It’s one of the craziest things I see as a coach in the gym:
Athlete at check-in: “I want to be more mobile.” Or “I’m tired of little injuries here and there.”
Also Athlete: *Does their warm-up as fast as possible, lifts the most weight they can even they don’t feel it, and leaves without doing the class stretch.*
The thing is, it is so easy to be in a rush for success. If we get through the warm-up, we can get to the heavy weight lifting and MetCon that really do the damage. Right?
Well, the warm-up and the cooldown are actually the things we should be pushing the hardest if we want the most out of our fitness journey in the long term.
I don’t mean pushing the pace. Rather I mean slowing way down and trying to make your body feel what your coach is telling you that you should feel.
For instance, the most common mobility issue in the gym is not being able to overhead squat to depth.
Want my tip to speed up your ability to do this pain free as fast as possible?
When you do Squat Therapy Squats, squat down until you feel a fault and/or your back get tight. Then, instead of giving up and standing up, hold it there and push your body into the virtuous path of motion.
Heels Up? Focus on pushing the heels down at the moment they come up.
Knees Caving in? Push them out the second you see/feel them fall inward.
Hands Touching the Wall? Squeeze your mid back (shoulder blades) down and back as much as possible to help peel them off.
All of these corrections will be exhausting. They will take focus on a lot of squeezing. Doing multiple reps might feel like a feat rather than a given.
Good.
Doing this is how you break free from that narrative if “I can’t overhead squat.”
Doing this will teach you how to activate your muscles to create range of motion that you need to safely move throughout life.
Doing this will help you see strength numbers you only dreamed of.
Focusing on your mobilization = Getting into better positions.
Getting into better positions = safer and stronger lifts.
Safer and stronger lifts = Happier athletes.
So, make those warm-ups and cooldowns hard. Do it consistently and long enough, you’ll be amazed at the results.
To talk with a coach today, click the link found HERE to schedule your No Sweat Intro