Perhaps it’s time to rename “stretching” to “mandatory lengthen your muscles so you can perform better and age better” workout. I see it all too often where folks will come into the gym and suck it up for a challenging physically demanding workout and then lie on the floor for a few minutes, recovering and then go back to the weights or bars to practice more movements. Within a few weeks, injuries begin to emerge and then its mandatory rest time. As a wellness educator my goal is to make sure people are healthy especially in the areas of nutrition and mobility. After stalking people and sending texts and emails about proper nutrition I am finally seeing people around me adopt healthier eating habits. Now it’s time to re-emphasize mobility. I enjoy being active and having a workout beat the crap out of me but I don’t enjoy being injured or lack mobility in pivotal places like my shoulders and hips.
What is missing in the workout equation is a proper cool down and muscle relaxation therapy. There a number of stretching techniques out there but the goal is to pick one and do it. Post workout stretching is often overlooked due to time constraints, mental capacity, it’s boring, or not sure what to do. Whatever the reason the only person who can make it important is you. Stretching can be painful and yes it can be boring but most importantly it is mentally challenging to sit there and breathe and relax! We are a “GO GO GO” society and we like to pump weight, feel the adrenaline rush, and watch our muscles expand with blood flow; our minds are engaged and distracted during this time. The minute physical stillness comes into play the mind freaks out and goes into monkey mind mode which causes anxiety and eagerness to RUN! If you can master the mind in still then that will transfer over to the rest of your life and actually improve your performance. Aside from the mind control the other obvious benefit of stretching is increasing physical mobility. Often times performance is limited due to tight hamstrings, hips, shoulders, back and ankles OR optimal training can result in tightness in these areas. Either way it’s important to have balance. You train your muscles through tearing muscles fibers which repair and get stronger however when you tear muscle fibers during a workout where you are contracting muscles they repair in the same shape resulting in stronger but shorter muscles. Eeek… that’s no good. Our muscles are designed to have length; you do not achieve length through simply stretching but instead through relaxing in a stretch. Just because I touch my toes a few times does not mean my hamstrings are longer but holding my toes and breathing and relaxing slowly allows the muscles to lengthen and even the connective tissue to lengthen.
As an avid crossfitter and runner I know that this is an ongoing journey. One day I run and tighten and the next day I’m in a yoga class barely able to touch my toes. It’s okay though, there is no ego and all I do is strive for balance. I may not be the strongest weightlifter or the fastest runner of flexi gumby but I feel pretty balanced in all of the above and can possibly perform better than the average person. Also proper breathing learned from the yoga practice translates to more effective breathing during a workout and during recovery.
Here is a one hour practice for athletes, it can be adjusted based on time constraints.
Sun Salutation Warm Up
Although this seems challenging at first, over time it becomes a total body stretching routine. The salutations include
- Forward bend
- Lunge
- Push up
- Upward dog – chest opener
- Downward dog- spine length
Consider doing a modified salutation by walking back to forward bend from down dog and then forward to plank, up dog down dog, forward bend, down dog, repeat…
Doing the salutations 5 -10 times through will help open the body and prepare for deeper poses.
Other ways to warm the athlete body before deeper poses is by doing simple air squat, push up, and pull up repetitions or burpees.
Deeper poses:
Most athletes have limited mobility in the hip flexors, piriformis muscles, IT band, hamstrings, quads, adductors, shoulders, Achilles tendon. Tension in even a few of these areas can severely impact performance and in due time lead to back and joint pain.
Recommended Poses: The difference between yoga and physical therapy or just stretching is the breath connection. By breathing deep and with attention you are able to relax the muscle and release tightness.
Standing Poses:
- Crescent lunge: Low to high
- Twisted crescent
Break in Childs pose or viniyasa (maybe add shoulder stretch when on floor)
- Warrior II
- Triangle
Downward dog to one leg balance
- Yoga squat
- Crow
Viniyasa
- Half splits
- Adductor stretch
- Pigeon 90/90
Wall Work
- Down dog on the wall for shoulders
- Down dog with leg up the wall
- Lunge on wall
- Back bend on wall or camel
- Forward bend into wall
Partner stretches
- Paschimottanasana
- One legged forward bend
- Hands interlocked behind you fold forward
- Leg stretches (3 way)
Finish
- Reverse plank
- Savasana
Savasana is the most important part of the practice it is a time that takes mental focus and patience to be still while the body settles and readjusts from the practice. DO NOT LEAVE!
Namaste
mettalove
