Things to learn (and master).

✴ Deep breathing.

✴Dynamic warm-up.

✴Self-myofascial release.

✴Static stretching.

✴Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching. Contract your muscle for 10 secs. Your goal is to tire it out. Relax. Stretch and hold for 20 secs. Repeat three times.

Things to learn (and master).

Your daily flexibility routine.

1.Breathe deeply as you go through your exercises.

2.Prepare your body with dynamic warm-ups (or perform post-exercise).

3.Use a foam roller or tennis ball to release your tension points.

4.Perform static stretches, remember to hold each stretch for 30 seconds.

5.Perform PNF stretching only every other day. It stresses your muscles, they need time to recover.

Disclaimer: consult a physician before beginning any fitness routine or regimen. This program is based on NASM guidelines for flexibility training for improved ROM.

SourcesPlease refer to these resources for further information on flexibility training.

Current Concepts in Flexibility Training, NASM

Ready, Set, Prevent: Injury Prevention by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Stretching and Respiration by Livestrong

Practical Soft Tissue Ideas by Chris Ham, MSA, ATC, CES

Flexibility Training: Incorporating All Components of Fitness by Chat Williams, MS, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*D

Sara SigelThe most rewarding part of working as an ACSM Health Fitness Specialist was getting that "a-ha!" moment from clients. I spend my days at Shad Hall planning and marketing health and wellness events for the Harvard Business School community. My passion is taking health-related information and delivering it in tasty, bite-size morsels to help people reach their goals. 

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