You've probably seen elite athletes performing feats of flexibility that seem beyond human capability. Gymnasts contort their bodies to execute jaw-dropping routines, while sprinters exhibit incredible range of motion as they drive their knees toward their chests. Flexibility exercises allow their bodies to move more efficiently, improving performance. If you want to run, jump, or throw better, enhanced flexibility will help you reach your goals. But does flexibility increase speed? This article answers that question and shows how improving flexibility can help boost your athletic performance.

pliability's mobility app is a useful tool for building that flexibility, with routines and guided programs designed to help you move better, reduce your risk of injury, and enhance your athletic performance.

What is Flexibility and How Does it Affect Performance?

Flexibility is the range of motion in a joint or series of joints. It's crucial for overall athletic performance because it affects movement efficiency and reduces the risk of injury. There are two types of flexibility:

• Static: the range of motion of a joint without regard to speed.

• Dynamic: the range of motion of a joint with regard to speed.

Both static and dynamic flexibility contribute differently to activities like running, jumping, and lifting. Improved flexibility can lead to better technique, enhanced posture, and greater agility.

Why Flexibility Matters for Overall Fitness

Being physically fit means much more than being able to run a mile or ride a bike for 30 minutes. Complete physical fitness encompasses five essential components: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition.

Of these five, flexibility, the ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion, is the most neglected fitness component among the general population. It's highly adaptable, and people can reap the benefits of flexibility training at any age. Flexible joints are crucial for pain-free, independent movement.

What Affects Flexibility?

Three components affect flexibility:

• Muscle elasticity

• Joint structure

• Nervous system

While heredity controls a person's joint structure, muscle elasticity, length, and the nervous system can be positively impacted by regular flexibility training.

Flexibility and Functional Movement

Flexibility is essential for completing everyday activities with ease. Getting out of bed, lifting groceries, and vacuuming the floor all require a certain level of flexibility, which, if not attended to regularly, will deteriorate with age. Regular flexibility training can assist with increased joint mobility, better posture, decreased back pain, and a lower risk of injury.

Flexibility and Sports Performance

Flexibility isn't just neglected among the general population, it's also often misunderstood within the sports performance, athletic, and fitness communities. Flexibility training is usually absent from athletic and sports performance practices, even though this neglected fitness component could significantly improve outcomes. Increased flexibility can improve aerobic fitness training, muscular strength and endurance, and sport-specific training.

Increased range of motion (ROM) prevents injuries through unimpeded, fluid movement. Flexibility training can also decrease soreness and stiffness, particularly among athletes who train at higher frequencies and intensities, and it can serve as a form of relaxation that positively affects both physical and mental fitness, including mental toughness.

Flexibility and Athletic Performance

You have to use a muscle's full length to generate power and strength for peak performance. If muscles are too tight, they may not provide the explosiveness necessary for a particular movement. Tight hip flexors, for example, won't allow you to extend to a full stride while sprinting, which inhibits performance. Flexibility enhances movement and mobility for the athlete.

Benefits of Flexibility

Here are several key benefits of flexibility:

• Improved performance of daily activities

• Improved performance in exercise and sport

• Enhanced joint health

• Prevention of low-back pain and injuries

• Relief of aches and pains (particularly in the muscles exercised)

• Relief of muscle cramps

• Relaxation and stress relief (mental and physical)

• Decreased risk of injury due to more pliable muscles

• Improved posture and balance (minimizes stress on the spine)

Static vs. Dynamic Flexibility Training

Both static and dynamic flexibility training are essential for becoming "flexibly fit" and enhancing performance. Dynamic flexibility is essential for daily activities and sports, since these require movement through complete ranges of motion (a golf swing, for example). Static flexibility, by contrast, is preferred for increasing overall flexibility through muscle elasticity and joint mobility.

How to Get Started with Flexibility Training

Flexibility training should be performed after the body's muscles are properly warmed up to allow for effective stretching. Flexibility fitness should be included for all major joints five to seven days a week.

Here are some guidelines for general flexibility fitness:

Frequency

Three days per week (five to seven days is ideal)

Intensity

Stretch to the point of mild discomfort, not pain

Time

Hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds and perform them two to three times for the same area

Type

Static stretching exercises that focus on the major joints (stretch slowly and don't bounce). For sport-specific performance, incorporate dynamic flexibility as well.

If basic static stretching is too dull, try other popular methods, such as yoga, Pilates, or tai chi. These methods all incorporate proper breathing techniques, visualization, and meditation, which can contribute to improved mental and physical performance.

Does Flexibility Increase Speed? What Does the Science Say?

Flexibility can make you faster. Stretching and increasing your range of motion helps improve your muscles' efficiency, allowing them to move more quickly and with greater power. This is especially true for explosive movements like sprinting or jumping, since it lets you generate more force in a shorter amount of time. Increased flexibility also reduces the risk of injury by helping reduce the muscle imbalances that can lead to strains and pulls.

Does Flexibility Make You Run Faster?

The idea that flexibility helps you run faster has been debated for years, but research on stretching and flexibility points to real benefits for runners. More flexible runners tend to experience less fatigue during their runs and can maintain a higher level of performance over an extended period.

The Role of Flexibility in Speed, Coordination, and Running Performance

Flexibility allows muscles to contract and relax faster, so they respond more quickly when needed. This improved muscle control means better coordination and balance, which translates into smoother running with fewer missteps and more speed. Good flexibility also helps reduce strain on specific muscles while running, which can make the difference between a strong finish and dragging yourself across the line after hitting a wall.

Flexibility also enhances overall well-being by improving posture and relieving stress on joints and ligaments throughout the body. Flexible muscles absorb impact from each stride better than stiffer ones. Experienced runners chasing a personal best and beginners just starting out can both benefit from incorporating flexibility exercises into their training.

How Stretching Improves Muscle Function

Stretching is an essential part of any workout routine, especially for improving muscle strength and tone. It prepares the body for physical activity by loosening tight joints and tendons and increasing blood flow through the muscle fibers, which supports muscle growth. Regular stretching also increases range of motion by elongating your muscles, letting you perform exercises with greater intensity and accuracy while reducing the risk of injury from over-straining or pulling a muscle. That increased range makes workouts more effective and reduces fatigue, since less energy is needed to move through each rep or set.

How Stretching Improves Circulation and Joint Stability

Stretching also improves circulation throughout the body's tissues, including muscles and organs, helping deliver nutrients that aid recovery after intense workouts and speed healing for strained joints, ligaments, and tendons. That improved circulation also strengthens the connective tissue around your bones, increasing stability and helping protect you from harm during complex movements or contact sports like basketball or football, where frequent jarring puts strain on the ankles, shoulders, and other weak points. Stretching helps combat this, keeping athletes healthier for longer so they can keep pursuing their goals.

Move Faster and Recover Better with pliability

Flexibility training can improve athletic performance in any sport that demands explosive movements and quick changes of direction, from basketball and soccer to football. The more you can stretch and control your movements, the better your performance.

pliability gives you daily custom mobility programs built around your specific needs. Use our mobility test to identify your problem areas, then follow personalized Paths designed to improve your flexibility and speed, or use Build Your Program to create a completely customized routine. Daily Sessions and our Rebuild hub help you recover between training blocks, so tight muscles don't hold your performance back.

Sign up today for a 7-day free trial on iPhone, iPad, Android, or the web, and see how improved flexibility can help you move faster and stay injury-free.