Did you know that increasing your flexibility can reduce the risk of injury? Stretching can decrease muscle fatigue, and even help prevent soreness altogether when practiced consistently. A flexible dancer has more elongated lines, higher-quality movements, and, since stiffness is actually bad for muscles and joints, a healthier body. The best part? There’s always room to improve! Whether you’re new to dance or have been stretching in the studio for years, we can all benefit from some extra at-home flexibility practice.
So here we go! Without further ado, let’s take a look at this week’s TP Top 5: Ways to Improve Flexibility.
1. Warm up your muscles
This may seem obvious, but it’s important to remember that warming up is as essential as your stretches themselves—especially when you’re stretching at home or outside of class! Think of your muscles like caramel candies (stay with me here)... when cold or even room temperature, trying to bend the caramel will cause it to break. But the warmer the candy, the softer and more pliable it becomes. So before you jump into an at-home stretching routine, be sure to warm up first, whether that’s taking your dog for a walk, doing a few barre combinations or just dancing it out to your favorite song.
2. Commit to Consistency
As with anything in life, practice makes perfect. And when it comes to stretching, practicing frequently and consistently is key. Let’s face it, our muscles aren’t naturally as flexible as dancers need them to be, otherwise we’d all be able to do a perfect middle split. Flexible positions are long fought for and quickly lost, so it’s important to stretch every day in order to maximize your improvement. Short on time? It’s better to stretch for 5 minutes every day than to stretch for an hour once a week. We suggest having a simple stretching routine, even if it’s just 5 minutes, that you practice every day.
3. Have a Balanced Routine
When creating your daily stretching routine, make sure you’re not skipping over any parts of your body. It’s easy to focus on areas that are sore, or even just on our legs as dancers. And while it’s good to spend a little extra time stretching the tight spots, it’s important to give everything your attention. Remember, increasing your flexibility makes for healthier, happier joints, and prevents injuries… that goes for your shoulders, back and feet, too! (Just make sure you warm up your whole body, too!)
4. Practice Static AND Dynamic Stretches
Attaining healthy flexibility is so much more than sitting in your splits forever. In addition to the balance and frequency mentioned above, it’s also important to practice a healthy mix of moving and stationary stretches. Remember that caramel analogy? Sometimes your muscles benefit more from a slow, gentle, rolling movement rather than simply sitting in a stretch, especially if you haven’t committed to a class or extended exercise routine beforehand. Need help? Let’s talk about a pike stretch. Instead of sitting down, reaching for your toes and struggling to stay in it, add some dynamic movement by sitting up tall, placing your hands on your thighs, then slowly rolling forward over your legs as you slide your fingertips toward your feet. Exhale, roll all the way back up, and repeat this motion 5-6 times, trying to reach a little farther each time. On your last repetition, add a static stretch by holding at your lowest point for 30 seconds.
5. Breathe!
This may sound more obvious than warming up, but when the going gets tough, we tend to hold our tension in our lungs… that is, we forget to breathe! Not only do your muscles need oxygen, but breathing into a stretch can actually help you relax, and allow a deeper stretch. Feel a tight spot? Breathe into it, let it go, and sink a little deeper. When you’re practicing a static stretch, think inhale to lengthen, exhale to stretch farther. If you still find yourself breathless, try shifting your thought process. Instead of thinking, “I’m going to hold this stretch for 30 seconds,” think, “I’m going to hold this stretch for 5 slow, deep breaths.”
There you have it! Want to kick it up a notch? Pair the tips above with our Top 5 Ways to Increase Your Strength at Home to really maximize your improvement.