Never Forget to Stretch!

"And as always fitness enthusiasts, do not forget to stretch on daily basis. Even if on days you did not workout." Says Ophir Health and Fitness Coach from Fitness Fixes.

"Over time our bodies naturally lose their flexibility, muscle shrinks and inflammation may occur. Stretching helps prevent these discomforts from happening. A basic stretch should be more than sufficient. Once you get better, you may progress to the next level." Here are a few to get you started:

DOUBLE KNEE TO CHEST STRETCH

Preparation:
Initiate a thorough dynamic warm-up prior to starting this exercise; this engages the nervous system.

Movement :

• Lie flat on the floor with the legs straight.
• Lift both legs off of the floor and maintain triple flexion (at the hips, knees and ankles.)
• Flatten out the back by initiating a posterior pelvic rotation (push the small of the back into the floor.)
• With slow and controlled movement, grab the elevated legs into the chest (as shown.)
• Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.

HAMSTRING – LOWER, LYING

Preparation:Lie down on back and flex hip and knee to 90°.
Your lumbar spine should NOT move!

Movement:

• Pull your thigh toward your chest and toe back toward your shin as far as you can control.
• Slowly extend knee to ceiling until a slight stretch is felt.
• The upper thigh must remain stationary without allowing the spine to move.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds, repeat for 2-3 reps then switch legs.
• Alternative technique: Following movement instructions, wrap towel around foot and slowly extend knee to ceiling until a slight stretch is felt.

HIP FLEXOR – LYING

Preparation:Lie on your side.
Bring lower leg forward into triple flexion and grasp the ankle of top leg as shown.

Movement:

• Draw your belly button inward (activating the deep abdominal stabilising mechanism).
• Tighten glutes and perform a posterior pelvic tilt.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds, repeat for 2-3 reps.
• Explore different hip positions to find specific ‘tight spots’.

ERECTOR SPINAE – CROSS LEG

Preparation:
Lie supine on ground with left leg straight out, and right leg bent and crossed over left side as shown.

Movement:

• Draw your belly button inward.
• Slowly use your left arm against your right crossed    leg to apply pressure to the point of tension.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds, repeat for 2-3 reps.

BOW POSE

Preparation:
Start lying prone on the floor.

Movement:

• Bend the legs and reach back to grab both feet.
• Grab the feet from the outside.
• Draw the shoulder blades together.
• Arch the back while simultaneously pushing the feet up into the air so thighs come off the ground.
• Be sure to hold onto the feet tightly to allow the raising of the feet to increase the spinal extension.
• Hold this position for 3-5 deep breaths.

HIP FLEXOR – KNEELING

Preparation:Kneel on one knee as pictured.
Slightly abduct and internally rotate the back leg.

Movement:

• Draw your belly button inward (activating the deep abdominal stabilising mechanism).
• Tighten glutes and perform a posterior pelvic tilt.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds, repeat for 2-3 reps.
• Avoid arching low back!
• Motion occurs predominately at the pelvis (posterior pelvic tilt), the back leg should not move.

KNEELING HIP FLEXOR

Preparation:Begin with one leg in a kneeling position and the other leg bent at a 90° angle.
Position the back leg in internal rotation.

Movement:

• Draw your belly button inward.
• Squeeze your buttocks while rotating pelvis posteriorly.
• Slowly, move your body forward until a mild tension is achieved in the front of the hip being stretched.
• Next raise your stretch side arm up and over to the opposite side, while maintaining pelvis position.
• Hold side bend position and slowly rotate towards back leg.
• Hold stretch for a minimum of 20 seconds each side.

POSTERIOR CAPSULE

Preparation:Start in anatomical position, with the shoulder blades retracted and depressed, and the transverse abdominus engaged (through a drawing-in maneuver.)

Movement:

• Bring the arm across the chest so that the palm is facing the body (as shown).
• With the opposing arm, apply LIGHT pressure until you feel a comfortable stretch in the posterior aspect of the shoulder.
• Hold for 1min each side. Repeat 2-3 times.
• Avoid the stretch if you feel ANY pain in the shoulder or arm.

PECTORAL – AGAINST WALL

Preparation:Stand against an object and form a 90/90° angle with your arms as depicted.

Movement:

• Draw your belly button inward.
• Slowly lean trunk forward from stationary arm until a slight stretch is felt in the anterior shoulder and pectoral region.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds, repeat for 2-3 reps.

LAT – KNEELING or MODIFIED CHILD’S POSE

Preparation :
Position yourself in kneeling position as pictured.

Movement :

• With one arm at a time, reach out, turn palm down (externally rotate the shoulder), push the lower back up (lumbar flexion).
• When first resistance barrier is felt, hold for 20-30 seconds.
• Repeat for 2-3 repetitions then switch arms.

Tabata Protocol

• spin biking

• rowing machine

• hitting a heavy bag

• sprinting

• jumping rope

• squats

• burpees

• push ups

• high knees run

Unless you worked out with me or you’re a novice gym rat, then you know what Tabata Protocol is. For those of you who have not heard of this type of workout yet, strap on your seat belt because it’s about to get serious here.

Tabata Protocol - An earlier version of High Intensity Interval Training was based on a 1966 study by Professor Izumi Tabata initially involving Olympic Speedskaters. The formula suggests the athlete will perform a certain exercise for 20 seconds of work, at maximum performance,  followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeating the routine for 8 cycles (4 minutes.)

Professor Tabata used a mechanically braked cycle ergometer for his study but we are still able to apply this protocol to almost any exercise routine. A few popular examples include:

Personal Trainer, author and all around nice guy Ross Enamait from rosstraining.com writes, “It is important to note that changing the exercise used during the interval session may change the focus of the session. For example, working with a body weight exercise such as push ups or squats will shift the workout’s focus towards strength endurance.” What he is saying is, if your focus is more muscle and strength, then choose push ups, squats or add dumbbells to the Tabata Routine. This will develop your Anaerobic Threshold. If your focus is to develop more of an Aerobic Threshold then focus your routine on cardio based exercises ie: jump rope, sprinting, high knees run etc. When putting forth a maximal effort, you will be surprised at how intense 4 minutes of exercise will feel. These intervals are both taxing on the body and time efficient. Such intense work is excellent for those involved in sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling.

As for the initial study, after 6 weeks of testing, Professor Tabata noted a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity along with a 14% increase in V02Max (maximal aerobic capacity.) These results were witnessed by physically fit athletes. 
Many tests are conducted on deconditioned subjects, which leads to results that are difficult to evaluate. Professor Tabata’s test was much more effective, as it produced a positive response on individuals who were already in shape. This form of training is also effective for fat loss. Intense interval work will raise the body’s metabolic rate long after the exercise session is completed known as the EPOC faze, Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. Post workout fat loss is the end result. Many recent studies have confirmed that the powerful “after-effect” of interval training is more effective for fat loss than low-intensity, continuous exercise. Such research assumes that a true maximal effort is applied.

Now, in our bodies exist 2 threshold levels, Aerobic and Anaerobic. The Aerobic system uses oxygen to burn fuel, and the Anaerobic system does not. What happens is we start out by burning fuel with our Aerobic energy system. Once we go past the point where there is enough oxygen in our system to provide Aerobic energy to our muscles, Anaerobic system kicks in. Think of this as your SUPRA-AEROBIC zone. To get there, you need to get your heart rate up past what is typically referred to as the “Target Heart Rate Zone.” You will need to build up your endurance gradually. When you create an Oxygen Debt, your body has burned off all of the blood sugar/glycogen it has and now needs to replace all of that energy. This is done by the body’s natural state of burning fat. That is why high intensity training is so crucial for fat loss and also why the Tabata Protocol is considered to be one of the best fat burning workouts. Basically, if you work hard enough, even for just four minutes, you really should be able to get into decent cardiovascular shape. That said, based on the intensity of a Tabata workout, the average non-exerciser should be very careful with this type of training. It could potentially be dangerous for a beginner to be working this hard. In my opinion, before people even attempt Tabata Protocol they should have a decent level of fitness.

So, four minutes to fitness? Maybe not, but clearly, based on the evidence, short-burst, high-intensity training is the real deal and adapting Tabata-style training to fit your workouts is without a doubt a very effective approach you can employ to help you achieve your goals.

To calculate your VO2 Max, click HERE then visit back to see how you scored.