What is more important: muscle strength or flexibility?
Which is more essential to peak performance and avoidance of injury?
My calves, thighs and glutes are strong and defined (from skiing moguls), but I’m concerned about joints and ligaments. I’m double-jointed, which may be contraindicated for certain stretches.
Thank you for bringing up the issue of bone density, as well. I think — at my age — I’ll probably do well to just maintain my muscles, bones and ligaments, instead of trying to build them too much.
Just watching these young Olympians ski (so fearless!) makes me wish I was 22 again, and could "bounce back" from an injury as quickly.
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Tagged with: avoidance • bone density • bones • calves • glutes • joints • muscles • peak performance • skiing moguls • stretches • thighs
Filed under: Ski Fitness
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Skeletal muscle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeletal_muscle ~From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are two principal ways to categorize muscle fibers: the type of myosin (fast or slow) present, and the degree of oxidative phosphorylation that the fiber undergoes. Skeletal muscle can thus be broken down into two broad categories: Type I and Type II. Type I fibers appear red due to the presence of the oxygen binding protein myoglobin. These fibers are suited for endurance and are slow to fatigue because they use oxidative metabolism to generate ATP. Type II fibers are white due to the absence of myoglobin and a reliance on glycolytic enzymes. These fibers are efficient for short bursts of speed and power and use both oxidative metabolism and anaerobic metabolism depending on the particular sub-type. These fibers are quicker to fatigue.
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There is a MUST SEE chart at this site, as well as more information.
I would say, as a former athlete, that the type of muscle you want should go through so many repetitions that it becomes a blending as they do with gymnastics. When I did this for football and track, I was never injured again. Even when I took some very ruff hits in football, I did not even bruise, but it took a commitment beyond what most are willing to give.
ME!
Please do not mistake me here, for I know you asked about the joints and ligaments… with the extra workout they become so much stronger it is unreal… As in the Martial Arts, punching a steel plate 100 times a day, for 10 years (At the time I read about it, that was how long he had been doing it) made this one person’s bones in his hands, arms, shoulders, and upper torso 5 times as dense, and nearly twice the cartilage as found in "NORMAL" people… as in those who think a walk around the block is exercise.
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flexibility
both are extremely important
strength supports the joints and skeletal structures in the body without it the weight forces the joint to deteriorate from over working.
flexibility keeps the muscles lean and releases toxins from them like lactic acid, which cause cramping.
the method of creating dense bone matter as orpheus stated is from repeat scarring, causing calcification to form on the bone. that has nothing to do with the question at hand. you cannot do that to joints it would cause them to be immobile.