Female runners are indeed better than male runners when it comes to body flexibility. So, what factors contribute to better flexibility in female runners? What can male runners do to improve flexibility?
The body’s flexibility plays an important role in the running process. Runners with good flexibility can not only reduce the risk of injury, but also help improve running efficiency. Warm-up exercises such as dynamic stretching before running can temporarily improve body stiffness, but to improve flexibility in the long term, runners need to perform specialized exercises.
The reason why women have better flexibility than men is mainly due to the following four reasons. First, the protein composition is different. Studies have found that women’s connective tissue (tendons and ligaments, etc.) contains more elastin, while men’s connective tissue contains more collagen. Relatively speaking, elastin has stronger elasticity, allowing connective tissue to move larger and be more extensible. Collagen provides stability and rigidity to connective tissue.
The second is muscle mass. Compared with women, men generally have more muscles, and the muscles are relatively harder, resulting in limited flexibility in men.
Third, the speed of absorbing oxygen is different. Studies have found that women’s bodies absorb oxygen from the blood faster and more efficiently. This means that no matter whether you are warming up before any exercise, the female body will move better and the muscles can use oxygen more quickly.
Fourth, the training items are different. If women practice yoga, Pilates, ballet and other exercises more, these exercises themselves can promote the improvement of flexibility. Men, on the other hand, practice more weightlifting, cycling, and competitive sports, which do not have a strong effect on improving flexibility.
If male runners want to improve their body’s flexibility, they can do more static stretching, dynamic stretching, foam roller massage, etc. They can also add some resistance training, including squats, deadlifts, etc., which are more helpful for improving flexibility. .
