How resistance training affects flexibility

We often have members ask us how they can improve their flexibility, which means the ability to move a joint through its full range of motion. Flexibility is very important for activities of daily living, such as bending down to tie your shoes or extending your arms over your head to grab something.

Often a member may want a list of exercises they can take home, such as static stretching. But what may be surprising to many people is that if you train properly, many of the exercises we do in the gym at Rise can actually increase flexibility. Even something like a dumbbell bench press or single‑arm cable pull‑down can increase the flexibility of the joint(s) involved. Let me explain.

As stated above, flexibility is defined as the ability to move a joint through its full range of motion. For example, when bending down to touch your toes, you require your hips to flex and your knees to extend, which then stretches the backside of your legs. Being able to touch your toes shows that you possess flexibility in your hips, or more specifically in the muscles around the hip.

But does improving flexibility mean that we have to spend hours stretching at home or at the gym? Not necessarily. Research seems to suggest that resistance training a joint through its full range of motion can have as great a benefit on flexibility as static stretching. In a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, it was found that “resistance training — so long as it is done over the appropriate full range of motion — will have positive benefits on flexibility.”This study was published in 2011, and since then more evidence and discussion within the field of exercise science have agreed that resistance training with a full range of motion can indeed improve and maintain flexibility.

So why is this important? Well, the practical application is to make sure that when you are lifting weights, you are doing so with the intention of using your joints’ full range of motion. When you are doing a dumbbell bench press, take the weights as low as possible, while maintaining good form. And don’t get discouraged if a coach tells you to grab a lighter weight for your goblet squats; this just means you can intentionally work on your muscles’ ability to use your joints’ full range of motion.

To conclude: I am not telling you to skip stretching in the gym, or that stretching at home is no longer necessary. Rather, resistance training can be a great foundation for maintaining or improving flexibility when you lift intentionally by using a full range of motion.

If you’re interested in improving your flexibility, getting stronger, feeling healthier, and finally sticking to a nutrition and exercise routine - we’d love to meet you and share more about how Rise can help. Head here to sign up for a Free Fitness Consultation, no strings attached.