With seasons changing, many of us are switching to alternate forms of fitness or entering a training phase ahead of next year. The usually means activating new muscles or weight training. For many this means a lot of pain and inflammation in areas we haven't felt since last season
At UNDRBUDR we believe in "PRECOVERY", simple protocols to prepare muscles for training stress as to minimize pain and soreness afterwards. The level and duration of your precovery protocol depends on your planned workout. If you plan to destroy your legs that day, all the steps below should be incorporated along with a solid warm up. If it's a light day, back down the warm up and maybe skip some steps. A physical therapist or trainer would typically recommend a combination of warm-up exercises, stretching, and mobility drills before engaging in exercise. These protocols are designed to prepare your muscles, joints, and cardiovascular system for the demands of your workout, reducing the risk of injury and minimizing soreness. Here's our protocol based on discussions with experts, elite athletes of many disciplines, and our own personal experience:
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Warm-up: Spend 5-10 minutes doing light aerobic activity like jogging, cycling, or brisk walking to increase your heart rate and blood flow. This helps raise your body temperature and prepare your muscles for more intense exercise.
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Dynamic Stretching: Dynamic stretches involve controlled movements through a full range of motion. These can include leg swings, arm circles, hip rotations, and torso twists. Dynamic stretching helps improve flexibility and mobility while increasing blood flow to the muscles.
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Static Stretching: After your dynamic warm-up, perform static stretches to target major muscle groups. Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds without bouncing. Focus on areas that will be heavily engaged in your workout. Common stretches include quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, chest, and shoulders.
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Foam Rolling (Self-Myofascial Release): Foam rolling can help release tension in tight muscles and improve blood flow. Roll slowly over various muscle groups for 1-2 minutes per area, paying extra attention to any knots or trigger points.
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Core: Not to be confused with any core strengthening exercises you may have planned. This would be a quick series of core activation exercises (5-10 reps - two sets max); situps, planks, etc. focusing on activation & feeling these muscles work. This ensures you will activate your core later when doing exercises under a heavy load.
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Wake Ups: Perform activation exercises to engage and "wake up" specific muscles that may be underactive or weak. For example, glute bridges or clams can activate the glutes.
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UNDRBUDR's Activation Muscle Rub: Available in an oil or salve, our activating muscle rub is critical PRECOVERY tool. Infused with cayenne and black pepper oils to bring circulation to muscles. With circulation comes oxygen, and lactic acid generated during your workout is flushed away so you can perform better. Concentrated Arnica and Comfrey is also infused, these two time tested, magical herbs are referenced in countless peer reviewed journals and clinical studies to reduce inflammation by blocking signals your cells produce when under stress which then leads to a cascade of reactions leading to inflammation.
