5 Components of Physical Fitness (Part 3)
4. Flexibility
Flexibility is the fifth component of physical fitness.
Flexibility is simply the ability to move a joint through its full range of motion. In other words, how limber you are. A person’s level of flexibility is partly determined by genetics and their joint structure, but nearly all people are able to improve flexibility through regular static and dynamic stretching.
Flexibility is important because it allows you to perform certain daily activities like stretching to reach an item on a high shelf or bending down to pick something up off the floor.
Having a high-degree of flexibility discourages certain injuries and muscle-strains because flexibility allows you to better use proper form when performing activities like lifting objects. For example, people with tight, inflexible hamstring muscles (the muscles on the backs of your legs) will often compensate for this lack of flexibility, by lifting from the waist, versus through the legs and waist. This puts them at greater risk for lower back injuries.
In sports and recreational activities, improved flexibility can also enhance athletic performance, ensuring that you are using proper form and working a muscle through it’s full and natural range-of-motion — for example during weight or resistance training. Nearly all sports and activities can benefit from increased flexibility, but some — like gymnastics – require a very high-level of flexibility. In recreational sports like softball, basketball or soccer, increased flexibility can also improve power, balance and agility.
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