Muscle Flexibility Reasons Why It Is Important

Have you always been secretly envious of people who can bend here and there like it’s a walk in the park every time? Or is muscle flexibility simply something that you think you’ve been overlooking in your workout routine?  Well, the fact that you’re taking an interest in your flexibility is already a good sign. We’re going to go ahead and say that you’re dead right in paying closer attention to it. 

Maintaining muscle flexibility can help a lot with your overall physical development. Basically, it works in complete synergy with other more common workouts like strength training and cardio. To underline its necessity, we also outlined the possible consequences if you let your muscle flexibility stagnate, so to speak.

Why Muscle Flexibility Is Important for Strength and Fitness

Ever wondered why most professional contortionists almost always give off the ready impression that they inherently know the limits of their range of motion? Or why they use tools to help them master their range like the best cooling towel or flex staps.  Flexibility essentially functions as a teacher. It instructs you about how loose (or tight) each joint-spanning muscle is. It’s also a good indicator of whether a muscle is tight or not.

And what do we get out of muscle tightness? It’s the perennial party pooper. It means we don’t get to do our daily activities as optimally as we’re supposed to do them.  Also, it often means chronic pain. Of various forms. But here’s the deal: with muscle flexibility, most, if not all, of it is highly avoidable. 

Benefits of Better Muscle Flexibility

Improved posture

People stuck to their desks often suffer from poor posture that not only results in back pain but takes a toll on self-confidence, too. Are you, more or less, bound to your desk?  Imagine for a moment never having to endure those hunched shoulders, back pain, and neck tightness anymore.

Straddle flexibility takes care of this for you by lengthening muscles in your hip flexors and adductors. More importantly, it aids a lot in boosting the mobility of your spine, particularly in optimally aligning it, which is the hallmark of great posture. 

Better mobility

Make no mistake, flexibility will always be directly proportional to mobility. Muscle flexibility increases your mobility — no more, no less. This is why if it suddenly dawns on you that you might not be as mobile as you once were, you should take a look at flexibility exercises. 

What’s great about mobility is that it unlocks all the desirable routes to wellness. After all, with a better range of motion, you will be able to do your daily activities better — chores and having fun, both. You’ll be able to live life to the fullest, in short, and for most of us, that should be enough to seal the deal, right?

Injury prevention

Boost muscle flexibility to prevent injuries. It’s safe to say that workout injuries are untoward experiences you want to steer clear of. This benefit hinges a lot on a smoother movement of joints. You also get better muscle control, which can practically decrease the burden on them. 

If you’ve been working out for a while, you’re probably already aware of overuse injury. Given the fact that this type of injury is common, undergoing muscle flexibility training should be one of your priorities. It may not keep all types of injuries at bay. But, at least, you’ll be laying down that strong safety blanket that is physically and mentally soothing.

Other compelling benefits of muscle flexibility in fitness development include:

• Improved sports and cardio performance
• Gives your muscles a leaner look
• Sleeping in awkward positions (especially if you travel a lot) takes less of a toll on your muscles
• A greater sense of contentment

What Happens If You Don’t Tilt-Away From Inflexibility?

We’ve already mentioned pain above, and that’s certainly what you should expect to have to put up with the more you live with inflexibility. Back pain undoubtedly occupies the highest rungs of pain that most flexibility-challenged people have to endure. 

In the end, not taking active steps to improve your flexibility means that you’re only delaying your ability to enjoy life to the fullest. For others, it could arguably even be worse. So stretch to increase muscle flexibility. Your efforts are guaranteed to pay off, and you’ll be feeling the difference for sure — and your body will thank you for it.

Attaining the kind of muscle flexibility you’ve always dreamed of should never be considered a stretch. With proper practice and discipline, you’ll be enjoying the benefits we outlined above in no time.