Welcome to the Get Fit Guys' Quick and Dirty Tips to Slim Down and Shape Up.

My name is Ben Greenfield and I'm the Get Fit Guy.

Listener Drake recently rode in to Get Fit Guy at Quick and Dirty Tips.com and asked,

I'm trying to get back into shape after a long time of doing nothing.

I did martial arts when I was young, but for about the last 10 years, I'm trying to get back into shape after a long time of doing nothing. I did martial arts

when I was young, but for about the last 10 years, I just quit. I'm now in the worst shape of my

life. The ray of sunshine here is the doctor says I'm in great health to start getting back in shape.

I was naturally flexible when I was younger, but now I can't even touch my toes. Could you give me some pointers to help me regain some normal flexibility?

Well, this is a great question, Drake, and in this episode, you'll learn whether being inflexible can harm your physical performance or set you up for injuries,

how to improve your flexibility with a specially designed workout and flexibility exercises.

So first, let's start with whether or not inflexibility affects your performance.

In the episode, What is the best way to warm up?

You learn that static stretching in which you hold a stretching position for 5, 10, or 20 seconds

can actually inhibit the amount of force that your muscles can produce

and limit your physical performance in any jumping, running, or lifting activity that you may do

after that stretching session. But why is this? Well, it's because in most athletic movements,

force is produced not just from your muscles contracting, but also from a

release of elastic energy that's stored in your muscles tendons. Take running, for example. When

your foot strikes the ground, your ankle flexes backwards as your body absorbs the impact,

and your knee bends. When the ankle begins to extend for the toe to push off the

ground, the energy stored in your Achilles tendon during that foot planting phase is released. This is called

a stretch shortening cycle, and the tighter your tendons are, the more explosively they can release that stored energy.

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