Prince_Alarming114 144
Senior Master
It's a big subject, but I've seen a lot of posters asking about mobility work, as opposed to the exclusive use of static stretching. This is the sort of thing I am talking about:
Edit: It won't show for some reason. Just search youtube for 'Steph Rose combat mobility bodyweight workout'
As I say it's a big subject, and SMR (Self Myofascial Release) plays a big role in modern mobility work. It's surprisingly hard, however, to get a normal foam roller for a normal person. Most of them are either too squashy or knarled and bumped like some sort of freakish sex toy. If you can find a good one though, it does a good job. You just rub yourself on the roller- not the other way around. Put it on the floor and move bits of your body on top of it. It's a bit more complicated than that, but not much. If you have persistent localised pain, get a tennis ball and give yourself a good rub in the offending member. 3 minutes or so is a good start. This kind of mobility work is often unfairly accused of treating the symptoms rather than the disease. This has been shown in studies not to be the case- it has a long term positive effect on your actual mobility, not just the pain.
There are also more modern versions of our good old friend static stretching. For instance, pigeon pose and other seated stretches are being slowly phased out in favour of suspended stretches using objects such as sofae. This is believed to be better for the knees. I'm not convinced of that, but it seems foolish to keep doing something that's reputed to be injurious just for the sake of tradition.
But yeah, wiggle yourself in various ways, give yourself a massage with a foam roller and tennis ball and stretch a bit and you're good to go. That's the quick and dirty version.
As I say it's a big subject, and SMR (Self Myofascial Release) plays a big role in modern mobility work. It's surprisingly hard, however, to get a normal foam roller for a normal person. Most of them are either too squashy or knarled and bumped like some sort of freakish sex toy. If you can find a good one though, it does a good job. You just rub yourself on the roller- not the other way around. Put it on the floor and move bits of your body on top of it. It's a bit more complicated than that, but not much. If you have persistent localised pain, get a tennis ball and give yourself a good rub in the offending member. 3 minutes or so is a good start. This kind of mobility work is often unfairly accused of treating the symptoms rather than the disease. This has been shown in studies not to be the case- it has a long term positive effect on your actual mobility, not just the pain.
There are also more modern versions of our good old friend static stretching. For instance, pigeon pose and other seated stretches are being slowly phased out in favour of suspended stretches using objects such as sofae. This is believed to be better for the knees. I'm not convinced of that, but it seems foolish to keep doing something that's reputed to be injurious just for the sake of tradition.
But yeah, wiggle yourself in various ways, give yourself a massage with a foam roller and tennis ball and stretch a bit and you're good to go. That's the quick and dirty version.
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