If you are anything like me and love to constantly push your body to the limit, you know a thing or two about sore muscles! Stretching is an important component of proper exercise, so don't ignore it. I am a big advocate of properly stretching after a workout. Before a workout, I recommend doing more of a dynamic warm-up than static-stretching cold muscles. The point of a dynamic warm-up is to active and 'warm-up' muscles you will be stressing during your workout. It should be tailored to what you will be doing for your workout that day, focusing on loosening and warming muscles you will focus on or recruit the most for your workout. For example, if I was planning on heading out for a run, I would perform a set of 8-10 lunges each leg, going slow and really focusing on the stretch and pull of the muscles, a set of 8-10 lateral lunges each leg, doing the same as with forward lunges, a set of 20 glute bridges, focusing on contracting and squeezing those glutes, while standing, pulling and holding each knee to my chest 8-10 times, and a set of planks to really get my core activated. After a workout, I focusin lengthening and static-stretching my muscles because they are already warm and there is less risk for injury. The muscle groups I focus on every time are my quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes/piriformis, psoas/hip flexors, shoulders, pecs and triceps.
Stretching after a workout brings me to the topic of foam rolling. Not everyone does it, but everyone really should! It is a great way to lengthen, loosen and massage muscles. Just like stretching post-exercise, I always roll my quads, hamstrings, glutes, IT bands and calves. It really helps to get any knots or adhesions that have formed eliminated. I also like to do extensions with the foam roller, lying with the foam roller perpendicular to my upper back and rolling it up and down my spine. I also align it vertically with my spine and lay with my head hanging off of one end and arms splayed out to the sides. These last two really help to open up the shoulders and help with posture. When muscles are overly tight, they do not function properly which could affect gait, muscle mechanics, posture, etc. Getting these muscles as close to normal as possible will help prevent future injury.
I would then do this stretch rolling the foam roller along the backs of my thighs, glutes, on my side lateral legs/IT Bands from knee to hip, and face down on my quads, slowly rolling my body along the roller. The slower you go, the more benefit, albeit more painful too! The picture shown here is for the calves, rolling the roller from knees to ankles.
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Stretching after a workout brings me to the topic of foam rolling. Not everyone does it, but everyone really should! It is a great way to lengthen, loosen and massage muscles. Just like stretching post-exercise, I always roll my quads, hamstrings, glutes, IT bands and calves. It really helps to get any knots or adhesions that have formed eliminated. I also like to do extensions with the foam roller, lying with the foam roller perpendicular to my upper back and rolling it up and down my spine. I also align it vertically with my spine and lay with my head hanging off of one end and arms splayed out to the sides. These last two really help to open up the shoulders and help with posture. When muscles are overly tight, they do not function properly which could affect gait, muscle mechanics, posture, etc. Getting these muscles as close to normal as possible will help prevent future injury.
I would then do this stretch rolling the foam roller along the backs of my thighs, glutes, on my side lateral legs/IT Bands from knee to hip, and face down on my quads, slowly rolling my body along the roller. The slower you go, the more benefit, albeit more painful too! The picture shown here is for the calves, rolling the roller from knees to ankles.
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