Does this scenario sound familiar? You walk into the gym, show the front desk clerk your membership card, throw your gym bag in a locker, jump on the stationary bike for 5 minutes keeping your heart rate in that "fat burning" zone, and then hit the machines for your workout. I've worked out consistently for the past 38 years, and yes, this is how the overwhelming majority of people begin their workouts. Little, if any, thought is given to the importance of flexibility work. Yet a proper warm-up before engaging in an intense training routine is crucial for decreasing your risk of sustaining an acute injury that can sideline you for months.
Every session should begin with some soft tissue therapy. For a more in-depth explanation about soft tissue work, please read our July post on this subject. Here, I'll just mention that taking 10 minutes or so with a foam roller, massage stick and/or tennis ball is imperative to decrease the density of your muscle tissues. You see, our muscles respond to injuries, as well as to intense training, by increasing their thickness. Visualize tying a few small knots in a flat shoelace and you'll get the picture of how your muscles look. Think of the foam roller, massage stick and tennis ball as tools to untie these knots.
Once you've finished your soft tissue work, you're now ready for a little elasticity training. Here it's best to start with some static stretching. Static: slow, non-bouncy movements. Your goal is to take these slightly warmed-up muscles through a progressively fuller range of motion. Doing your stretches when the muscles are more thoroughly warmed up may not change the actual length of the tissue and increase joint flexibility. This time think of a cold rubber band. If you knead the rubber band in your hand for a few minutes (the soft tissue part) and then slowly stretch it, you can permanently change its length. If the band is already very pliable (warmed -up), you can stretch it, but it will return to its previous length.
Take this part of your workout very seriously--don't just go through the motions (guys, I'm talking mainly to you here). Your foam rolling and stretching should both be somewhat uncomfortable; not painful, just uncomfortable. If it's not a little bothersome, slow down, apply a little more pressure, and do it again. Once you get this part of your warm-up routine down, it should take only about 10-12 minutes. Now is the time for that 5 minute stationary bike ride. Or, much better yet, do 3-4 minutes of bodyweight exercises like we did in P.E. Jumping jacks, prisoner squats, lunges, and toes touches come to mind.
So does all this really relate to fat loss. Definitely! The overall goal of your exercise routine is to improve movement quality while reducing your risk of injury. If you do this, you'll move more efficiently and effortlessly, allowing you to work out longer and with increasingly greater intensity. Moving better and moving longer will allow you to incinerate body fat.
Today's action item: Purchase a good foam roller. The molded ones sold by www.performbetter.com are about $20-$25, and will last for several years with normal use. They also come with an instructional DVD. If you purchase one locally, you can call us here at Success Health & Fitness and we'll run you through a 15-minute full body soft tissue routine. Then you'll know where you have tissue restrictions that can hinder your progress, and start ironing them out.
Next Wednesday, we're on to topic 6: strength training. After eating clean, this is the part of the program you MUST do for sustained fat loss. We'll talk with you in a few days!
Move Better. Eat Better. Live Better!
DON
No comments:
Post a Comment