The Importance of Stretching and Flexibility within Parkour

Written by Gainey

Injuries. Don’t we all just hate them? People may think that most injuries come from carelessness and mistakes. This is far from the truth. In fact, most injuries occur if you do not warm up and stretch properly.

As you are growing, you will develop muscle imbalances because the muscles in your body will gradually shorten over time. The only way to combat this is to make sure that you stretch thoroughly before any physical activity. So you ask why the shortening of your muscles will affect your parkour? Well, think of it like this: you gain strength by increasing your muscle mass through exercising; just the same as you gain power by lengthening your muscle fibres through stretching. This is why stretching is so important. Where would any traceur be without power? In my opinion, next-to nowhere.

Simple stretches should be done in such a way so that ligaments of the joint are not loaded, only one major muscle, or muscle group is being stretched at once and be in a position where it does not take any energy to maintain the stretch.

Here is a short list of some simple, yet extremely effective stretches;
1. Tricep stretch -

2. Groin (Adductor) stretch -

3. Quadricep stretch -

4. Calf stretch -

5. Back stretches -

These stretches should all be done just to the point of a gentle tug, which will be sufficient to get your muscles stretched and warm.

Some short guidelines for stretching;

• When stretching, always make sure that the neck and backbone are kept in a straight line, and that no other structures (such as ligaments or nerves) are having unnecessary pressure put on them.
• Stretches should not be timed. This is because after you have stretched, the muscles will need time to relax back to their normal length. The relaxation time will vary from person to person and from day to day even in the same person.
• NEVER stretch injured or aching muscles. This can lead to more damage as the stretch can put too much pressure on the muscle that is already under stress, which can lead to tendon or ligament injury.
• Most of all, never overstretch. For example, if you want to increase flexibility for the splits, you should only go so far down as you can without any pain whatsoever, as this is the best way to increase flexibility. Some people may think that you should push a little more and that is an improvement in flexibility but it is not. As soon as you feel even the slightest pain, you are overstretching the muscle and that will only decrease flexibility.

In conclusion, good flexibility in your joints and muscles helps to prevent injuries such as; torn ligaments, muscle tears and lower back aches. As a child you have natural flexibility and a wide range of motion in your joints, but as you start to grow and age, the only way to maintain and improve this flexibility is through good stretching.

So always remember to perform a thorough stretch to all the muscles of the body before you participate in any physical activity, especially one as demanding as parkour!