It may just be me but it seems like our transition into winter and the holiday season was quite abrupt this time around. And we all know that with this time of year there are certain inevitabilities that are pretty much unavoidable. One of them is the cold itself. A cold muscle is more likely to sustain an injury than a warm muscle, and a cold muscle will not perform at the same level as a warm muscle (same can be said for joints, tendons and other connective tissues). So if you are like me and you have consistently tight areas and body parts that need maintenance/extra warm up, you will be doing yourself a huge favour to add in some extra mobility/warm up before you start your warm up. Even if you have only 5 min before the class starts some extra warming up can be the difference between feeling like a cranky old man or a young dapper leopard, and you can sometimes get a two for one with some movements. For example I have found that the ski-erg is a great way to get blood moving and heart rate up (general) but it is also excellent as a dynamic stretch for the hamstrings ( specific). So even though it is mighty tempting to use your time before the class to admire Matt Booth’s legs on tights Tuesday, you can better spend that time getting a pre-warm up warm up. As always just ask a coach if you need ideas.
Another inevitability of this season is the holidays, and the sugar/alcohol/insulin death match that comes along with them. Don’t get me wrong, I for one am all for living and using time spent with friends and family as a legit excuse to eat 5 pieces of cheesecake and a turkey leg as a 2nd dinner (and yes I have done that). But I do know and realize that Ben is going to program Eva, and I will do it, and suffer big time as a result. So in other words please enjoy yourselves…. but just be ready to bring it the day after…. 🙂 I love each and every one of you, have a great holiday season and I will see you in the gym!
