FLEXIBILITY
It is very important before you consider training that you do not have any muscle imbalances and a fairly good range of motion in your joints. The reason for this is that by having good flexibility you will in turn have a more effective workout and are less likely to suffer from injuries which will set you back in your training.
There are many ways to improve your flexibility:
-
•Static stretching – holding each stretch for 15-30 sec. (You are probably aware of this one!)
-
•SMR foam roll – this is a fairly new form of stretching compared to static stretching. (This type of stretching is very effective but many people don’t know how it’s done.)
SELF MYOFACIAL RELEASE?
First of all, make sure you don’t have any orthopaedic problems, or that for example your back pain is muscular and not skeletal! You can use your own body weight to roll on a round foam roll, massaging away restrictions to normal soft-tissue extensibility.
WHY? Well your body works as a complex kinetic chain, made up of soft tissue (muscle, tendon, ligaments and fascia), nervous system and articular system (joints) and if any one of these is not working properly then the other components must compensate. This will lead to faulty pattern movements, premature fatigue, tissue overload, in turn initiating the cumulative injury cycle.
THE BENEFITS: Corrects muscle imbalances; increases joint range of motion; decreases muscle soreness; increases neuromuscular efficiency; maintains muscular length; relieves joint stress.
WHERE CAN YOU GET ONE? Most gyms these days has one in the stretch area, you can also purchase them for around £13-15 on most fitness equipment websites.
You can stretch almost every muscle in the body with a foam roll, when you purchase one it should come with a leaflet describing each muscle group you can stretch, or just ask one of the gym staff to show you. Here is one example of stretching your back as this is the most common of complaints that I get from clients.
STEP 1
•LYING DOWN, KNEES BENT
•ACTIVATE CORE MUSCLES
(BELLY IN TOWARD SPINE)
•HAVE THE FOAM ROLL BESIDE YOU
-
•TIGHTEN BUTTOCKS, LIFT UP HIPS
-
-
STEP 2
•SLIDE THE FOAM ROLL UNDERNEATH SMALL OF YOUR BACK
•RELAX, BREATH INTO IT, USE YOUR BODY WEIGHT TO APPLY PRESSURE
•RELAX THE HIPS (MOVE SLOWLY), TILL YOU FIND A PRESSURE POINT & HOLD
STEP 3
•WHEN IT STARTS TO EASE OFF, ACTIVATE CORE MUSCLES
•RELAX ONE LEG MAKING IT STRAIGHT
•BRING BENT KNEE OVER SLIGHTLY APPLYING PRESSURE TO ONE SIDE OF LOWER BACK
•HOLD TILL IT EASES OFF
•MOVE ONTO OTHER PRESSURE POINTS, BUT DO NOT GO FURTHER THAN T2 (I.E. NO HIGHER THAN THE SMALL OF YOUR BACK)
TO FINISH REVERSE THE PROCESS, TILL THE FOAM ROLL IS IN REACH, ACTIVATE CORE MUSCLES, TIGHTEN BUTTOCKS, SLIDE FOAM ROLL OUT FROM UNDER YOUR HIPS.
