Results of a study conducted at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks fly in the face of many things we thought we knew about stretching, strength training and flexibility.
Most of us grew up believing that stretching is THE way to improve flexibility. Something we need to do prior to exercise or other active pursuits to prevent injury and improve performance. In fact, a lot of the old “truths” about stretching have been disproven in recent years.
For example, we now know that static, “old school”, style stretching will actually diminish athletic performance. Dynamic warm-ups, like those you are guided through before you begin your Smartraining sessions, are the way to go.
These new findings on flexibility, though, are truly revelatory. They suggest that resistance training, with attention paid to using a full range of motion is as good, if not better at improving and maintaining flexibility than static stretching!
An article published by WebMD discusses the study's findings.
