Flexibility is the key to increased range of motion. 

Increased range of motion is the key to increased performance and decreased risk of injury. 

Higher performance without injury is the key to physical freedom and a higher quality of life, for longer. 

Did you know that most people have the physiological capacity to be flexible, however, it’s the neurological connections that prevent us from having the range? 

I.e. it’s not the length of the muscle that needs lengthening, it’s the signal from the brain to the muscle that needs to be turned down so that it stops preventing full length. 

We like to employ 2 key ways to “stretch” and increase the flexibility of our joints. 

1. Passive stretching: where we force a muscle to go in the opposite direction of its contractile elements with the aim of allowing the brain to lower its tonality and therefore let the muscle return to its full-length capabilities. This is where we find a stretch and hold for a length of time, allowing the body to realise that it won’t break.
2. Active range: where we get our muscles into a stretched position but also make them produce force so that we can learn how to create strength in this large range of motion and therefore be more adapted to physical demands in the future. 
3.  

Here are my top 6 lower body stretches that you can do from anywhere. 

1. Front split 
2. Side split 
3. Couch Stretch
4. Pigeon Stretch
5. Calf Stretch
6. Knees over toes split squat