ADAPTATION
ad·ap·ta·tion /adapˈtāSH(ə)n/
noun
Definition: the action or process of adapting or being adapted.
i.e. – “A change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.”
i.e. – “If you have shitty posture, that becomes your bodies new norm during all activities.”
Think about all the little things that you do on a daily basis to you body. You sit in your car driving to and from work. Then you follow that up with some more sitting at work. And most likely follow that up with more sitting at your house at night on the couch. And lets be perfectly honest we can all use some work on having better posture.
Speaking of posture, have you seen what we do to our neck, head, upper back while we all hunch over our smart phones? They should be called dumb phones (that also was a dumb joke…) for what we put our bodies through to stare lifelessly into a small screen. I’m guilty of it too so don’t think I’m yelling at you. But I bet if you were reading this on your phone right now you just sat up straight and fixed your posture. But don’t worry you’ll be back to slouching soon enough.
“Go reread the definition above…it can have a negative meaning as well.”
And that’s where the adaptation piece comes back in. Our bodies go through a number of different positions each day but the ones that we stay in the most are the ones that are body adapts too. Sitting is Americas #1 killer of flexibility (I have no facts to back that up). So if you always are hunched over, always stuck sitting, you most likely will always revert back to that hunched posture without even thinking about it. And don’t even get me started on your hip flexors and hamstrings. But all is not lost, it’s all fixable.
We’ve all been to a gym before and seen those gigantic tootsie rolls that some people roll around on the ground with right? Well that my friend’s is called a foam roller and that should be your new best friend pre and post training. Now I know there are some people out there that don’t advocate their use, but I’ve been in this field long enough and witnessed first hand what these little magic guys can do. Some of the things I have seen them help people with include, reducing pain, improving tightness, aiding the recovery process, increasing flexibility, etc., etc., etc…
PRO TIP: When foam rolling it is important to relax as much as possible. If you are so tensed up and flexing everywhere it won’t have the same benefit. Relax and be sure to breathe. If you roll over an area that is super noxious, it most likely is a tight spot aka a KNOT that needs more attention. So try to relax right on that spot and just breathe for 15-30 seconds to hopefully break it up a little. Shoot for 10-20 rolls over each area.
Below are some of the top spots to foam roll daily if you are someone who is stuck sitting in front of a computer daily. I also paired with a targeted stretch for that area as well. You can do these a few times per day or at the bare minimum before and after exercise. If you scroll all the way to the bottom there you’ll find our FOAM ROLLING 101! (CLICK NAME OF THE STRETCH FOR VIDEO)
#1: Quads/Hip Flexors + Couch Stretch/SUPER Couch Stretch
# 2: Calves + Slant Board Stretch (Bent Knee + Straight Leg)
#3: IT Band + Dead Pigeon Stretch
#4: T-Spine + Bretzel
#5: Glutes + Pigeon Stretch
PRO TIP: If you feel any numbness or tingling while rolling on any specific area move off of it. Most likely you were right over a nerve, if the symptoms don’t alleviate instantly please consult your doctor.