One problem that every bodybuilder, boxer, and MMA fighter has to face in their training is muscle growth does not increase alongside with flexibility!
It cannot be! – You might think so since every muscle training consist of numerous constant movements and motions.
So, muscle mass can affect a person’s flexibility; is it true?
Quick answer: Yes, it can!
In this article, we will come together to find out the detailed answer and explanation behind this. Let’s get started!
Advantages Of Enhanced Flexibility To A Fighter
For bodybuilders, boxers, and fighters, it is essential to have strong or large muscles. They have specialized training every day to achieve and maintain that muscular body.
Though muscle mass can affect a person’s flexibility, it is still an optional factor that some might need. For instance, bodybuilders want that beautiful brawny shape, while boxers need a much flexible body to attack and defense quickly in a real fight.
Some of the advantages of flexibility are:
- Enhanced performance with a wider range of motion
- Loosen tight and tense muscles
- Reduce serious injury risk from constant arduous training
- Expand muscular growing space
- Natural posture: you do not want to look like a brawny robot, do you?
- Improves blood circulation to encourage recovery
- Balance the pressure on your body
Factors That Affect Flexibility
If you have been practicing your body for a while, you must already know the most suitable method to increase muscle mass.
However, as we said above, you should never skip flexibility on your way of becoming a robust muscular dude. We already know that muscle mass can affect a person’s flexibility, also known as the range of motion. There are other certain factors could influence it:
- Joint structure: The human body has several types of joints; each has a different range of motion.
- Age: As you get older, your flexibility gradually declines. You can reclaim it through appropriate training, such as yoga or stretching.
- Gender: Females usually have greater limberness than males.
- Skeletal structure: Some people are flexible from birth thanks to their bone construction!
- Muscle mass: Heavy muscle mass leads to large muscles, which can get in the way of movement. We will dive deep into this factor right away!
Muscle Mass Can Affect A Person’s Flexibility, Can’t It?
As we already stated above, the answer is: Yes, it can.
Besides, muscle mass usually affects someone’s flexibility in an adverse way. Athletes or bodybuilders with bulky and heavy figures normally find it difficult to perform exercises that require significant limberness.
Well-designed muscle training, if completed regularly, will enhance flexibility. Only when you do a lot of muscle mass enrichment without stretching could we see a flexibility reduction!
Another situation, when you keep working on certain muscles and ignore the others, you might limit your body’s range of motion. Along with your muscle mass training, you should also take up the stretching and work on all muscles to balance them.
Now we have known how muscle mass can affect a person’s flexibility; let’s see how to plan a well-design program to boost your flexibility!
Pay attention:
Start the training with a warm-up and end it with a cool down. The warm-up should include both stretching and light cardiovascular exercise. If your program is well-planned, there will be no flexibility reduction. It might even help with your muscle growth since now they have more room to move!
In case you have no idea to make the most suitable program for yourself, it is best having a professional trainer do it for you, or you can find an online trainer like Opex Gatwick for convenience and cost saving. They can also cover your diets and training time so that you can achieve the best result in the shortest time.
Best Workout To Improve Flexibility For Fighters
You probably know the most effective exercises to boost your muscle mass if you have been training for a while.
But about the workouts that enhance flexibility?
Because muscle mass can affect a person’s flexibility, usually in a negative way, we need to plan the stretching exercise thoroughly. Six to eight minutes of active stretching and light cardio before workouts is the best since it can prevent injury. Suggested warm-ups are plyometrics and some types of stretching such as ballistic stretching, dynamic stretching, or PNF stretching.
Conclusion
After reading this article, do you find out the answer to the question of whether muscle mass can affect a person’s flexibility?
Carefully check out your own body condition to see if you prioritize muscle mass, strength, or flexibility. If you are a boxer who is training to participate in a real fight, then you must have known the importance of portability alongside with muscle strength.