Strength Training as an Aid for Increasing Range of Motion

Numerous movement systems and methods are found to be effective for increasing range of motion. Almost all of them have their benefits and drawbacks. Some of the methods were found detrimental if used before sport performances, associated with great speed and power production. Others, being very effective and sport specific, expose the practitioners to much higher levels of risk for an acute or for cumulative injuries.

Nowadays, strength exercises, based on functional movement patterns (such as squat, lunge, bend, twist, etc.) and executed in a gradually increasing range of motion, are widely used for building strength and improving flexibility in the same `two in one` approach. Single and multi-joint strength exercises, emphasizing the eccentric phase for stretching the working muscles, are found to be beneficial for range of motion facilitation. And finally, the Progressive Loaded Stretching, recently revived and modified by a few leading movement specialists, is one of the hottest topics in the professional circuits.

So, what is all the buzz about? The session will present a few accepted ways of combining and integrating strength and flexibility exercises, with their prerequisites, benefits, disadvantages and even dangers. The frontal presentation will be enriched with a high-level live demonstration of examples of the exercises discussed.