Stretching is a vital part of improving your range of motion, flexibility and assisting the recovery process.
Warming up and stretching are two different things, but stretching exercises can help to prepare you for a WOD and improve your recovery.
Stretching allows your body to more easily move through the full range of motion when it comes to hitting weights, in effect creating long, full muscles instead of stunted ones.
Flexibility will improve your movement and efficiency.
There is a reason as to why we are trained to stretch before and after exercise. Not only does stretching warm the body, but it does wonders for recovery and may just prevent the dreaded Delayed Onset Muscle Syndrome. Exercising creates toxins in the body as muscles are exerted. By stretching the muscles after exercise, these toxins move into the bloodstream and out of the muscles, where they can be broken down and eradicated. So in effect, stretching after a tough WOD means that when you’re tying your shoes or trying to sit on the toilet the next morning, you won’t be left feeling like a mummy just released from its sarcophagus.
These 5 tips can be done easily before and especially after every WOD.
They combine nearly everything you need for a successful training session.
It is also a good idea to add movements that are applicable to the exercises that you will be performing in your WODs into your warm up.
Dynamic stretching will help to prepare for the workout ahead
Static stretching is more advisable for the end, to aid with recovery and improve flexibility