A Wellness Way Of Life - Chapter 5: Developing Flexibility

Front 1

active stretching

Back 1

is a stretch in which you use your own muscle forces to stretch yourself. For example, you can stretch calves by sitting and pulling the toes back.

Front 2

collagen

Back 2

is fibrous connective tissue found within muscles. Collagen is relatively inelastic.

Front 3

dynamic flexibility

Back 3

is the range of motion achieved by quickly moving a limb to its limits as in a bouncing hamstring stretch.

Front 4

dynamic stretching

Back 4

employs swinging or ballistic moves such as a high forward kick.

Front 5

elastic elongation

Back 5

the temporary lengthening of soft tissue, occurs when muscle is stretched and returns to its resting length.

Front 6

elastin

Back 6

is elastic connective tissue found within a muscle.

Front 7

golgi tendon organ (GTO)

Back 7

is a type of stretch receptor located within the muscle tendon that detects the amount of tension in a muscle. When excessive tension is placed on the muscle, the GTO triggers the inverse stretch reflex, causing the muscle to relax to prevent injury.

Front 8

inverse stretch reflex

Back 8

causes the muscle to relax to prevent injury when excessive tension is placed on the muscle.

Front 9

muscle spindle

Back 9

are stretch receptors within the muscle cells that sense the amount and speed of stretch. If a muscle is overstretched or stretched too fast, they activate the stretch reflex to prevent injury.

Front 10

passive stretching

Back 10

is stretching in which someone or something else assists with a stretch. The assist could be gravity, body weight, a strap, or leverage; for example, using gravity or a slant board to assist with a calf stretch.

Front 11

plastic elongation

Back 11

a semi-permanent lengthening of tissues, can be produced by relatively long or intense stretching.

Front 12

proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF)

Back 12

is a type of flexibility exercise in which you perform a static stretch, contract the muscle to produce fatigue, and then relax while a partner stretches your limb.

Front 13

reciprocal inhibition

Back 13

Muscles work in pairs, and when one muscle contracts, through reciprocal inhibition, its opposing muscle relaxes to permit movement. For example, during a biceps curl, the triceps relaxes to permit the biceps to shorten.

Front 14

static flexibility

Back 14

refers to the range of motion you can achieve through a slow controlled stretch, as in a sitting hamstring stretch that you hold for 15 to 30 seconds.