I know I share tons of workout content on the blog and on my Instagram, but I want to dive deeper into stretching, recovery, & injury prevention techniques as well! Incorporating stretching and other recovery methods are a big part of being able to effectively train consistently and minimize your risk of injury. One very painful and nagging injury I got was many years ago, back when I was training for a marathon. I neglected stretching and foam rolling almost completely and gave myself a stress fracture because of it!
Now, even though I run much smaller distances, I am always sure to stretch and foam roll as a part of my regular routine before both my running workouts and my circuit workouts. Sharing more below on types, frequency, and purpose!
First off, what is “foam rolling”? In case you’ve never done it, it’s a form of self-myofascial release in which you apply gentle force to your muscles (often if you feel you have a “knot”) to alter the elastic muscle fibers from a bundled position back into straighter alignment with the direction of the muscle. Essentially, it breaks up knots or tightness within your muscles and helps to release that tension that can ultimately lead to injury. You can get a foam roller here. I highly recommend!
This blog post by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (from where I am a credentialed & licensed Certified Personal Trainer) does an excellent job of explaining how to roll, what areas to roll, what areas should be avoided, etc. if you want to read more in depth.
For the purposes of both my circuit workouts and running workouts + recovery, I have found the best results from a combination of static stretching (holding a stretch for at least 30 seconds) and self-myofascial release in the form of foam rolling. Stretching allows for increased range of motion and a decrease in the risk of injury. So if you do any of my workouts either through the blog or the Besst Workouts App, below is the warm-up and cool-down I would recommend.
Warm Up
Self-myofascial release: 30 seconds for each muscle (I do calves, quads, hamstrings, IT band, piriformis/glutes, and upper back)
Static Stretching: 30 seconds for each muscle, repeat 1-2x
Warm Up: If at a gym or if you have access to a cardio machine (or can go outside)…walking or lighting jogging for 5-10 minutes before beginning to help prepare your body for activity. You could also do something like jump rope or jumping jacks, high knees, butt kicks, run in place, etc. instead.
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Cool Down
Cool down: Walking or other light cardio activity for 5-10 minutes after the completion of your workout to get your heart rate down and recover.
Self-myofascial release: 30 seconds for each muscle (repeat what I do above for the warm up…post-run I spend extra time on my calves as those are more prone to getting really tight). Doing this post-workout can help reduce the effect of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).
Static Stretching: 30 seconds for each muscle, repeat 1-2x
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The warm-up and cool-down activities look very similar and if you can just spend a few minutes before and after your workout, you will be doing really crucial and beneficial things for your body to prevent injury and improve your overall flexibility.
xo,
Bess
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