We know that for many of our Athletes with super tight schedules and little time to even fit in a workout, recovery can sometimes take a backseat in terms of priorities – but it shouldn’t. The recovery period following your workout is just as important as the workout itself. Foam rolling and stretching after hitting the Turf are essential to coming back stronger and better than the last time. By not having the necessary flexibility and muscle mobility, you might shortchange yourself of any #gains in performance. You can also increase your chances of injury that could keep you from training on the Turf for stretches of time.
“These areas are all big focus points at The House. The warmup takes care of exactly that, warming you up. I like a little more flexibility/ mobility in these places so I can “abuse” them a little extra 😉.” says Tone House Head Coach Adrian Williams
Stretching can go a long way to improving the elasticity and condition of your muscles. Here are three stretches Coach Adrian recommends post-class (if you only have time for three):
FROG POSE – This stretch comes in handy after those rounds of runners.
DIRECTIONS –
- Begin on all fours. Allow your hips to sink to wherever is comfortable.
- As you slide downwards, keep your palms flat on the floor. Next, exhale slowly and push your hips backwards. Keep pushing your hips backwards until you feel a stretching in your hips and inner thighs.
- Hold this position for 1 to 5 minutes (longer as you improve mobility).
BENEFITS – If done properly and consistently, frog pose can open hip joints, which reduces strain on the knees.
SEATED WRIST STRETCH – Overuse injuries of the wrist are common, but you can keep your wrists healthy especially during gallops and bear crawls with this simple stretch.
DIRECTIONS –
- Sit on your heels and place your hands on the floor with your fingertips up facing your knees.
- Enjoy this stretch for 30 seconds.
- Lift the hands off the floor and shake out the wrists. Repeat 2 times.
BENEFITS – strengthens the wrist and forearm.
PRONE LYING SHOULDER STRETCH – It’s important for Athletes to protect their shoulders. It one of the muscles that’s constantly working, especially during “drop-down”. Prone lying should stretch helps to relax and open your shoulders up.
DIRECTIONS –
- Lying face down, extend the right arm out to the side, palm facing down.
- Place the left hand under the left shoulder to gently roll to the outer right hip to target the inner line of the arm and the chest.
- Legs may be bent, or the foot of the top leg can rest on the floor.
- Hold for 20 seconds
BENEFITS – strengthens shoulder and chest