In gymnastics, where extreme positions like split leaps and dismounts are common, flexibility isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential. It enhances performance and keeps athletes safe.
When muscles and joints are flexible, gymnasts can gracefully and precisely nail splits, deep backbends, and high leaps. Flexibility also supports better balance and posture during complex moves, reducing muscle stiffness and joint strain, which helps prevent injuries.
How Gymnasts Achieve Their Flexibility
Flexibility is not just about being able to perform a split or bend backward. It is a measure of the range of motion (ROM) in your joints and muscles. The greater the ROM, the more control you have over your movements. Factors like age, genetics, gender, muscle and connective tissue quality, posture, and even your mental state all influence flexibility.
Professional gymnasts typically begin their training between the ages of four and six. This early start gives them a significant advantage because, at this age, children are naturally more flexible and learn quickly. Their bodies are more adaptable, and they can master basic skills much faster than if they started later.
As they grow, maintaining that flexibility becomes a different challenge. Gymnasts employ specialized training methods—sometimes extreme ones—to keep their flexibility at a professional level as they mature.
The Importance of Smart Training
Many people experience muscle tightness because they’re either inactive or they avoid stretching when they feel pain. Pain is your body’s defense mechanism, telling you not to push further into a movement. However, this can create a vicious cycle: if you don’t address tight muscles and joints, they continue to get tighter.
A key to improving flexibility is incorporating smart training and injury prevention into your routine. Preparing your joints with mobilization exercises before stretching can make your training more effective and safer.
For example, foam rolling is an excellent way to release tension in your muscles and connective tissues, allowing for better access to deeper stretches. While foam rolling doesn’t replace stretching, it can enhance your flexibility efforts by loosening tight spots in your body.
Additionally, muscle lengthening through proper stretching can help counteract the negative effects of tight muscles. With consistent practice, you can double the length of some muscle fibers, which increases flexibility and joint mobility.
Stretching Techniques to Improve Flexibility
To improve your flexibility and joint mobility, you need to apply the right techniques consistently. Below are some of the most effective stretching methods that can help you reach a gymnast-level flexibility without resorting to painful methods.
1. Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretching involves moving parts of your body in a controlled motion, gradually increasing the speed of your movements. This type of stretching is ideal for warming up before exercise as it helps prepare the muscles for more intense activity. Think of leg or arm swings, or twisting your torso in a controlled manner.
Dynamic stretching is not to be confused with ballistic stretching, where limbs are forced beyond their range of motion. Ballistic stretching can be dangerous and often irritates the nervous system. Dynamic stretching, however, increases flexibility safely and gradually.
2. PNF Stretching (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation)
PNF stretching is an advanced technique that targets both strength and flexibility. It involves contracting and relaxing muscles in a specific sequence to help improve your range of motion. The goal is to override the body’s natural defense mechanism, which prevents muscles from stretching too far.
One method involves stretching the muscle to its limit, then contracting the muscle gently before relaxing it and stretching further. Repeat this cycle a few times for maximum effectiveness.
Another variation involves contracting the opposing muscle group (the antagonist muscle) to further stretch the target muscle. For example, if you’re stretching your hamstrings, you can contract your quadriceps to stretch your hamstrings even deeper.
3. Loaded Progressive Stretching
This method uses external resistance—like dumbbells, kettlebells, or weight plates—to help improve joint mobility while stretching. The idea is to apply controlled weight to the muscle you’re stretching and move it slowly through its range of motion. Over time, you can gradually increase the weight to deepen the stretch and improve flexibility.
As you stretch with resistance, focus on the eccentric phase (the phase where the muscle is lengthening) while keeping movements slow and controlled. This method also helps build strength, which is crucial for maintaining flexibility in the long run.
Timing Your Stretching Routine
The best time to stretch depends on your goals. Generally, stretching is most effective after sitting for long periods, like after a day of work, or before and after a workout. These are key times when your muscles need to be loosened up and stretched to maintain flexibility. If you’re more advanced, you might add stretching in the morning or before bed, but consistency is key.
Many gymnasts incorporate stretching and mobility exercises into their warm-up routines, ensuring that every joint is prepared for the demands of the sport. You can also use “two-in-one” exercises that combine strength training with flexibility work. These exercises not only stretch but also help you build strength, which is essential for using the new range of motion you’ve developed.
Olympic Gymnast Jake Dalton’s Stretching Routine
Jake Dalton, an Olympic gymnast, shares the stretching routine that helped him train for the Olympics, providing insight into the daily preparation that goes into becoming a world-class gymnast.
The Warm-Up Exercises
Jake starts his session with a light jog around the floor to get his body moving and blood flowing. To really get the blood flowing, Jake also incorporates side steps (sachets) and punches at the end of his jog. These additional movements further warm up the muscles, preparing them for the stretches to come.
After the light jog and sachets, Jake moves on to a few key exercises that activate different parts of the body. These include:
- Jumping Jacks: 10 repetitions
- Push-Ups: 10 repetitions
- V-Ups: 10 repetitions
The goal of these exercises is to get the body moving, activate various muscle groups, and increase your heart rate. V-ups, for example, not only target the core but also engage the hip flexors and lower body, making them a great all-around exercise for warming up before stretching.
Head-to-Toe Stretching
Once the body is adequately warmed up, it’s time to move into the stretching portion of the routine. Jake prefers to start stretching from the head and work down the body. Here’s a breakdown of the stretches he incorporates into his daily routine:
1. Neck Rolls:
Starting at the neck, Jake performs gentle neck rolls in both directions. This helps to relieve tension and increase flexibility in the neck, which is often a neglected area for many athletes.
2. Arm Swings:
Next, Jake swings his arms forward and backward, followed by crisscrossing them. These arm movements are not only good for stretching the shoulders, but they also engage the chest and upper back. It’s a simple but effective way to prepare your upper body for more intense stretches.
3. Shoulder and Pectoral Stretches:
Jake performs an arm circle swing to target the shoulders and chest. He also does a movement where he swings his arms up and down, stretching the shoulders and getting a light hamstring stretch when bending down. This stretch is perfect for opening up the chest and loosening tight shoulder muscles.
4. Lower Back and Hamstrings:
Moving down the body, Jake works on his lower back and hamstrings with side-to-side movements, gently stretching the midsection and back. Afterward, he sits in a straddle position, leaning to each side and then reaching forward to stretch the hamstrings and lower back further.
5. Hip Flexors and Groin:
Jake uses a sumo squat stretch to target the groin and hip flexors. This stretch is especially important for gymnasts who need flexibility in these areas for floor routines and splits.
6. Hamstring and Glute Stretches:
Sitting on the floor, Jake bends one leg and stretches the other leg’s hamstring while simultaneously stretching his glute and lower back. This move hits multiple areas of the lower body at once, helping to increase flexibility for a wider range of movements.
7. Butterfly Stretch:
A classic stretch for the inner thighs, Jake performs the butterfly stretch, bending his knees and bringing his feet together. This is a great way to loosen up the groin and hips.
8. Straddle Stretch:
With his legs wide apart, Jake leans forward to stretch the hamstrings and groin further. Ideally, you should try to get your chest to the floor for the maximum stretch.
9. Shoulder Stretch (On the Ground):
After targeting the lower body, Jake moves into a shoulder stretch while lying on the floor. Reaching one arm behind his back, he stretches both shoulders. This stretch is excellent for improving shoulder flexibility, which is crucial for gymnasts who require fluid, controlled arm movements during routines.
10. Back and Hip Stretches:
To open up the back and hips, Jake performs a back stretch that also engages the glutes. This is a great way to relieve tension in the lower back, which often gets tight from sitting or from the intense physicality of gymnastics training.
11. Lunge and Hamstring Stretch:
Jake incorporates a lunge stretch, targeting the quads and hip flexors, followed by a hamstring stretch to ensure the legs are fully warmed up and ready for more intense movements like splits.
12. Splits:
Moving into splits is a key part of a gymnast’s flexibility routine. Jake works on his left and right leg splits, focusing on gradual progression to achieve the full range of motion.
Final Stretches and Strengthening
After working on flexibility, Jake finishes his routine with a few strength-focused stretches:
- Core Stretch (Seal Stretch): This stretch helps open up the hips, stomach, and lower back. Jake also emphasizes the importance of twisting to target the obliques and the sides of the body.
- Wrist and Ankle Stretches: Wrists and ankles are crucial for gymnasts, especially when it comes to balance and floor routines. Jake stretches both his wrists and ankles, using circles and gentle stretches to loosen these areas up before tackling more demanding moves.
- Punches and Handstand Hold: Finally, Jake finishes his routine with three punches to handstand, followed by a brief hold. Holding a handstand strengthens the core, shoulders, and wrists while also helping to improve balance and stability.
Jake Dalton’s Olympic gymnast stretching routine is a well-rounded and comprehensive approach to warming up and improving flexibility.
The key takeaway is consistency—this routine was part of Jake’s daily training regimen for years, and it helped him achieve peak performance in the Olympic Games. Incorporating these stretches into your routine can help you make significant progress.