MOBILITY IS KEY TO NEW PB’S
If you are restricted and/or in pain through any of the functional movements you should really consider spending more time addressing mobility issues.
We are often so concerned with getting stronger and more conditioned that we neglect our mobility and in turn hinder our overall progress.
Lets train smarter, not just harder. A strong foundation is required to build anything worth building. If mobility is your issue, make mobility your priority.
Start with one movement, one joint at a time.
Spend 2-3 weeks to make change and then reap the long term benefits.
If you are experiencing pain at a specific joint, it is typically not the joint that is causing the problem but the restrictions in the musculature surrounding the joint that is causing the issue. Be sure to look upstream and downstream for any possible problems. For example, if you are having trouble with your knee, start by looking for tightness in your quad, hammy and/or calf.
More often than not, it’s likely there are knots present in the fascia (the tissue that surrounds the muscle) of the surrounding musculature, restricting proper movement and causing overuse of the joint experiencing the pain. We must first address these knots through self-myofacial release before restoring length to the muscle tissue itself through stretching. This form of self massage can be completed using different objects such as a foam roller, PVC, softball, rumble roller, davinvi tool, wine bottle etc.. If you are unable to torture yourself enough to make change, you can hire a licensed professional such as our in house massage therapist, Andy Osborne or, for more serious issues our in-house Physiotherapist JD Hylton.
If no overwhelming pain is present, it is common to get caught up in our training and forget to mobilise. Achyness can be a good indicator that you need to mobilize but even if you are not achy try to stay on top of your mobility. Hit the muscle you recently worked post WOD and muscles you are about to work pre-WOD.
At CrossFit Leicester we offer Stretch and Mobility classes on Sundays and Wednesdays. We expect you all to be putting in the time on your own but understand this is a tall responsibility.
Make your Rest day your roll day and try to show up 10 minutes early and 10 minutes after each class to spend some time getting more supple.