Flexibility training several times a week

If we want to give the most universal reference answer for the frequency of flexibility training, healthy people can maintain basic joint mobility by practicing 2-3 times a week. If you want to improve your flexibility level, 3-5 times a week is the most cost-effective option. There is no need to pursue high-intensity stretching every day.

Of course, this number is really not a golden rule. When I first came into contact with yoga, I ran into the pitfall of "the higher the frequency, the better the effect." At that time, I just wanted to lower the crossbar quickly. I heard an old member of the gym said that pressing the legs every day for half a month would be effective. I pressed the legs for 7 days in a row, and I grinned in pain every time. As a result, on the 8th day, my hamstrings hurt, and I even limped up and down the stairs. It took me half a month to rest. The coach said that I just confused "relaxation and stretching" with "strengthening flexibility" and blindly piled up the frequency.

Later, when I came into contact with more trainers from different disciplines, I discovered that different circles had quite different understandings of this issue. I can’t say who is right or wrong, it’s all about adapting to their own training goals.

For example, friends who are often involved in powerlifting circles should have the impression that many veterans do not take time to do flexibility training at all. After each main exercise, they spend 10 minutes stretching the muscle groups stimulated this time: after training the legs, pull the hamstrings and hip flexors, and after training the chest, pull the pectoralis major and anterior shoulder bundles. This works out to 4 or 5 times a week, but the intensity is not high each time. You just stop when you feel a stretch, which can not only relieve muscle tension, but also avoid limited joint mobility that affects force production. I have been training with a friend who practices powerlifting for three months. He had been stuck at 140kg in the deadlift before. He felt that his hips could not open every time he reached halfway through the lift. Then he developed the habit of pulling the hips for 10 minutes after doing leg exercises. Within two months, the deadlift PR rose to 145. He said that the hips are not smooth when starting.

The traditional yoga circle has a different view. Many schools advocate spending 5-10 minutes a day doing simple stretching, such as cat-cow pose in the morning and sitting angle pose before going to bed. The intensity is very low. It is more about awakening the body or relaxing muscles. It is not the same as the high-intensity flexibility training of running through the lower fork and opening the shoulders. I still maintain the habit of standing next to my workstation and stretching my shoulders and neck for 3 minutes every day after get off work. This is not included in the "training frequency" mentioned above. At most, it is counted as daily relaxation. You can't just turn your neck when you have nothing to do and count it as flexibility training, right?

If placed in a rehabilitation scenario, the frequency would have to be adjusted again. After I sprained my foot last year, the soft tissue of my ankle became adhesions, and the range of motion was one-third faster than that of a normal foot. The plan given by the rehabilitation doctor was to spend 3 minutes stretching and wrapping the ankle every morning, noon and night, which works out to 21 times a week. This is because the soft tissue in the injured state needs continuous gentle stimulation to restore the range of motion, and the intensity is extremely low. There is no risk of strain at all, and ordinary people do not need this frequency.

In fact, there is really no need to stick to numbers, you can completely rely on body feedback to adjust. If after each flexibility exercise, there is only slight soreness in the stretched area and it completely disappears the next day, then you can definitely increase the frequency by one more session. ； If you feel pain for two or three days after training, or even have limited movement, then either the intensity is too high, or the frequency is too high, and you need to cut back quickly.

My current frequency is quite random: strength training three times a week, followed by 10 minutes of stretching on the corresponding part after each session, and one hour of yin yoga class every week on a weekend morning, which is dedicated to stretching the deep fascia. Now I can easily reach my calves with forward bends, and my shoulders and neck are not as hard as stone slabs due to sitting for a long time. I tried adding yin yoga to twice a week before, but my muscles were so tight every time I went to class that I didn’t feel anything no matter how much I stretched. I reduced it to just one session and my condition got better and better.

By the way, I would like to remind you that the effect of flexibility training is not achieved by frequency. Don’t hold your breath every time you practice. Pull to a position where there is obvious stretch but no pain. Stop and hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It is much more effective than grinding your teeth and tearing your legs at high frequency. I once met a little girl who studied dance. They did have flexibility training every day during their pre-exam training, but that was done by professional teachers who watched and adjusted their strength, and their basic skills were good. If ordinary people copied it rashly, the strains would be minor, and they might even cause joint laxity.

To put it bluntly, when it comes to flexibility training, there is never a standard answer to "how many times a week". The numbers are just a reference for novices. If you feel comfortable after practicing and can slowly see your progress, then this frequency is the most suitable for you. If you insist on practicing according to other people's standards, it will defeat the original purpose of training, right?