It some point, a little training snobbery is okay, especially when the risk outweighs the reward. Stretching on the whole is a safe practice, but not every stretch is good for every body, and unless you’re a contortionist, pro athlete or seasoned yogi, there’s no need to assemble your parts into a potentially compromising position. Here are the top three stretches you should avoid and why — and a replacement move that is safer and better for your body. Hurdler’s Stretch This stretch is (obviously) good for hurdlers, but jumping over a hurdle is truly the only real-life activity that benefits ..read more

Balance is a component of all movement, and combining it with your mobility training preworkout reinforces equilibrium in your kinetic chain and improves stability, alignment, strength and flexibility. It also can help prevent injury, hone focus, boost body awareness and train patience. Do these moves in order as part of your warm-up routine. Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 train mobility/balance, and numbers 3 and 6 are grounded recovery moves to give you a little break. 6 Moves to Boost Balance and Mobility 1. Hips and Backbend Photo:  Sean ..read more

We all know that stretching increases flexibility, and resistance training increases strength. It’s a no-brainer that mobility increases joint motion — but does mobility also increase strength? On the surface, the link between mobility and strength doesn’t make sense. Many strength athletes even regard mobility work as either a waste of precious training time or something that’s nice to do but not a priority. This raises the question: How exactly would working on hip mobility increase your strength?  Here’s an example: You’re doing squats and your friends encourage you to go lower, but y ..read more

One thing’s for certain in the 21st century: You likely spend a great deal of time looking at your computer and your phone screen throughout the day. Maybe you’re doing that right now as you read this story. And all that time spent looking downward at a screen may contribute to “text neck.”  Neck pain is a fairly common physical ailment — a study published in the Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy found that 20.3 percent of individuals reported experiencing neck pain. Could the cause be linked to technology? Perhaps, given that a study published in the journal Spine estimated that 75 ..read more

There’s nothing worse than spending hours folded like origami into a cramped seat only to arrive at your final destination with sore muscles and cranky joints. According to Bob Anderson, author of the best-selling book Stretching (Shelter Publications, 2020), that lack of physical exertion leads to tight, weak muscles. “Stretching is that important link between sedentary life and active life,” he explains.   Travel forces you to remain sedentary for long periods and is generally hard on the body, but that doesn’t mean you have to start your vacation off with miserable muscle aches a ..read more

If your idea of recovery consists of a few halfhearted stretches and a hot shower, it’s time to level up. Here are 10 of-the-moment practices to help revamp your recovery routine and speed along your progress. 1. Red light Therapy (aka photobiomodulation)  The theory behind this practice is that low-level wavelengths of red light penetrate the skin and supercharge the mitochondria, which, according to a study published in Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, enables them to produce more energy. A review of research published in AIMS Biophysics also reported that regular use of RLT ..read more

Let’s face it: Life can be stressful. Whether it’s deadlines at work, worrying about bills or just trying to get everything done, it can feel like you don’t even have time to breathe, much less relax.  The good news is you don’t need a live-in massage therapist or two-week vacation to unwind. “The easiest way to improve anxiety caused by stress is to move the body,” says Sibyl Knight, DO, physician at The Osteopathic Way in Santa Cruz, California. “Prey animals often shake after being hunted. Our human nervous system is able to let off some physical stress through movement, as well.”&nbs ..read more

Mobility is one of the most overlooked aspects of fitness and often gets left out when you’re in a hurry to get out of the gym and back to life. These excuseproof stretches can be done in each room of your home and are easily integrated into your daily life to increase flexibility, manage stress and improve energy, sleep and vitality. The Living Room Stretch Targets: hip flexors, side body Kneel facing away from a chair or couch and lift your left heel up to your glutes. Slide your leg back behind you so your shin is as close to the couch as possible and your thigh is perpendicular to the flo ..read more