Archive for the 'Performance Stretching' Category
Staying physically active is one of the few ways to reliably prevent or significantly improve some common pain conditions, including low back pain, arthritis, and even migraine headache. Chronic pain conditions tend to start a vicious cycle: You have a painful condition, exercise makes it hurt more, you stop exercising, your pain increases, and you continue to avoid exercise, we all have heard this excuse before.
Staying physically active can help prevent that cycle and using that excuse from ever happening. Muscles that are supple and stretched out by exercise are less prone to injury and keep joints healthier. Physical activity also improves stamina, muscle endurance, and cardiovascular health, which may ease pain that occurs when a lack of oxygen causes tissue damage. And physical activity combats obesity, which is a risk factor for osteoarthritis of the knee or joint. In addition, a small German study published several years ago suggested that people with migraine headaches tend to be less physically fit than people who don’t suffer migraines, although the headaches may explain why they are not physically fit rather than vice versa. The type of exercise you choose to do on a regular basis in order to stay fit is really up to you. As long as you continue to move consistently for 30 minutes a day.
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Strength training is about burning calories, transforming your body, and building and maintaining a certain level of functional strength. You might not be challenging yourself enough with the weights during many of your workouts if:
- The current weight you are lifting isn’t a challenge or causing a sweat. Strength training is meant to be nerve recking, because the whole point is to “overload” your muscles so they get stronger. If the weight you are lifting isn’t as challenging as it used to be (or not at all), then it is time to increase the resistance.
- You have never increased the weight you lift since high school. When you first started strength training, then the weight you lifted was a starting weight. Continuing to progress in strength training is essential to getting the most out of your workouts and transforming your body! That means lifting more weight is crucial, especially as you get stronger over time.
- The progress and changes has now come to a stop, or your now in a plateau. Without making your muscles work harder than they’re accustomed to, they won’t get stronger. As you train, your muscles will grow stronger in order to meet the demands you are placing on them. So if you keep offering them the same workload, they will keep working the same amount, and progression comes to a grinding halt.
This is one of the most common bad habits of gym enthusiasts! You finally committed yourself to a fitness routine, and you don’t want to waste any valuable time. Often individuals jump right into exercising without considering warming up or stretching because it seems meaningless and a waste of time.
Warming up and stretching should be the foundation of your exercise. They should be viewed as a transition into exercise, allowing your body and mind to prepare for strength training, running, endurance, etc. This is your reward from a proper warm-up/stretch and cool-down/stretch:
- Improved coordination
- Your muscles and connective tissue loosen to prepare for the stress of exercise
- Oxygen and blood flow to your muscles and connective tissue increases, providing fuel for better muscular performance
- Tension in your body decreases
- Breathing patterns establish, helping relax the body during exercise
- Joints are lubricated to allow for better performance
- Muscle soreness is prevented and/or reduced during and after your workout
- Quicker reaction time
- Improved posture
You’ve probably exercised without warming up, your stretching is non-existent, and maybe nothing horrible happened. It may seem unnecessary, but consistently skipping it will limit your results and put yourself at risk for injury. You could even be injured without even knowing it since you may not feel any pain right away.
The knee is the most susceptible to injury of any joint in the body. Nearly 50 million Americans have knee problems, either from athletic injuries or simple everyday wear and tear. For those who already have knee problems, exercising the area surrounding the joint will help make it stronger and less susceptible to injury. Here are some exercises you can do to stretch the knee area:
Chair knee extension: Sitting in a chair, rest your foot on another chair so that the knee is slightly raised. Gently push the raised knee toward the floor using only leg muscles. Hold the stretch for 5 to 10 seconds, and release. Repeat this stretch 5 times on each leg.
Heel slide knee extension: Lie on your back, with the left knee bent and the left foot flat on floor. Slowly slide the left heel away from your body so that both legs are parallel. Hold the stretch for 5 to 10 seconds, and return to starting position. Repeat this stretch 5 times on each leg.
Knee flexion: Sitting in a chair, loop a long towel under your foot (which is resting on the floor). Gently pull on the towel with both hands to bend the knee, raising your foot 4 or 5 inches off the floor. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds, then release. Repeat this stretch 5 times on each leg.
Stretching your ankles, hip flexors, and adductors for 22 seconds before a heavy squat, lunge, or power lift will allow you to lift heavier. Mobilizing the ankle joints allows you sit deeper in the bottom of the squat or the pull from the floor.
If your stretching your hip flexors (the muscles above your thigh) it will help to prevent them from inhibiting the glutes. The glutes is where all your power comes from, since it is the largest muscle in your body.
When stretching, just get into any position in which you feel a pull on the muscle, hold it for at least 22 seconds. This will ensure that the tissue being stretched, will elongate over the long term.
As you improve your flexibility, the stretch won’t feel as intense, and then you can gradually increase the range of motion.
Listed below is some information relating to this topic, and refer to myFitness Products - Store and Fitness Products - Deals for more savings on all things fitness!
Dynamic Warm-Up is a series of calisthenics and movement drills that prepare your body for the work load ahead. Dynamic Warm-Ups will increase your:
- Heart Rate
- Core Body Temperature
- Muscle and Joint Pliability
- Nerve and Muscle Response Time
You can essentially do Dynamic Warm-Ups before any fitness or sport activity, and in particular those that involve power and strength. Tons of NFL players, Mixed Martial Art Fighters (UFC), or any other elite conditioning program will involve Dynamic Warm-Ups.
A Dynamic Warm-Up will prevent the loss of power that can occur when static stretching. An example of static stretching is what your P.E. teacher teaches you in High School (etc. stretch your arms, chest, hamstrings) The Dynamic Warm-Up should be specific to your workout of the day. You want to mimic the movements your about to perform by using high repetitions and no body weight. The best example I can give is prior to a leg workout do some:
- Walking Lunges Back and Forth
- High Knee Raises
- Half-Squats
- Prisoner Squats
Make sure to do this all without weight and start out slow with lower ranges of motion and then gradually increasing the pace. Also, keep your intensity low to a moderate level to prevent fatigue. This will lead to better performance and results in the gym.Here is some additional resources and information that I recommend to performing a Dynamic Warm-Up.
Here is some additional information and resources that I recommend to performing a Dynamic Warm-Up, and please refer to My Fitness Products - Deals for more saving on the above products:
Dynamic Yoga: The Ultimate Workout that Chills Your Mind as it Charges Your Body
A Safe and Effective Self Stretching Program
Power Systems Dynamic Stretching Strap Resistance Band 10520
SMR should be performed by using a foam roller and with your own body weight as the pressure to the corresponding adhesion. The pressure should be continuous on the sensitive area until the discomfort is reduced by at least 75%.The stretch should take a minimum of 18-22 seconds, or possibly longer due to the individuals ability to relax.
Once you feel the knot has broken, or has become relaxed, then proceed to another tender area and simply repeat the process.Make sure to foam roll all the major muscle groups of the body as it also helps to alleviate back pain, and migraines.
Here are some foam rollers and DVDs how to’s for more information that I suggest that will do the best job, also, these are what my clients use inside their house when they start to experience a knot or some soreness in the morning. Please refer to My Top Fitness Product Deals for your main source of savings.
GoFit 6-Inch by 18-Inch Foam Roller with Core Performance DVD (Colors May Vary)
GoFit 6-Inch by 36-Inch Foam Roller with Core Performance DVD
This type of stretching focuses on the body’s fascial system. By applying force to the adhesion or the “knot in the muscle, ” the elastic collagenous fibers are smoothed out into an alignment that is more parallel with the direction of the muscle or fascia.
The reason why this is important is because it allows you to have more function from your muscle groups. The adhesion’s are like road bumps in your muscle which prevent the entire use of the targeted area. We can use this type of stretching prior and/or after the workout.
In my opinion I prefer the stretching before the workout because it releases the stress locked up in the muscle fibers and it causes better performance from the muscle.
The best way to utilize the foam roller is this sequence.-2-3 sets of holding and not moving for 18-22 seconds on the adhesion-Progress every 2-3 weeks to more sensitive areas.
Modality progressions are as follows:
- Tennis Ball
- Foam Roll
- Medicine Ball
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