Physical Activity and Flexibility: Practice

Explain why it is important to assess flexibility both before starting AND during a workout regimen.

In order to accurately evaluate progress in a flexibility workout regimen, it is important to establish a baseline level of flexibility and then to track progress during the regimen from that starting point. A baseline establishes where an individual is before starting a program; without a baseline, it would be difficult to know how much progress has been made as a result of the workout regimen. Tracking progress during a regimen is important because that information establishes the effectiveness of the regimen.

Why is a recovery period between bouts of exercise important?

B. Resting between workouts helps to prevent injuries.

Compare and contrast the exercise principles of progression and overload.

Both progression and overload are concerned with slowly increasing the intensity and challenge of the exercises of a workout. Overload arises from the need to increase exercise intensity to maintain a challenging workout: as a body adapts to a given exercise level, the difficulty must be increased to keep challenging the body and making progress. Progression is closely related to overload and also requires that an exercise program gradually become more difficult. Progression, however, is focused on the increased goals of an exercise program rather than the adaptation of the human body.

Compare and contrast static and passive stretching.

Both static and passive stretching are similar in that limbs are moved into and held in a stretch position. In static stretching, a person actively holds their own limbs in the position, while in passive stretching, a partner moves and holds limbs in the stretch position for the other person.

What flexibility assessment requires a partner?

C. trunk lift

__________ is the most common type of stretching.

D. Static

Which stretching exercise is usually NOT recommended for most people other than professional athletes?

D. ballistic stretching

Which principle of exercise is concerned with maintaining a challenging workout?

D. overload

Explain why static flexibility tests are more common than dynamic flexibility tests.

Static flexibility tests are more common than dynamic tests because they are easier to replicate. It is difficult to standardize motion-based tests between different subjects, while static tests are simple and easy to standardize because the metrics are fixed and not open to interpretation.

How does dynamic stretching help an individual prepare for an activity?

The controlled movement of limbs through a full range of motion reduces muscle tightness and increases the range of motion of those particular muscles. By going through dynamic stretching of muscles that are going to be used in an activity, the body is prepared for that specific activity. When muscles are loose and relaxed for an activity, it reduces the risk of injury, as well as muscle soreness and fatigue.