When practicing CrossFit®, workouts focus on improving the quality of movements; everything, from nutrition to activities recovery post workout, is dedicated to maximizing the efficiency of movements, in order to improve the day's workout.
one of the most crucial and important aspects to improve the performance of CrossFit® is, paradoxically, also one of the most neglected: the stretch.
Let's find out together the best stretches to perform before training to improve performance.
Index
Cat Cow
This dynamic movement, borrowed from yoga, will encourage you to focus on breathing; the ability to regulate your breathing is critical in CrossFit®, as you often find yourself out of breath during a WOD.
Performing this stretching exercise helps coordinate breath with movements, connecting breath to core; to perform this exercise you have to get on your knees, place your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders, lower your belly to the ground and tilt your tailbone upwards, arch your back and lower your tailbone.
Downward Dog to Cobra
Performing this exercise helps strengthen your core, activate your muscles to prepare for more intense movements and also warm up your forearms, wrists and shoulders.
Get into position “downward facing dog” with fingers spread, forearms rotated forward, and hips tilted toward the ceiling.
As you inhale, lower your hips toward the ground and shift your torso forward, allowing the front of your core to lengthen and reverse the motion on your exhale.
Forearm stretch
Every CrossFit® exercise, from rock climbing to front lunges, requires strong forearms; forearm stretching is used to prepare the arms for WOD and to mobilize the wrists.
Begin the all-fours movement with knees wider than hips, rotate hands with fingers toward body, and lean back to straighten arms.
Inch Worms
This stretch is for back, shoulders and hamstrings; start by standing with feet hip-width apart, bend over until hands are on the floor, hold hamstring stretch, and step forward on hands until you reach push-up position.
Overhead Duck Walk
There are a lot of shoulder-to-butt movements in CrossFit®, so it stands to reason that you also need to warm up these muscles; this movement also tests the mobility of the chest, hips, shoulders and ankles.
Start the movement with one squat in a squat, raise your hands above your head in the position of snatch keeping the torso upright; remaining in this position, move forward with a "duck" walk.
Long dynamic lunge
Lunges are a critical component of CrossFit® WODs; the dynamic long lunge can help activate the hips, quads, ankles, and hamstrings.
Begin the movement with a lunge, with the front heel firmly on and the toes off the ground, shift the weight backwards to stretch the anterior hamstring.
Returning toes to floor, lean forward, bringing front knee over toes.
Frog Stretch
The breaststroke press helps improve lower body flexibility and upper body coordination; position with knees under hips, move so that knees are as wide apart as possible, toes point to sides, pulling them towards body, bend forward on forearms, lower buttocks towards ankles, move hips forward and go back.
Armless Prayer
This is one of the best stretches that help make you more flexible upper body, engaging lats, trapezius, triceps, hips and ankles.
Kneel on the ground, reach your hands forward, bend your arms and bring your palms to touch your upper back. Maintain the position for at least 40/60 seconds.
Bottom squat rotation
The location of squatting it is essential for every CrossFitter; adding a rotation in the upper body also helps improve chest mobility.
Begin the movement with a deep squat, keep your torso upright, place your arms between your knees, rotate your torso as you lift one arm straight up, return to position, and repeat with the other arm.
And you, did you know these stretches to do before training? Let us know in the comments and remember to follow us on our telegram channel
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