Improve Your Flexibility
Use these 4 tools to increase your flexibility
Is there the right amount of flexibility and range of motion that is good for runners?
I know plenty of runners - good ones and really good ones - who cannot touch their toes when their knees are straight.
That doesn’t mean that being stiff as a board is good for runners, nor does being super flexible like Gumby mean you’re going to be a good runner either.
But (there’s always a but) working towards being more flexible and having a greater range of motion is really important for runners.
So today’s post is going to walk you through what you can and should do to increase your range of motion as a runner.
Oh, and why is range of motion important? Think about a runner who you know who doesn’t lift their knees when they run - can they really increase their stride at all? Probably not.
And if you can’t increase your stride, how can you run faster? Exactly.
So here’s the best strategies you can follow to increase and improve your flexibility and therefore increase your range of motion:
Stretch. Before you run do dynamic stretches. Dynamic = while moving… so it might look like this:
…and then after your run, stretch for a few minutes and hit all the big muscle groups with static stretching. Static = not moving. Think elementary school PE stretching.
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Foam roll. You know tight muscles aren’t fluid muscles. When you break up your tight muscles, they can move more freely. I have a foam roller at work and many at home. Just yesterday I worked out a kink in my back. Heavenly. Here’s the foam roller I used.
Yoga. I know a lot of runners - myself included - think that yoga isn’t a good way to become a better runner, but it’s true. Yoga (especially hot yoga) can do so much good for us. Think: hot yoga is a workout + you’re sweating a ton + getting stronger + working on flexibility. Lots of good reasons to get some hot yoga done.
Resistance bands + “TRX” machines. Getting a full range of motion with some resistance is always beneficial. I just purchased these name brand TRX machines for my team and I’m excited to use them. When you use your own body weight to go through a full range of motion you’re able to target specific muscle groups and improve flexibility.
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Friday’s Action Plan
Start small with a stretching routine and continually add to it.
What Has My Attention:
Everything You Need to Know about Piriformis Syndrome
Quote of the Week:
It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
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