Preparations
for Winter Sports
By
Marc Trepanier
The
days are getting shorter and cooler. Leaves are just starting to turn colors.
Yes, fall has started to creep in. This means, of course, that winter sports
are around the next corner. Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and whatever
else charges you up.
Winter
sports, in particular, place a heavy emphasis on our legs. Our legs rely on our
ankles for stability: our ankles and knees, to be precise. We will go over some
exercises that will have you ready for your winter sport. Some of the exercises
I have chosen are also used in rehabilitating joints from injuries and being
isolated and unused for extended periods.
STRETCHING
Stretching
and warming up is an important part of working out. I can’t make you do it,
that is your choice. As for me, I stretch and get warmed up before jumping in
these days. Time and again, specialists have proven that stretched, limber
muscles are less prone to injury. What about strength? What about power? Yeah,
I’ve asked those questions, too.
Bruce Lee had no
problems with lack of power, speed, strength or flexibility. From
the bottom to the top, calves to neck. It’s too easy. Let’s go.
Calf
stretching is easy enough, as this image from Tribe Sports
shows. I have no idea if you’ve ever tried walking on stiff calves before, but
I can tell you that it is no fun. Ouch!
Hamstrings, the
back of your thighs, you can stretch standing, sitting, one at a time,
together, by yourself, with a partner. There are clearly several ways to
stretch this muscle group. I will offer one way to stretch this group. If you
want to find any of the other ways and work with those, then more power to you.
When it comes to stretching hamstrings, I had always been
admonished to keep my legs straight. Why there is an example given with legs
bent, I have no answer. I keep my legs straight.
Of
all the odd and the myriad ways of stretching the thigh muscles, the single and
most effective stretch I have done is the one pictured to the right. In martial
arts classes, I have been able to do this with a solid stretch while balancing
on one foot. Yes, I impress myself. While in this position, you can increase
the stretch by rolling your hips forward and pulling your foot back away from
your hips as if you were the bow in an archery set.
The
butterfly stretch is going to loosen up your hips and the muscles of your inner
thighs. Believe me, if you have never done this, it feels great! It also
touches on your lower back, which always helps.
As indicated, you
put the bottoms of your feet together and pull your heels in toward your hips.
You
press down on your knees with your elbows as you lean forward and try to touch
your forehead to the floor.
As
the stretch becomes easier, pull your feet in further.
I have no clue what this stretch is
called, but it’s the best one I have used for the core and back.
Round
about midterms, when I’m exhausted and among the walking dead, my sack of books
feels like a ton, and my posture has gone the way of the Dodo, my back looks
like Quasi Modo. It hurts! This is my go-to stretch to put things right. This is the stretch that will keep your trunk and back limber and loose for the slopes or for that class in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you've been considering. Do it, that's great stuff!
Pectoralis
stretches, pec stretching is so simple. All you need is a door frame. What
could be easier than that?
Stretching out
your shoulders and upper back is a piece of cake. You’re at the door frame, so …
as illustrated, you can pull your arm across your body to stretch it or you can
grab hold of that door frame and lean the other direction to pull against it.
This way, your body weight will stretch out your upper back and shoulder.
Now,
that you’re stretched, on to the workout.
No.
It’s not Burpees. Not this time. But, they sure wouldn’t hurt … much. The
workout will be posted within the next two weeks.
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