“Yoga is about clearing away whatever is in us that prevents our living in the most full and whole way. With yoga, we become aware of how and where we are restricted — in body, mind, and heart — and how gradually to open and release these blockages. As these blockages are cleared, our energy is freed. We start to feel more harmonious, more at one with ourselves. Our lives begin to flow — or we begin to flow more in our lives.”
We love road tripping for so many reasons. I'm sure everyone has their own list of reasons. However, the issue we can run into from time to time is the body tightening up from sitting for extended periods of time. Both on the way to our destination or destinations and on our way home after a long trip.
I don't see a lot out there or hear about many talking stretching while road tripping, so Im going to share a few stretches that allow me to remain loose while on the road. I have really come to LOVE yoga so a lot of my stretches have found inspiration at the gym getting ready for a work out or from yoga classes. I love top down flow so I usually start with my neck and shoulders, down through my lats, spine through my lower back, and down through my legs.
Depending on how many Nalgene bottles of branch chains or water I slam while driving usually determines (Squirrel Bladder) how often I am making a rest stop. I stretch every stop I make just to loosen up and move the body a bit. At the very least, I drop down into an ass to grass deep squat using my elbows to push out those knees. Before I start to rant, here are a few of my go-to stretches for road tripping.
1. Neck & Shoulders
Cow Face Arms - See Here.
Thread The Needle - See Here.
2. Lats and Spinal Stretches
Standing Lateral Stretch - See Here.
Side Neck Stretch - See Here.
Cat Cow - See Here.
3. Legs
Body Weight Good Mornings - See Here.
Body Weight Lunges - See Here.
Body Weight squats - See Here.
Forward Folds - See Here.
We have a lot of XC single track here in the Twin Cities. To find more aggressive and fun riding I usually have to drive. Coming from the Twin Cities, the shortest drive I typically make to mountain bike is about two hours which is Spirit Mountain just south of Duluth or the Duluth trails system. Sitting for long periods of time is just the cost of doing business when you're out to adventure, not matter the disciple. So we gotta do what we can to offset the damage from sitting.
While this may be a whole other post entirely, I cannot stress the importance of stretching while on the road and pre-workout. Pre-work out stretching not only warms up the muscles you're about to use, but it also warms up the connective tissue. A rise in body temperature comes from stretching which allows for the greatest range of motion that your joints allow. There is a big difference between pre and post work out stretching and it would do you a world of good to come up with a good dynamic and static stretch flow to keep you on it! Make it part of your routine!!
Mountain Bikers: Check out this Vid..
Live Fearless, Not Reckless.
Disclaimer: As Always, I am not a personal trainer. I invest a lot of time in myself figuring out what works for me.
If you have any questions, interested in training or programs, Hit up Master Dee or Lord Kenny.
Cheers Friends!