Today’s collaborative post is perfect for Women’s History Month! We’re all about raising strong women; whether it be emotionally, professionally or even physically our strength is often times the backbone for our families and communities and that makes these strength exercises that much more necessary.
When you are trying to increase flexibility, stretches are very important. There are plenty of great stretches to help improve flexibility and they need to be part of your regular routine. However, you should also introduce some strength exercises as well.
Most people assume that strength exercises will make your muscles tight and reduce flexibility, but that is not the case. There are some great strength exercises that can help to improve flexibility in a big way.
If you are going to introduce strength exercises to your routine, it is important that you know how to do them correctly so you can avoid injury. You should also make sure to attend a good gym that has all of the right equipment and good staff on hand to assist you. For instance, The Club Fitness Facilities include all of the necessary weights that you need and some simple machines that are ideal for beginners. Staff will be on hand at all times so you can make sure that you are doing your strength exercises safely.
If you want to add more strength exercises to your routine to improve flexibility, these are some of the best ones to try.
Deep Goblet Squats – Goblet squats are a great way to improve lower body strength and hip flexibility. Stand in a wide stance with your feet wider than your hips, and angle your toes outward slightly. Then, take a dumbbell or a kettlebell and hold it up to your shoulders. Keep your torso straight and then do a squat, keeping the weight in your heels and pushing your hips back. Always make sure that your elbows are inside your knees, and pause for a second before you return to a standing position. You can increase the weight as you progress.
Pull-Ups – Pull-ups are always thought of as an upper body strength exercise, which they are, but they are also great for flexibility in the arms. Hanging from the bar stretches out your shoulders a lot, and boosts overall flexibility in your arms. You also get a full range of motion in your arms when you do a pull-up. This is one of the best exercises if you want to boost upper body strength and improve flexibility at the same time.
Dumbbell Chest Fly – Most free weight chest exercises are good for improving flexibility, but the dumbbell chest fly is one of the best. It opens up the chest a lot and gives you a nice stretch and full range of motion. First, lay on your back on a bench and take a dumbbell in each hand. Stretch your arms out to the side so they are level with your body and then slowly bring your arms together over your chest, and repeat. Make sure to start with a low weight so you don’t damage your muscles.
These 3 exercises are perfect for people that want to build strength while also maintaining flexibility. Just make sure that you are doing exercises correctly so you do not injure yourself.
This post was a collaborative effort – please check out my disclosure policy page for more details.