"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right...." ~ Martin Luther ~
"Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity; who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it." ~ Burmese Saying ~
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle ~
"There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second." ~ Logan Pearsall Smith ~
"Failures do what is tension relieving, while winners do what is goal achieving." ~ Dennis Waitley ~
"Men's best successes come after their disappointments. ~ Henry Ward Beecher ~
Dynamic Mobility (also known as Active or Dynamic Stretching) is a great warm-up before training. Although there is a bit of semantic confusion in the phraseology, I am referring to "mobility" as contracting your muscles and taking your joints through their ranges of motion actively as opposed to passively. Doing arm circles, exaggerating a kicking motion and walking lunges (without weights) are all examples of dynamic mobility movements.What does it do?
Increase flexibility
Prevent injury
Enhance performance
Improve exercise effectiveness
How does it work?
More and more research has been showing that static stretching before workouts is not the optimal choice. For example, if you lay on your back and stay in a stretch for a minute or more, then switch positions and lay down and hold a strecth for another minute, your nervous system is not properly firing. As you stretch passively or stretch and hold, the signal between your muscles and your nervous system weakens which can result in reduced strength and power output and less coordination within your body, which can lead to injuries!
When you warm up by actively moving your joints and muscles through their ranges of motion, you are stimulating your nervous system and enhancing the signal between it and the muscles. This leads to an increased power and strength output, greater joint range of motion and a much more efficient performance. You also get the synovial fluid (fluid in your joints that helps cushions and lubricate) going in your joints, greatly reducing joint friction. Now your body is warm and your joints are ready for exercise! AFTER working out, then you can perform your static stretching, and by doing so, you will relax your system and prime your body for recovery.
What should I do?
Begin with about 5-7 minutes of continuous moving activity to raise body temperature, increase blood flow to your muscles and activate your nervous system. Any sort of cardio will do such as biking, a light jog, or elliptical. Once you have completed your light cardio, continue with dynamic mobility, then your workout (e.g. resistance training), then do static stretching.
Even if you are just doing "legs" you still need to work on TOTAL BODY mobility. For example, if you pull one section of a spider web, does the rest of it remain intact? No! The whole web will shift. Your body works the same way due to your fascia, which is an amazing, three-dimensional soft-tissue network in your body. If your shoulder girdle is tight, you will not generate the same fluid arm swing you need in running and this has a trickle-down effect to your hips, knees, and ankles. That's why it's important to understand that tightness in one section of the chain can impact a body part much further away (e.g. the arch of your foot can impact your back!) Therefore, a total body approach is critical.
by Kristina Dobyns
NASM-CPT/CES and Holistic Life Coach
www.FreestyleFitnessAddiction.com
