9
fLEXIBILITY, STRETChING, TONING
this area is often overlooked. A stiff and inflexible body does not work well, look good, or feel good. it is at risk
of injury, even if fit and otherwise strong. it's all about stretching your body to help it stay supple. Classes like
yoga and Pilates can be great here, but simple stretching at home can work wonders too.
WHat to aiM for:
• gEntlE & graDUal. The idea is not to bounce or jerk at any time. Stretching should be gradual and never
sudden.
• Control. You should never feel out of control or unstable or unbalanced. If you do you may well hurt
yourself. Control and balance come with time & practice.
• WHolE BoDy. Just like with strength training, try to work on whole-body flexibility.
• tiME. As a rough guide, you should try to stretch each part of your body / each major muscle group for
about 30 seconds, repeated 3 times.
every exercise programme should include flexibility training, probably using about 10-20% of your training time
– it is often ideal to include stretching and flexibility work before and after each workout.
So, thiS week:
plEasE CHoosE WHat forMs of ExErCisE yoU arE going to UsE:
My cardio exercises will be:
My strength training will be:
My flexibility training will be:
