It’s time to pull up Wodify and get down to the business of working out. Whew that is a long warm up but… Ok. Done. Finally time to do the work out. Done. Rent…Fine did most of that… mobility…Ummm “maybe not today”.
Do that enough and the lack of flexibility from overly tight muscles starts to play a factor in your power output and movement patterns. It also puts you at a higher risk for injury. Let’s think about what not taking the time to attack your tight muscles will cost you. That depth you find in your squats starts to get harder to achieve when you have tight hips. The Shoulder flexibility of overhead movements becomes so much harder to find when you haven’t spent the time to roll out your shoulders after handstand practice. Not to mention those mornings that you get out of bed and the actions of the day before hit you harder than they really needed to. There is a great online article in 2017 by Tony Webster called “Muscle Damage and Soreness: an Overview” if you would like to find out about the why you get so sore.
We understand you are away from the gym and the rollers and softballs that are part of our usual mobility. Also the afterWOD care is usually a time to chill with other athletes and compare hard earned scores. Mobility at home just needs to be a little more creative. Here are some options.
I don’t have a foam roller…No problem. Most people can access a one or two Liter bottle which is a good replacement. Fill the water bottle a little over ¾ full and stand it up in the freezer. You can use this to roll out sore quads, lats and lower leg. Moving that lactic acid out and pushing fresh blood into the muscles. The cold isn’t really the main purpose with this one so feel to tape a small towel over it.
Also if the increase in running as spring approaches has caused the bottom of your feet to be a little sorer then usual freeze a small water bottle and roll out the bottom of your feet. When you are finished simply put the bottle into a plastic/paper bag and put back in freezer for next time.
What about tight forearms without a lax ball? Well find a corner with rounded edges and start moving and rolling your forearm front and backside over the edge. This should help smash those sore spots in no time at all
Fine, but I don’t have a band for stretching pre/post WOD. Got a bungi cord in your car or garage? Use that to hook safely through a hole in the bedframe. This will allow for working on ankle, wrist or elbow mobility. How a pair of pants you may not like anymore? Take that pair of pants and throw a leg around a static item(like a couch leg or bed leg.) Bring the two legs together and use them to get a great pike stretch. What about shoulder mobility? Well hopefully we are done with the snow shovels! Use a shovel to Carefully do pass thoughs and OH squats.
There are a LOT of options and lots ways to go about mobility from home. If you can’t think of what to do at home for muscles that are rebelling reach out to a Coach, we would love to help.
Hope to see you soon,
Coach Angela
