Big Bang Mobility Drill
One of the most common deficiencies in any training program is the lack of a proper warm-up. Most common gym goers don't bother with one either because they don't have the time or they don't believe it is a very important part of the training process. But a proper warm-up has so many upsides to enhancing your training session it seems insane to blow this part of your training off. For the few gym goers who do part take in a warm-up it is usually not correct in that they spend most of there time static stretching this is a huge no no as the latest research is beginning to demonstrate that static stretching prior to physical activity can actually increase risk of injury rather than reduce it. A proper comprehensive warm-up should involve movement enough to raise an individuals heart rate as well as working major muscle groups through there full range of motion meaning the muscle is stretched to its full eccentric position and there form contracted to its full concentric position.
But as I realize most of us out there do not always have 15mins to walk through a complete warm-up involving multiple drills there is a need for mobility drills that contain a lot of bang for there buck. Eric Cressey of Cressey Preformance wrote a great guest article about this very same topic at men's health and fitness. Eric recommended this drill below which is very simple to learn and can be applied very easily prior to any training session.
But as I realize most of us out there do not always have 15mins to walk through a complete warm-up involving multiple drills there is a need for mobility drills that contain a lot of bang for there buck. Eric Cressey of Cressey Preformance wrote a great guest article about this very same topic at men's health and fitness. Eric recommended this drill below which is very simple to learn and can be applied very easily prior to any training session.
This move is extremely useful and should be used by any one pressed for time when preforming a warm-up. The spiderman improves hip flexor and adductor length on the trailing leg, and adductor length and hip flexion on the front leg.The hip lift improves hamstring length.The high knee trains hip flexion with a neutral spine, and also creates “separation” from left to right hip.The overhead reach gets length in the pec, produces good scapular stabilization, and produces great thoracic mobility.
So please take advantage of the benefits of a great warm-up and incorporate it into your own training to help reduce injury, improve recovery, and increase the training adaptations that will occur as a result of your hard work.
So please take advantage of the benefits of a great warm-up and incorporate it into your own training to help reduce injury, improve recovery, and increase the training adaptations that will occur as a result of your hard work.
Active Isolated Stretching
Flexibility is a very important key pillar in the overall aspect of good health. Flexibility will affect your success in other aspects of your training primarily in your efforts to achieve greater strength and injury resistance. This form of stretching was made most popular by Mark Verstegen who is the owner and founder of Athlete's Performance in Tempe, Arizona and the creator of the core performance workout. Active Isolated Stretching is based on the concept that people often stretch one day and come in the very next day only to feel just as tight if not tighter. This is because are brain has been programmed into believing that this is our greatest range of motion since we never work outside of it. Active Isolated Stretching overcomes this through using reciprocal inhibition which is simply the process of one muscle on one side of a joint contracting which forces the muscle on the opposite side of the joint to relax. This method helps to reprogram your brain into realizing its range of motion and flexibility is greater than once believed and allows one to retain this new found range of motion.
These method of stretching is very under used and hopefully this article can help get the word out about its benefits and use. I have described the reason above why this method is effective as well as the mechanism it uses to inhibit the gains in flexibility. Now we need to discuss the proper way to perform such stretches.
The one piece of equip this method of stretching requires is a rope about 10ft long it doesn't matter to much what kind of rope this is, but Core Performance sells a active isolated stretching rope on their website for a reasonable price. The use of the rope is what is going to allow an individual to pull their muscle just a little further into the stretch. To describe the proper way to perform any AIS stretch I will give an example walking through each step.
For the example I will choose the hamstring stretch. You begin by laying prone on the floor with your feet extended straight out in front yourself. Now taking the rope and securing it to your feet you begin the stretch. First you start by raising the leg the rope is attached to under your own power with knees straight and toes pointing towards the sky. As you raise your leg through its full range of motion keep the knee lockout to insure you do get a stretch in your hamstring. At your highest degree of range of motion you will then flex your quadricep, exhaling for a count of two and while exhaling you pull on the rope to pull your leg past your maximal range of motion. You then lower your leg very controlled back to the starting position. Repeat the process for the designated repetitions.
Remember flexibility is an important aspect to incorporate into any training program, and Active Isolated Stretching is another way too to do just that. So next time your get ready to stretch stop and try a new style.
These method of stretching is very under used and hopefully this article can help get the word out about its benefits and use. I have described the reason above why this method is effective as well as the mechanism it uses to inhibit the gains in flexibility. Now we need to discuss the proper way to perform such stretches.
The one piece of equip this method of stretching requires is a rope about 10ft long it doesn't matter to much what kind of rope this is, but Core Performance sells a active isolated stretching rope on their website for a reasonable price. The use of the rope is what is going to allow an individual to pull their muscle just a little further into the stretch. To describe the proper way to perform any AIS stretch I will give an example walking through each step.
For the example I will choose the hamstring stretch. You begin by laying prone on the floor with your feet extended straight out in front yourself. Now taking the rope and securing it to your feet you begin the stretch. First you start by raising the leg the rope is attached to under your own power with knees straight and toes pointing towards the sky. As you raise your leg through its full range of motion keep the knee lockout to insure you do get a stretch in your hamstring. At your highest degree of range of motion you will then flex your quadricep, exhaling for a count of two and while exhaling you pull on the rope to pull your leg past your maximal range of motion. You then lower your leg very controlled back to the starting position. Repeat the process for the designated repetitions.
Remember flexibility is an important aspect to incorporate into any training program, and Active Isolated Stretching is another way too to do just that. So next time your get ready to stretch stop and try a new style.
Stretching Before and After Training
Typically there are two types of stretching used within the health and fitness community and usually one one of the two is actually used in most programs. But to insure a proper well-rounded program that trains flexibility completely both types must be incorporated into the program. But there are optimal times and guidelines for the application of the two different types of stretching.
Dynamic Stretching is the first category of stretching that we will discuss. Dynamic Stretching refers to movements that work to both stretch your muscles to their peak range of motion, while at the same time preparing the individual for exercise by moving. This type of stretching is great for performing before exercise because it both improves the range of motion and increases blood flow to soft tissues before exertion. This type of stretching should be done like I said before prior to the scheduled workout. The following are examples of dynamic stretches: butt kicks, walking quad stretch, high knees, A-Skips, and etc.
The second type of stretching that should be employed to insure a proper well-rounded program is Static Stretching. Static Stretching is the most common form of stretching and the type most individuals are common with. Static Stretching refers to holding a specific position for a specific length of time in order to elongate the muslce being target in the specific position. This type of stretching can be effective in increasing flexibility and injury prevention. But Static Stretching should be performed at the end of the scheduled training session during the cool-down portion. The reason for this being is because you have been training your muscles are warm and very pliable at this period of time allowing for greater range of motion and increased flexibility which will help improve the benefits of the stretches. Examples of static stretches are as follows: reaching for the toes, leaning left or right, pulling knee to chest, and etc.
So to some this all up both types of stretching are beneficial and should be incorporated in a sound training program, but dynamic stretching should be done at the beginning of a workout, whereas static stretching should be performed during the cool-down phase of a workout. The following are examples of a dynamic stretching routine and a static stretching routine.
Dynamic Stretching Routine:
Grab Knee and Pull to Chest taking a step each time
Grab foot pull to butt taking a step each time
High Knees
Butt Kicks
Grab foot pull to pelvic area (should feel stretch in foot and hip abductor) taking step each time
A-Skip
Each stretch is done for 10-15yards
Static Stretching Routine
Reach for the Toes
Spread Feet apart lean Left
Spread Feet apart lean Right
Pull foot to butt both legs
Lay down pull knee to chest both Legs
Butterfly Stretch
Opposite foot cross leg next to opposite knee opposite elbow to opposite knee and twist do on both sides
Each Stretch should be held for a total of 30secs.
The following link is a study done on the effect of warm-up, static stretching and dynamic stretching on hamstring flexibility in previously injured subjects. Check it out to see the scienctific proof behind the benefits of stretching on injury prevention and peformance.
Dynamic Stretching is the first category of stretching that we will discuss. Dynamic Stretching refers to movements that work to both stretch your muscles to their peak range of motion, while at the same time preparing the individual for exercise by moving. This type of stretching is great for performing before exercise because it both improves the range of motion and increases blood flow to soft tissues before exertion. This type of stretching should be done like I said before prior to the scheduled workout. The following are examples of dynamic stretches: butt kicks, walking quad stretch, high knees, A-Skips, and etc.
The second type of stretching that should be employed to insure a proper well-rounded program is Static Stretching. Static Stretching is the most common form of stretching and the type most individuals are common with. Static Stretching refers to holding a specific position for a specific length of time in order to elongate the muslce being target in the specific position. This type of stretching can be effective in increasing flexibility and injury prevention. But Static Stretching should be performed at the end of the scheduled training session during the cool-down portion. The reason for this being is because you have been training your muscles are warm and very pliable at this period of time allowing for greater range of motion and increased flexibility which will help improve the benefits of the stretches. Examples of static stretches are as follows: reaching for the toes, leaning left or right, pulling knee to chest, and etc.
So to some this all up both types of stretching are beneficial and should be incorporated in a sound training program, but dynamic stretching should be done at the beginning of a workout, whereas static stretching should be performed during the cool-down phase of a workout. The following are examples of a dynamic stretching routine and a static stretching routine.
Dynamic Stretching Routine:
Grab Knee and Pull to Chest taking a step each time
Grab foot pull to butt taking a step each time
High Knees
Butt Kicks
Grab foot pull to pelvic area (should feel stretch in foot and hip abductor) taking step each time
A-Skip
Each stretch is done for 10-15yards
Static Stretching Routine
Reach for the Toes
Spread Feet apart lean Left
Spread Feet apart lean Right
Pull foot to butt both legs
Lay down pull knee to chest both Legs
Butterfly Stretch
Opposite foot cross leg next to opposite knee opposite elbow to opposite knee and twist do on both sides
Each Stretch should be held for a total of 30secs.
The following link is a study done on the effect of warm-up, static stretching and dynamic stretching on hamstring flexibility in previously injured subjects. Check it out to see the scienctific proof behind the benefits of stretching on injury prevention and peformance.
Importance of ROM
ROM refers to range of motion. This being specific to training it refers to the complete movement of an exercise or motion that movement being complete when the muscle has moved from a maximum concentric positon to the maximum eccentric position. Range of Motion is very important for many reasons alot of which don't concern the general population so we will look at the two most important and practical benefits that make Range of Motion such a priority. The first reason being very simple and self-explanatory making sure that one uses a complete range of motion while performing an exercise insures that the muscle is being stretched in an effective and proper fashion allowing you to avoid injuries such as tendon and liagment rupturers or tears and pulled muscles. Secondly, exercising a muscle in the maximum range of motion one's body will allow with produce a greater hypertrophic effect which means the muscle will hav the ability to grow bigger because every muscle fiber is being involved in the lowering and raising of the weight. In addition to the muscle growing bigger due to hypertrophy the increased size will allow for a greater level of strength capacity to be reached. Range of Motion is one of the most neglected parts of training but yet is one of the most fundmental and imporant aspects. Allowing your muslce to be stretched fully allows greater flexiblity increasing ones ability to resist injuries. So next time your in the gym remember to slow down and apply proper range of motion to each and every repetition one performs.
For more on ROM click the link
For more on ROM click the link