ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

I have been blessed with excellent flexibility from a young age. It was the one thing that I had not needed to work particularly hard for. I lacked physical strength and was debilitated with asthma, but for whatever reason, I was granted great flexibility. For a long time, I was more interested in improving my flexibility rather than building up my strength. I attribute this reasoning for wanting to focus on my stronger aspects rather than trying to patch up my weaknesses. It was only once I started competing in Koshiki Karate tournaments that I realised I needed to work on my strength. Strength and flexibility should be developed side by side because each supports and augments the other. This is a common problem I see with many people. Typically they focus too much on weightlifting and then neglect stretching the muscles. There have been some occasions where I have seen people with great flexibility but fall short in the strength department. Now let me explain why it is so important not to focus so much on one of these two aspects while thereby neglecting the other.

If one focuses solely on building muscle without flexibility, the muscles will eventually cramp up and will lose mobility. Blood circulation will become increasingly restricted to the muscles, and this, in turn, deprives the muscles of much-needed oxygen and nutrients for recovery. The body will ache for more significant, and the user will be unable to work the body as hard as potentially capable. Progress will become increasingly limited. On the other end of the spectrum, improving flexibility without building strength will indeed grant one with high mobility within the body, but without the power to support this increased range of motion, the user runs the risk of hyper-extending their muscles or joints which can lead to pulled muscles, muscle tears or ligament damage. Such injuries will undoubtedly put a damper on any progress the user was striving to achieve. When one develops both strength and flexibility together, they will have a strong, durable, injury resistant body that recovers much more quickly after each workout. It is of great importance to not only understand this relationship but to consciously apply it.

To be flexible in both body and mind is a goal worth striving for, though this article series is mainly aimed at promoting physical flexibility. Having excellent flexibility allows for better blood circulation throughout the body. This, in turn, leads to improved health as toxins are more readily flushed out of the system, and nutrients are quickly delivered to the various organs in the body. I intend to detail the stretching exercises I have found most effective throughout my many years of experience in stretching my own body.

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.