There’s a lot of discussion these days about the efficacy of stretching before activities like running and also a lot of focus on ‘recovery’, i.e. how quickly your body bounces back after a workout, performance, or competition. While these discussions, studies, articles and books have merit, I feel they overlook something that I consider to be very important to the goals of performance and recovery.
DECOMPRESSION
Stretching or not stretching are not the only choices when it comes to warming up for an activity. A much more effective option is to employ what I term ‘decompressive’ movements. When a cat uncurls from the couch after a long, deep cat-nap, it stretches with one big yawn. Voila! It’s now ready to jump down and reengage with life! While most of us aren’t spending 18 hours a day napping on a couch, we are spending long hours often hunched over a computer or steering wheel or phone. These physically sedentary ‘activities’ numb the body and neuro-muscular system, compress the spine, slow metabolism, often strain muscles, and generally reinforce very poor postural habits. How can anyone believe they can go from that crippled physical state to running, for instance, without first working out some of the kinks and reminding their body of its correct Body Map - the human version of the cat’s full-body yawn?
Well, I suppose many people do just that. I imagine many people just dive right in without any preparation and I’m sure that accounts for many of the chronic and acute injuries people sustain. Imagine the runner who dives in without preparation and imagine the poor bio-mechanics he will employ. Imagine how hard his run will be on his muscles and joints and how much he will suffer afterwards. Imagine how much gatorade he will consume to try to speed his recovery!
Now imagine a runner who takes 15 minutes or more to decompress from her day, getting down on the floor to release tension from her spine, hips, ankles, feet, shoulders, and neck. Maybe she takes several deep breaths to release tension from her abdomen and ribs so her breathing is freer and more effective. Imagine how she will feel during her run. Perhaps she feels so good, she has the energy to run farther than she did before. Imagine her recovery. She will still have to rest and let her body recover, but she will have sustained less strain on her muscles and joints so her recovery will be less painful and quicker.
It’s really that simple and doesn’t require books, studies and articles to figure out.
Personally, decompressive routines are a big part of my weekly movement diet. I even employ them when I travel to prepare myself for a full day of walking and touring- and I’m always glad I took that half hour or so in the morning because it makes my day exponentially more enjoyable and more energetic. I employ decompressive movements before a day of skiing and always before a run. (I’ll admit there have been times when I didn’t have or take the time to do so before a run, and I always paid the price.) After several hours on the computer my body starts to remind me that it’s time to decompress before moving on to the next activity or back to work on the computer. Finally, decompressing before bed is an excellent way of assuring a restful sleep. And everyone knows that deep sleep is the most effective recovery system there is for our bodies.