Full Body Stretching with Strength (10 Min. Follow Along)

Performing these just as slowly and deliberately as Josh does on this video is best for form, it's a must for me.

Follow along for the 10 minutes... or a bit more and see how this feels

4 Stretches You Should Be Doing EVERY Morning!

Morning Stretching is great for increasing our flexibility for the day.

Jeff demonstrates his 4 best Morning Stretches.  

Dynamic Warm Up Keeps You Safer and More Prepared

Gone are the days of a static stretching before a workout. Whether you are out for a run, on the court for a pick up game of basketball, or cycling your butt off, you will need your body to be ready for whatever you throw at it. When you start with static stretching, tiny tears are created in the muscle fibers which can increase the risk of injury. If you are an elite athlete, you really do not want to be sidelined for any of your events. A small tear from static stretching for a sprinter in the hamstring can lead to that pulled hamstring during a race. The same holds true for that pick up game of basketball. Don't perform a static stretch on your calf as it may lead to something serious when you explosively take off from the ground for a rebound or lay-up. A mountain biker needs a lot of power to crank up steep inclines, so static stretching should be avoided prior to shredding the trails.

Before exercise, one should perform a dynamic warmup targeting areas of the body that will need to be ready for what ever exercise or activity you are going to perform. Even still, involving the full body will ensure the best warm up. A proper dynamic warm up increases blood flow to those areas of the body that need it as well as increases muscle fiber recruitment. In other words, it wakes things up so that they are ready for action. Getting more muscle fibers to join the party will increase your performance.

Let's look at a power lifter. Power lifting is a very explosive sport and it is highly important to have the body ready or the risk of injury if high. Pretend we are at a competition and we have two athletes. They are getting ready for their big all out lift on the bench. Assume the two athletes are the same size, with the same bench max, and wearing the same clothing. Let's take Power lifter A, who does nothing to get ready for the lift. He lays on the bench, he has not invited all the muscle fibers to the party, he does not have the blood flow to safely perform this ultra explosive move and fails. Power lifter B, warm ups on a stationary bike. He also does his normal lunges, twists, arm swings, and gets on a warm up bench to lift a light weight, and works his way up to a good weight for muscle fiber recruitment. He does not fail but succeeds and do to the adrenaline and mind-set actually is able to lift more than was expected.

Make sure that you are including a dynamic warm up in your routine, you can see how beneficial it can be. See the video linked here to walk through some great dynamic exercises so that you are ready for your next bout of exercise!

Robert Jay Martin is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and TRX certified. Improve your level of fitness and/or level of cycling with his success, knowledge, experience, & 4 year degree. Visit his website https://martinrj26.wixsite.com/robmartin or his blog at https://urbikelife.com/news/

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Active Recovery for Exercise

Active recovery is the engagement of low-intensity exercise after completing a challenging and difficult high intensity athletic event. An example is going for a low-intensity bike ride after completely a full 26 mile marathon. This might seem like the opposite thing to do since the body needs rest but this is actually not the case. When our bodies continue to move after an event like a marathon; we can reduce the risk of cramping and we can help the blood to circulate properly for recovery. Another example of is having an easy day in our training routines. It might be something like running on most days but on the active recovery days, a person might spend 30 to 60 minutes stretching. A person could run four days per week but on the active recovery days, they could stretch, take a yoga class or use a foam roller.

The body needs a break and rest from our routines. When we change the routines, we are allowing our bodies to rest and recover properly. For example, a runner might need to rest from an injury. The water can be a great source of active recovery for people who exercise and athletes. Using a pool to do a light workout can be one way to change our routines. The key is allowing the muscles to recover by doing something completely different and less intense for our bodies. Stretching and using a foam roller are commonly used for active recovery techniques since it may help prevent injury. Stretching is often overlooked but is a great idea for active recovery since everyone needs flexibility.

Active recovery is not to be confused with cross-training. Both are different but the main difference is the activities for cross-training might still be intense. The activities for active recovery would most likely be less intense. This is only because the muscles need rest and recovery. Someone doing cross-training might run and swim with the same intensity on different days. A person should try to do less on off days and remember they are recovering from the main activity they are focusing on. This is why I strongly feel the exercise should be lighter and not as challenging.

In closing, I think it's important for all of us to choose an activity that requires less energy. The idea is to not be completely sedentary on our rest days. Choosing a less intense activity can really help our bodies with the recovery process.

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