Mobility…Do I really need it?
Without a doubt, YES! I used to workout in the morning and never had time to stretch or roll before or after a workout because I had to get to work. There was no time after work because I had to run my kids around to all their activities. I can tell you, with all honesty, there were days that I could barely move. I was so sore and stiff my co-workers would ask me what happened. My workout schedule changed and I started working out at night but I still was not spending time on my flexibility or attacking those sore muscles. After my shoulder and hip surgery, I started to focus on preparing for the workout and my recovery. I always hit Crossover Symmetry before class to activate my shoulders to get them ready for the workout. I foam roll and stretch too. After my workout, I go into the garage and spend 20-25 minutes on stretching and recovering. I choose to follow a program called ROMWOD because that works for me. There are posters located in the corner by the rowers that are great for stretching and recovering. Because I continue to work on my flexibility, I have full range of motion in my shoulder and I am able to squat past parallel.
Mobility before and after your workouts will help in many ways. Get to the box 15 to 20 minutes before class starts and grab a foam roller and a lacrosse ball. These should become your favorite items every time you walk through the door. You cannot get enough mobility before you begin your workout. Sore stiff muscles make it very hard to move. Roll and mash your quads and hamstrings (front and back of thighs). Roll your IT band (outside of your leg from hip to knee). Doing this prior to class will breakup any knots and prepare your body for the movements that focus on the lower body, such as squats, running, rowing, etc. You can use a lacrosse ball to get into your traps and lats (upper back/neck area and area below shoulder blades), as well as, across your chest. This will prepare your body for any overhead and shoulder work, such as dumbbell presses, push-ups, ring rows, etc. Other things you can do before class are static stretches such as Samson stretch, spiderman, pigeon pose, couch stretch, and banded shoulder and tricep stretches. If you are uncertain of what these stretches look like, ask a coach or another member and we will gladly show you.
Ok so I do my mobility before class why should I do it after class? Mobility post workout aids in recovery. We all know that feeling when we try to get out of bed the day after a heavy leg day. We can barely walk or take the stairs and squatting is sometimes impossible. Or the day we have 100 pull ups or push-ups. Forget lifting our arms. Stretching and using a foam roller and lacrosse ball will reduce soreness and stiffness. Stretching helps with flexibility so you can return to your workout without getting injured. It also helps to rid your body of toxins that are created during your workout.
Now that we know just how important mobility is to our workouts and recovery, how do we fit it into our tight schedules? Good questions! Some of us can just make it to class on time and most rush out the door as soon as the workout is over. We all have lives outside of the box and families waiting for us so how can we squeeze something else into our already busy schedule? Well, if arriving 15-20 minutes early for class is a challenge try coming 10 minutes early. Every little bit helps. If you cannot stay to stretch right after class, set aside some time when you get home while you’re watching TV. Hop on the floor and get some stretching in during a commercial break from your favorite TV show. Think about it, an hour show has about 15 minutes of commercials. That’s 15 minutes of stretching you could do and not change your schedule. Just change the location you watch TV. Move the coffee-table out of the way and drop on the floor to stretch.
If you saw our living room, you would think it was a physical therapy office. We have foam rollers, lacrosse balls, and our table no longer sits in the middle of the room. It is left pushed against the wall because you never know when we need to drop on the floor to stretch when we start to feel the soreness kick in.
-Coach Liz
