In my last blog entry I talked about the need to create balance in your workouts. The three main pillars of a balanced workout include cardiovascular exercise, stretching or flexibility, and strength training. 

I tend to include "core" conditioning as an add-on.  As I had mentioned, one should actually be spending almost equal amounts of time on each of these three pillars in any given week. 

In reality, most of us favor one or two and let the others slide.  This can create imbalances not only in your workout, but also in your frame resulting in a set up for injury or breakdown. Think of your workouts in terms of pieces of a puzzle. The more pieces that are in place, the clearer things get.

The one area that I see most consistently lacking is in the area of stretching or flexibility. This is something that most of us need more of, not less. The need for stretching increases with age since we tend to lose mobility and elasticity and our tissues. Also, after an injury, especially muscle pulls, there's a tendency for tight muscles to further develop.

Even some young athletes get into trouble with tight muscle groups. It is not uncommon after a growth spurt for adolescents, who were previously quite flexible, to develop major tightness in certain muscle groups.

Most adults predictably have tightness in four major muscle/body areas. These include the front of the shoulder, lower back, hamstrings (rear thigh) and calf. Also, certain sports and/or activities will create predictable muscle imbalances in your frame. This is one of the reasons why there is no one single perfect sport or activity when it comes to fitness. It is also why embracing cross-training is so important.

I believe there is a bit of confusion in this whole area of stretching and flexibility training. In my next blog entry I will try to clarify things. When to stretch? Before or after an activity?  Do you think it matters? Where does warm-up fit in? Are there fun ways to enhance your flexibility? Can everyone be a Gumby? Stay tuned.