As part of my fitness triangle we have the word “mobility”
Like the fire triangle which shows the three component factors needed to make a fire, remove just one the fire will die
The fitness triangle is, at least in my mind, the same. Have each of the three in place, in adequate amounts and your fitness can flourish. Remove one and you may still progress but in a specialised manner (powerlifters / marathon runners etc)
I’ve no problem with this, but even the specialists need all three elements, other wise the time will come where either all progress stalls or worse still, injury occurs.
This is the case of a friend of mine.
While he is continually setting new record in his class for powerlifting, he’s finding it an ever more uncomfortable and painful experience.
So he reached out.
And I’m delighted he did.
It is clear his triangle is woefully incomplete, and as a result, his fire is dying.
But it’s not out.
After coaching him through some Anatomy in Motion exercises to start regaining some of his lost mobility and release some of that painful excess tension he carries, we discussed foam rolling.
In the “evidence based” circles, foam rollers are looked down upon.
They have no substantial scientific backing as to why they work.
But, work they do.
As my friend Emmet Louis, acrobat, dancer, mobility guru and founder of his “Open Source Movement” tells us about his specialist topic, flexibility:
“the techniques haven’t changed in centuries, the explanations for the techniques change every few years, but the fact that they work has never gone away.”
So I still advocate foam rollers to those that need them.
This video will take you through a complete lower body mobilisation set that I’ve used with many of my BJJ players and a few regular folk to great effect.
It features in the eBook I wrote for the BJJ population, “Fighting Back”
Have a watch:
So, it goes like this:
Roll the Foot Roll the Calf Stretch the Calf Roll the Quads Stretch the Quads Roll the Glutes Stretch the Glutes Then repeat on the other leg.
It’s helps to be a little warm first, so a few minutes skipping is a good idea, the go through the sequence and then go into the movements you were planning for the training. If you follow the rolling with a load of full ROM bodyweight squats and deep lunges, you will further embed the newly created freedom of movement, AKA mobility.
Try it out for yourself and let me know how it works for you
Regards
Dave Hedges www.WG-Fit.com
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