Do You Really Need ToWarmUp?
Is it worth “waking up” your muscles or is it better to save time and energy? Ever a debate! Because we often subject our bodies to hours of sitting with bad posture and subsequently moving with poor mechanics, the answer is a resounding yes! If you spend most of the day slouching at work or slumped in the car, you should most definitely warm up before every single run. What should you do? “Warming up” can mean very different things to different people and the type of warm-up you do is very important if you don’t want to be wasting your time and energy. This generic term can mean anything from a pre-workout one-mile jog to ladder sprints, to dynamic and even static stretching. Unfortunately, not all warm-ups are effective and some are even detrimental to your performance! At Body Gears, we take it a step further and often prescribe something for our patients to do before they even start to warm up. It’s called “Getting in Gear," or GIG for short, and it’s always customized specifically to what your body needs to get the most out of your warm-up and maximize your training. It could mean mobilizing a joint whose stiffness contributed to an old injury or even activating a specific muscle whose sluggishness is contributing to your premature fatigue. Once you’ve completed your prescribed GIGs, it’s on to a dynamic warm- up. The goal of this type of warm-up is twofold: 1. Increase blood flow to your muscles
® To achieve this, we’ve compiled 7 easy dynamic moves that target your leg muscles and especially your hip joints to help you safely max out your body’s full potential. Email Social@BodyGears.com and request your FREE copy of our Running E-Book (includes the full Body Gears Dynamic Warm-Up)! 2. Remind your muscles how to generate force through ranges of motion you don’t frequently use during the day – by showing your muscles they have the strength to support you and don’t have to shut off or seize up, you’ll significantly reduce your risk of injury.
Exercise of theMonth Try this movement as part of your dynamic warm-up.
Grilled Shrimp Tacos w/ Sriracha Slaw
• 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil • 3 tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro • Juice of 3 limes, divided • Kosher salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined • 1/4 head red cabbage, shredded • 1/4 c. mayonnaise • 1 tbsp. sriracha • 4 medium tortillas
HamstringSweeps
In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, cilantro, and 1/3 of the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to a baking dish and pour over mixture. Toss until completely coated and let marinate 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make slaw: In a large bowl, toss cabbage with mayo, remaining lime juice and sriracha. Season with salt. Heat grill to high. Skewer shrimp and grill until charred, 3 minutes per side. Grill tortillas until charred, 1 minute per side. Serve shrimp in tortillas with slaw.
Dynamic Hamstring Stretching: Step your heel forward while keeping your toes up and your knee straight. Sweep your hands down towards your toes. You should feel a stretch down the back of each leg as you alternate taking steps forward. Take 5-10 steps on each side.
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