gymnastics flexibility exercises pdf

(25). The reality of flexibility training is there will be some discomfort that is associated with it. My best recommendation is that people become more familiar with the research, practice, and use of self-soft tissue work. Especially in gymnasts, the changes in sensitivity of nerves that transmit pain, and also reductions in stretch reflexes likely are the main mechanisms. (46-48). The goal is to make hand contact with the wall. All of the studies that did show a change in range of motion from various techniques (static stretching, PNF type, more dynamic stretching) did not push the subjects into very extreme pain or use excessively long periods of stretching past 2 minutes. Recently many gymnasts are reporting to have hip flexor strains that they push through. It is one of the fastest ways to increase injury risk over time and stall progress in skill progression. The down portion or plantar flexion is what makes up a toe point. For 12 Weeks, 2 days a week and 90 min. Int J Exerc Sci. These structures and systems tend to have much more potential to change through training. It can be overwhelming if you are not familiar with it. However, there is a very fine line between reasonable discomfort and inflicting real pain. In a sport like gymnastics, where very high forces are going through shoulder, hip, and spine joints at extreme ranges of motion, this level of force can quickly cause already mobile passive tissues to stretch out more. Straddle Split on Line, kneeling lunge test at wall for Dorsiflexion (wow this video is old! These gymnasts typically dont have to work on flexibility too much to achieve full splits. This is associated with hyperextended knees and hyperextended elbows. 95 97 In theory, it incorporates not only neural encoding but also motor skill acquisition and deliberate practice. There are very predictable locations of stretch discomfort that athletes may feel, and other areas that are warning signs of more serious injuries. This is where the third layer of dynamic stabilizers and muscles comes into play. As mentioned, the important take away here is to focus on things we can change, like the muscles themselves. Second Edition, 2009. (17) In one situation, the gymnast may have lots of hip and toe rotation out but may not have any motion of toes in.. Trying to aggressively push through that bony or ligamentous limitation will only lead to pain and headaches for all involved. Out of all the things I have seen in flexibility methods for gymnastics, the one that drives me the most insane is pushing knees into extension during splits or pikes. PLOS, 2012, 7(10): 1-10, Kubo K., Kanehisa H., Fukunaga, T. Effect of stretching training on the viscoelastic properties of human tendon stiffness in vivo. zerofive 43 foot vertical 10 160m. The main articles that support this are, With this being said, there are definitely studies that claim changes to the mechanical properties of the muscle, tendon, and junction between these structures change overtime with stretching. It has been great to see so many great surgeons, healthcare providers, and strength coaches share their thoughts and describe what still needs to be considered. Subacromial Impingement. Assisted hamstring stretch. Surgical tubing also works, but again the tubing needs to be quite stiff. I strongly suggest people who may be unknowingly pushing knees down more in oversplits, or feet elevated pike stretches stop and think about why they chose to certain stretching interventions. nih.gov/pubmed/24856792, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/19497032, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29506306, http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0045661, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25559637, The The Hyperflexibile Hip: Managing Hip Pain In Gymnasts and Dancers, Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury. strength, co-ordination, spatial awareness and the core gymnastics session. In the most basic sense, I dont think oversplits are inherently bad for gymnasts. I think the more accurate way to describe them is that over splits may be bad for a particular gymnast at that moment in time. A systematic review. I will then end with some important notes on other joints like the knees, elbows, and spine. Your legs should be at a 90 angle. Nonoperative rehabilitation for traumatic and atraumatic glenohumeral instability. They explain that the short-term effects often seen from stretching must be supported by other qualities of athleticism. They concluded, that both Hold Relax Stretching and Static Stretching can increase end range of motion, which may be because of the decreases in muscle stiffness and modified stretch tolerance during the stretch application. Scand J Med SCi Sports, 2010: 136 144. When this is the case, there may be a more optimal approach based on the anatomy of the shoulder joint. Just as we must reverse engineer each of these technical issues to why a gymnast is unable to make a giant over, we must take the same approach to flexibility training. 21, 788-792. Within a few days of modification, advice from a qualified medical provider, and time to heal, issues may resolve quickly. As the 2018 systematic review outlines (25), it may make a positive effect on range of motion when properly done. Hip Instability: Current Concepts and Treatment. In my mind, these are two different applications of static stretching or foam rolling and should be viewed as having different goals. Sands WA, Flexibility. Without an in-depth medical background to understand human anatomy, the risk to reward ratio of trying to stretch ligaments and joint capsules are incredibly high. The Mechanisms of Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Model. This is typically why these gymnasts from a young age enjoy recreational gymnastics. It is a physical activity that can be developed professionally, but can also be practiced generally for recreation or as a personal exercise routine. I often give these circuits for shoulder or hip flexibility assigned as homework before practice or at home. 2008;108:379390. Current Concepts In Shoulder Examination of The Overhead Athlete. By this I mean those based on a proper assessment, that does not induce excessive pain, that has a consistency over intensity mindset, and uses stretching as once piece of a larger program for flexibility. Meyers CA., et al. Warm ups and cool downs are another common topic that comes up when discussing flexibility. I have worked with many athletes that tend to be stiffer, but because of their incredible natural power, they succeed early on in gymnastics. An important note is that some athletes may have different bony morphology of their hips in which their femur or hip socket is more rotated forward (anteverted) or backward (retroverted). There appear to be short-term changes in range of motion, but often does not stick around too long without follow up strength work or consistent practice of flexibility. I meet many well-intentioned gymnastics coaches and parents who are simply looking for an easy to use, but scientifically-backed flexibility program to help the gymnasts they know to increase their flexibility, reduce the risk of injury, and increase their performance. 2014 Jan; 46(1): 131-14. From there I will take a deep dive into some cultural issues that exist in gymnastics, and then conclude with step by step flexibility examples for each main region of the body that gymnasts struggle with including the shoulders, hips, ankles, and wrists. I feel this naturally occurs over time but is amplified when stretching methods are misguided. Proper assessments and specific stretching methods must be used so that excessive strain on passive tissue like bones, ligaments, and joint capsules is avoided. significant difference (p > .05). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5400218/, https:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20075147, https://www.ncbi.nlm. Determination and Desire are however the most important traits for successful participation in any This wraps in not only the passive range but also strength, active control, technique, and many other factors. This allows for more or less inherent flexibility, but as always many other factors contribute. There is typically much less seen where gymnasts elbows are being stretched into hyper extension, but that also should be avoided. The active structures are more what people know about from gymnastics flexibility methods: muscles, tendons that attach muscles to bones, and the nervous system. Handstands, beginner jumps or leaps, and introductory ring or parallel bar skills demand extreme mobility to execute. Neurological vs Mechanical Effects of Stretching, Why We Must Change Certain Stretches for Safety. I am incredibly grateful for all the research they have conducted. Like many people, I largely got my flexibility methods from lessons that my coaches passed down to me, the advice of other coaches at camps or clinics, and whatever I found on the internet through discussion forums. 2015 Jul;7(4):34658. In particular, the knee and elbow joints can be areas that if overly stretched, can become problematic. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach April 23, 2014, Shibata, K.R., Matsuda, S. & Safran, M.R. J Strength Cond Res. The body of research regarding foam rolling and manual therapy or massage is a bit confusing regarding the theoretical mechanisms. Second, most times there are a lack of pre and post-tests (line splits, checking objective shoulder flexibility screen against a wall) to see if what is being used for exercises is effective. It may very well be a minor strain. I feel gymnasts should be doing regular soft tissue care routine to combat excessive stiffness that may negatively impact flexibility. Definition of Gymnastics Is the system of selected physical exercises that can be performed with &without apparatus in physical education program It is a harmonious system of physical exercises which are scientifically organized methodological arranged to achieve objectives Gymnastic is one of the famous competitive sports. Some research has suggested it can also be helpful to reduce perceived muscle soreness, enhance blood flow, and make an impact in recovery (41-43) I encourage all athletes that I work with to do some form of light, soft tissue prep before every workout. Their hypermobility, along with any underlying talent or great coaching they obtain to control this range of motion, allows them to be quite successful at an early age. Her ankles are very lax and she also tends to hang out in the down and in position that may predispose it to roll. Long term changes that have minimal injury risk do not tend to come from short-term, high intensity and high force methods often seen in gymnastics. This would suggest that with significant immobilization or time spent in prolonged tension, sarcomeregensis may occur within the muscles. It does not look nearly as impressive of a motion, but it is very specific to the goal we are trying to achieve of affecting the active structures while minimizing excessive stress on the passive structures. 132 146, Sands WA, McNeal J. Surrounding the ball and socket of the shoulder is something called the joint capsule as well as ligaments. For the most part, these structures cannot change too much unless surgery of some nature is performed, or through adaptation across many years as is seen when children grow or participate in overhead throwing sports from a young age. It directly relates to this conversation on the need to understand anatomy, as well as active and passive structures, and knowing where discomfort is or is not expected. A large body of research has emerged in the last decade outlining that regular stretching does increase range of motion over periods of 4-8 weeks, with both changes in the muscle tissue and changes in the nervous system as an underlying mechanism. (2 ed., pp. J Appl Physiol, 2002, 92: 565 601. However, this requires very specialized medical training and must be performed by a healthcare provider who is competent. Anyone experiencing pain, discomfort, abnormal sensation, or other symptoms should stop immediately from any advice offered and seek formal medical care. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2013l 8(5) 601 616, Hart E., et al. Eccentric training and static stretching improve hamstring flexibility of high school males. This said, I believe the majority of the effects of stretching come through neurological means. Effects of self myofascial release: A systematic review. I recommend these tools be used alongside full dynamic warm-ups and technical drills commonly seen in gymnastics. There are usually large groups of people warming up, a limited amount of space, and a limited amount of time. However, as noted in earlier chapters their natural hypermobility can be an area of caution. Ben M., Harvey LA. Wilk KE, Andrews JR, Arrigo CA. The main reason as mentioned above is because the stretch pain reported may be coming from a few overlapping body structures, some we should be aiming to target (muscles, fascial tissue, some tendinous) and some we should not be (bony joints, ligaments, capsules, labrums, etc.). List of Gymnastics Exercises. In general, these structures can be lumped into the categories of passive or active, with research outlining this more specifically for the shoulder (1-5) and the hip (5-12). The researchers proposed that the change in the range of motion may have primarily come from increased tolerance to the discomfort of nerve fibers that detect stretch pain, as the fibers were becoming more desensitized. flexibility changes in a gymnast. You can see a video of our entire warm up here. Teaching gymnastics specific stability and whole chain coordination through single leg jumping, hopping, dynamic balance drills, and so on is usually the more beneficial route. As a result, they have more ability to positively increase an athletes overall amount of shoulder or hip flexibility. Gymnasts are already notorious for having really tight calves because of how much time they spend in a toe point along with doing so much jumping and landing. Remember, you can download the entire chapter on flexibility, the 10-minute flexibility guides, or the pre-hab guide here. Some of the gymnasts could be born more lax and likely have been successful in gymnastics because of it. 2015; 23: 203-212, Escamilla RF, Hooks TR, Wilk KE. Although there are conflicting viewpoints on this discussion, I have boiled my thoughts down to three main contributing factors as to why gymnasts may get stiff as they participate in gymnastics. Eccentric pull up lowers or EZ Mover Sliders, Gymnastics skill technique drills to use the new range of motion They tell me they often times find temporary progress, but nothing seems to stick long term and actually show up in their skills. Labral tears may progress to requiring surgical repair and putting an athlete out of training for months or even career-ending. Ive seen hundreds of them and had plenty myself during my years of gymnastics. The first few sections of this blog are background and explanation for flexibility methods using scientific research. The larger changes related to global training design, may be more involved. It is not always about the length of the muscle at one spot like the hip or shoulder that makes everything goes right. Not only do they happen quite a bit as a first time injury for a gymnast, they seem to keep popping up as re-occuring injuries for many gymnasts leading to cumulative issues down the road. This is a central concept to the work my mentors Mike Reinold and Lenny Macrina teach their patients about, due to how much it changes their mobility. What is likely easy for that gymnast to do in a flexibility video online is because she has unique hips. Although its not as common as the hip and shoulder post, I still have seen it quite a few times when in gyms. The subjects were adult, the stretching methods and outcomes may have some validity errors, and the difference in natural hypermobility or anatomy were not discussed. Routledge: New York. They also echo the research covered already that emphasis how overly aggressive or excessive stretching duration can possibly have damaging effects on connective tissue(39). It alsomay impact their ability to control landings and tumble leading to decreased performance. Knowing what I do now from all of the above research, I have mostly moved away from this approach of only using stretching to improve flexibility. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc (2016). Doing slider crawls are a great core training replacement to reduce some of the leg lifts that may be creating ongoing headaches with limited split flexibility. imo group link. For choreography or specific drills, this may be very appropriate when not pushed quickly to extreme ranges of motion. To help clarify, many use the analogy of the sleeve of a shirt to visually highlight the joint capsule. This simple change in the stretch, along with follow up work, tends to make large progress in gymnasts who cannot progress in their overhead flexibility. This concept simply means the passive structures like the ligaments or joint capsules tend to be already very lax and they naturally may have much less stiffness throughout their body. (7-9, 17). Flexibility is frequently included in talent identification and screening measures for gymnasts, divers, and dancers (2, 10, 11, 16, 20, 21). If you are more curious about learning the medical side of hip injuries in hyper-flexible athletes, I highly recommend reading these articles. 115-122, Reinold MM, Curtis AS. The Hyperflexible Hip Managing Hip Pain in the Dancer and Gymnast. 2018: 39; 39: 243 254. The way someones hips or shoulders are shaped, unique rotations of bones, certain anatomical variations, or issues along the entire body chain, can all have a substantial impact on the amount of flexibility a gymnast can display during skills. Many gymnasts may be limited by their bony alignment, differently shaped hips, or less mobile capsule/ ligaments. There is a lot of medical and science nerdiness in there. Exercise selection, strength program balance, and athlete individuality also have a significant impact on limited progress in flexibility. Flexibility 5 Flexibility In addition to the strength/conditioning program, the coach must also provide training for the enhancement of flexibility. However, they may have a more serious underlying issue such as ligament, capsule, the joint or labral damage that are frankly a big deal. This finding isnt inherently dangerous, or good as research always has its internal issues. I recommend athletes start with light soft tissue prep or individual areas of focus before practice, then do a joint based preparation, followed by some light cardio to increase metabolic temperature and heart rate, and then do a full dynamic warm-up. 2) change the hamstring muscle extensibility. Thomas E., Bianco A., Palma A. Weppler CH, Magnusson SP. The search was conducted on PubMed, WOS, Scopus, Sport Discus and Google Scholar databases, and . The Relation Between Stretching Typology and Stretching Duration: The Effects on Range of Motion. A paper by Weppler / Magnussun in 2010 (find it here, A paper by Ben / Harvey in 2010 (find it here, A reduction in the amount of stiffness or compliance within muscles (viscoelasticity), although likely transient, An increase in the length of contractile units within muscles (sarcomeregenesis) especially if eccentrics are used, Increases in the water content, blood flow, and temperature within muscles acutely, A 2018 systematic review by Thomas et al (, The issue is not with use of stretching. And Im not off the hook here. Many structures in the body can influence how much each joint moves. Paralleled to the shoulder, the hip joint is made up of the socket (acetabulum) and the upper thigh bone (femur), with the femoral head serving as the ball. A few very inflexible gymnasts that I have worked with also displayed improvements in hip or shoulder range of motion over time when they used soft tissue work combined with proper stretching/strength programs. (1, 3, 5, 8-9, 15-16). Herbert RD, Gabriel M. Effects of stretching before and after exercising on muscle soreness and risk of injury: a systematic review. Nakamura M., et al. In short, stretching the toe point more may be exaggerating this imbalance, leading to issues both in their injury risk for inversion sprains as noted above but alsoother ankle injuries. 2017 Apr;21(2):446-451. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2016.11.006. Without a proper movement assessment being done first, the application of regular stretching and other flexibility exercises may fall short of revealing progress. Although I highly encourage people to review it and read the evidence for themselves, their thoughts follow in line with the ideas noted above related to changes in sensation or tolerance of stretching, rather than true muscle tissue changes. Cross-body shoulder stretch. While genetics and luck do play a little bit of a role when it comes to flexibility, as a whole I tend to disagree that these are the main reasons thousands of gymnasts struggle with flexibility, particularly at the hip and shoulder joint. Sometimes in such a high force sport, these bumps and bruises are inevitable. Traditional forms of these stretches may contribute to the development of an injury. It only takes one bad landing for the gymnast to suffer a major and possibly career ending injury. Many gymnasts with stiff hips could benefit from a bit less squatting and jumping, and repace those exercises with glute and hamstring work. Gymnasts partake in stretching every day for months on end, so we cant conclude that changes in muscle tissue over time are not occurring. The strips are cut in sections approximately 5'6" in length (approximately 170cm). 2, 3, 4). Examination, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation for athletes should only be performed by a licensed medical professional. I will dive into this more below. The Young Injured Gymnast: A Literature Review and Discussion. Lats, Teres Major, Pec Major and Minor, Thoracic Spine, etc. It can be accomplished through an addition by subtraction type approach of using an alternative exercise or changing the alignment of certain common gymnastics stretches. Many great studies have outlined how hip ligaments and labrum may get strained at very end ranges that are unprotected or repetitively subjected to high force (as seen in several gymnastics skills). 2015. Register for the SHIFT Gymnastics Newsletter for Email Download Link. Gymnastics at Home Worksheets- Static Flexibility Before you start you'll need: - A wooden spoon - A sofa/ seat - Some cushions - A wall/ closed door If you need to improve your flexibility in a certain area then the exercises in this worksheet will help with ideas of how to practice safety at home. 2016. When used in the right context, it can augment the flexibility needed for advanced leaps or jumps, inbar skills, and tumbling mechanics. Self-soft tissue work refers to using foam rollers, lacrosse balls, tennis balls, or other implements to help massage different muscular areas of the body.

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