Flexibility training several times a week

For ordinary healthy people who want to maintain basic flexibility and relieve stiffness after sitting for a long time, practicing 2-3 times a week is enough.； If you have special sports needs or are recovering from an injury, 4-7 times a week is completely reasonable. There is never a one-size-fits-all standard answer. It all depends on your goals and physical tolerance.

We ordinary workers sit in the office every day, their shoulders and necks are as hard as sun-dried rubber tubes, and when they bend down and touch their feet, they can only reach their calves. There is really no need to add training KPIs to yourself. Two years ago, there was a little girl in my department who sat for so long that she had trouble even putting on socks. So she followed the company's fitness class every Tuesday and Thursday after get off work and did 15 minutes of dynamic stretching of the shoulders, neck and lower limbs. On weekends, she did Yin yoga for half an hour at home following the video. After two months, not only could she put her palms on the ground, but her back pain after sitting for a long time was gone. She only did it three times a week, which is enough.

If you have been in the fitness industry for a long time, you will know that there have been two factions arguing fiercely about this issue.

One group is the "high-frequency small-money party", which focuses on the idea that a small amount can make a big difference. They say that the flexibility is like the pothos you raise. You can't water it once every half a month to soak the roots, and you have to sprinkle some water every day to grow vigorously. Several friends I know who practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu spend 10 minutes foam rolling + dynamic hip and shoulder opening before each training, and then do 5 minutes of static stretching after training, which works out to 7 times a week. When people do submission movements, their joints are very flexible, and strains are rare, and no one has the problem of ligament laxity.

The other group is the "low frequency and sufficient amount party", which says that you stretch deeply enough every time, hold each movement for 30-60 seconds, and feel the soreness of the muscles but no tingling. If you practice for 20-30 minutes at a time, twice a week is enough to maintain it. If you stretch too much, it will reduce the explosive power of the muscles and affect your strength performance. A powerlifting coach I worked with before held this view. He could usually squat and deadlift up to 200 kilograms. He never stretched every day for fear that the muscles would be too loose and unable to exert strength. He usually stretched for 10 minutes after each strength training session, and spent 20 minutes alone on weekends to stretch his hips and shoulders. His joints had sufficient range of motion, and he had never been injured.

To be honest, there is actually nothing wrong with the views of these two schools of thought. The core point is that it all depends on what you want. I stepped on a pit when training for a marathon before. I believed the low-frequency theory at first and only practiced stretching twice a week. However, after three months of running, I started to suffer from iliotibial band syndrome, which was so painful that I had to struggle to go up and down stairs. Later, after listening to the rehabilitation therapist, I changed to spending 5 minutes doing dynamic stretching to activate the hips and knees before each run, and spending 10 minutes statically stretching the outer thighs and gluteal muscles after running. I also added 15 minutes of deep relaxation on the foam roller once a week. That worked out to about 5 times a week, and the pain problem was relieved for half a month. Later, I stopped running horses, and now I take a yoga class every Saturday. I stretch my shoulders and neck twice every time I think about it, and my muscles haven’t returned to the previous state of stiffness.

Don't listen to some people who say that stretching every day will loosen the ligaments. That's all nonsense. Only if you stretch beyond the normal range of motion of the joint every time and still resist the pain, will the problem of ligament instability occur. Normally, stop stretching until the muscles feel sore and swollen. Even if you stretch every day, there will be no problem. Some people say that stretching is useless, which is probably because you are doing something wrong. For example, if you want to stretch your hamstring muscles, you end up bending over and arching your back. All the strength is exerted on the lumbar spine, and it is useless to stretch it for half a year.

If you have lumbar protrusion, frozen shoulder or other sports injuries, don't make plans on your own. See a rehabilitation practitioner for evaluation first. How many times and what movements you need to practice should be listened to by a professional. Don't compete with others to see who can do the lower splits or who can touch their feet farther. Everyone's joint structure is naturally different. Some people are born with tight hips. If you force them to do the splits, that's not practicing flexibility, it's asking for suffering.

To put it bluntly, flexibility training is meant to serve you. You will feel comfortable after practicing and can achieve the results you want - such as no pain, smoother movements, and no need to lift your legs to put on socks. You can practice it several times a week, and you don't have to embarrass yourself by sticking to a dead standard.