In an effort shamelessly stolen from James Clear, on Thursdays I will be dropping a post containing 3 things to check out, 2 personal thoughts, and 1 challenge, all on the topics of health, wellness, and fitness.
3 Things to Check Out
We all know that sleep is important, but recent studies have shown that getting between 7-8 hours a night can improve your risk of heart issues.
Sleep is probably one of the most overlooked aspects to training. Itās not enough to sit on the couch for hours and relax post training. You need to sleep. Itās when you regenerate, when your brain is cleansed, and when you build up your energy - both physical and emotional - which allows you to put more into your training.
Iāve used the Bill Starr Rehab Protocol a number of times in my life to help restore muscular injuries. Within the last week or so, I aggravated an old back injury, so I stepped back all my lower body lifting and have been using this protocol.
The general idea is to work the injured area very lightly with very high repetitions and perfect form. I, for example, have done hundreds of reps of empty bar deadlifts in the past week.
The kettlebell windmill is a great all around mobility exercise that I think deserves a place in a lot of folksā repertoire. Itās easy to scale, can be done with no weight when learning, and works a lot of the areas that can get restricted by modern life - thoracic spine and hip mobility, shoulder and hamstring strength.
This is something I like to do (along with a few hindu squats) when I step away from my desk. Itās real simple to just twist your feet, stick an arm overhead, and kick that hip back as you descend into a few windmills. Try it, and see how your feel.
2 Personal Thoughts
Itās okay to take time off from fitness. In fact, it can be beneficial to do so. Take a step back, take a week or two off, and rest, relax, and reevaluate. The weights, the road, they will still be there when you return.
I just injured my back. I have an old back injury that sometimes aggravates me. This time, the day after deadlifting felt poor, so I took it easy. It wasnāt lifting that injured me, though, it was picking up a childās toy from the ground when in this compromised state.
But in thinking about this, I canāt help be reminded of how important overall mobility is. My back may hurt, but Iām still able to squat and lunge if I need something from the ground; Iām still able to contort my legs to find a comfortable position when seated on the ground.
1 Challenge
This week I want you to figure out a āmorning mobilityā routine that works for you. Find two or three exercises that work with your current restrictions, and do each one for maybe 5-10 reps every morning. It doesnāt need to be hard, you just need to be consistent.