So whenever you come back from injury it is a great time to re-evaluate, where you have been, what you were doing, where you are going, and how you can get there even better than before. I know where I am going, to the Olympic Trials in the Marathon in January. I know where I have been and what I have done so far. I also know there is a lot more in me and am excited to see what I can do. In order to do that though I need to stay injury free. That would mean adjusting my training volume a bit and modifying my strength program to address all the weak parts. Since working with
Mathew Nark we started out by first doing lots of soft tissue work. I went from being in foam roller denial to becoming a foam roller freak! So here are the things you need to start doing your own daily soft tissue work at home and to get those muscles ready for a workout and for recovery afterward.
1. Stretching Rope
2. Foam Roller
3. The Stick
4. Trigger Point Therapy Kit
Now you don't need all of these. Whatever you have will do. I put them up here in order of importance to me right now. My stretching rope is always on hand and you should check out the
Wharton's Website for a great active isolated stretching routine and information. You can check out tons of videos on youtube about using the foam roller, the stick and trigger point therapy. I spend about 45-60 minutes before and after my workouts with these new found toys and I definitely feel like it just wakes my muscles up and gets the blood flowing. I will stretch for about 25 minutes and then use the other gadgets for about 20-30 minutes. So that is step one for getting and keeping myself injury free. More to come!
