Want to know more about flexibility training? we asked a professional female personal trainer in Dubai for her tips and advice about why flexibility training (and not just Yoga) should be an important part of your overall training regime.

Question 1: Firstly, as a personal trainer in Dubai can you explain what flexibility training is for those who are not familiar with the term.

Flexibility training by definition is increasing the range of motion of the different joints in the body. Which, in my opinion, means doing certain exercises to help your muscles stretch and relax, and your joints strengthen and balance.

Question 2: Why is flexibility training important and how does it help?

If you work out regularly in Dubai you will already know that warm ups and stretching exercises are an important part of the process. Flexibility training is a very important basis for other workouts.

No matter the person’s goals, everyone needs to work on their flexibility for many reasons. It increases the range of motion of the joints, which helps to perform other workouts easily.

In addition, it improves mobility and helps in posture adjustment. It also develops muscle coordination and reduces the risk of injury and muscle soreness. A personal trainer in Dubai who has experience in flexibility training can show you the best ways to add more flexibility workouts to your routines. 

Question 3: Which exercise methods are considered ‘flexibility training’ and how often should someone do these as part of their normal exercise regime ?

There are many known exercise methods that help improve flexibility. Yoga, Pilates and Tai-Chi are a few of the main flexibility training methods. However, all types of stretching, whether static, dynamic or PNF, are considered flexibility training.

In my opinion, some types of resistance training, especially when using TRX resistance bands, can also be a part of the flexibility training group.

Question 4: Are stretching and warm-up types of exercise different than flexibility training?

Stretching and warm-up exercises help the muscles prepare for/recover from the exercise. In addition to their property in increasing flexibility over time.

However, flexibility training includes holding a stretch for longer periods of time and challenging the muscles and joints to reach their maximum range of motion.

Every body has a different level of flexibility, and the flexibility training needs to cater for every person individually.

For instance, if a person was over-flexible, their muscles and joints will need to be strengthened to prevent injury.

Whereas a person with tight, stiff joints needs to stretch and extend those particular joints and so on.

Question 5: As a PT in Dubai what kind of flexibility exercises do you do and how do you think it helps with your training?

After evaluating my personal training clients level of mobility and flexibility, I like to start the workout by warming up the main joints.

During the sessions, I would incorporate exercises that help elongate their tight muscles and short joints.

In addition to exercises that help adjust the posture and release tension.

I like to incorporate some yoga moves, especially during the stretching part of the workout, and depending on the client and their specific stiff joint, I’d have them hold a certain pose for longer periods of time for an extra stretch.

In some cases, I use PNF stretching to help with the flexibility as well.