Athletes are constantly looking for flexibility workouts that will help them prevent injuries, recover faster and perform better in their respective field. Most athletes are known to implement flexibility workouts into their daily and weekly workout routines, so they can benefit from the results of a well practiced routine.

There are six major areas in which athletes physically or mentally feel a benefit from participating in a regular flexibility routine. A flexibility routine that is well placed after a workout can in fact help an athlete relieve muscle tension and stress that was just inflicted upon those muscles during a workout. Adding a flexibility workout after a warm up can help ease tension and increase blood circulation to muscles the athlete is getting ready to work. Most individuals who implement a flexibility routine after their warm up and after their workouts have seen great results in flexibility and muscle growth. The result in muscle growth comes from increased circulation to muscles that have been placed under stress.

Many athletes use this time to help them clear their minds and prepare themselves mentally for the physical abuse they are about to put their bodies through. Many athletes have implemented yoga and its flexibility routines to their daily or weekly schedules to help them focus and clear their minds.

Athletes utilize flexibility and stretch workouts to help ease tense muscles from their physically demanding workouts and performances. Stretching a muscle or group of muscles under force slowly pulls the soreness out of them. Flexibility exercises can be repeated many times throughout the day to help loosen up muscles and joints.

All athletes place their muscles under constant strain throughout their workouts and sport. This strain on the muscles can cause lactic acid buildup, and stretching slowly releases the acid buildup, alleviating the muscle soreness.

Athletes are prone to injuries, due the the amount of time they spend with their muscles and joints under great stress. Flexibility workouts help all athletes increase their range of motion, or ROM. Range of motion is known as joint flexibility. Athletes utilize their joints and range of motion under great stress for their sport or workouts. By adding flexibility workouts to their routine, they can condition their joints to have an extended ROM, decreasing the chance for a joint injury.

Athletes spend hours, months and years preparing their bodies for their respective sport, and in some instances they end up making it to the professional level of their respective sport. Their time invested into a flexibility workout that keeps them physically able to compete means a prolonged career and lifestyle.

If you find that your workouts are becoming more intense and the soreness you feel in your muscles and joints has increased, try adding a flexibility workout to your routine. You'll be glad you did.