Monday, December 27, 2010

Strength is Built on a Foundation of Mobility

    As I sat here trying to decide on what I wanted to write about today, it dawned on me that I have not talked a lot about mobility and flexibility training.  Sure, strength is incredibly important, but not at the expense of joint mobility.  One of the quickest ways to get injured is to force a joint through a range of motion greater than what it is used to. Knowing what muscles you need to stretch is a very individual issue.  The best way to find out is to come see us at the office to participate in a functional movement screen (FMS). 

   However, many kettlebell exercises stress the hip musculature, core, and shoulder complex.  This means that if you are not regularly performing stretches for those overworked muscles, they might tighten up and cause injury. The muscles you should stretch after kettlebell training are your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, abdominals, lower back, and shoulders.  Performing the following exercises will help you keep those muscles flexible.

1) Shoulders
2) Chest
3) Glutes
4) Abdominals
5) Hip Flexors
6) Quads
7) Hamstrings

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