The Missing Triad: Three things to add to your weight training routine to avoid injury and capitalize gains

Part One: Dynamic Stretching If you’re anything like me, my typical gym routine looks like this: 5:00 PM: Walk in gym, proceed to treadmill. 5:00ish: Warm up on treadmill for 5 minutes. 5:05 PM: Walk (briskly) to the machine/squat rack/ set of weights I’ve been eyeballing the entire time I was on treadmill. 5:06 PM- (some time around) 6:00 PM: Train like the beastly She-Hulk I envision my body morphing into;) Side note: Yes, I a) wear gloves because I happen to like my hands soft and b) veer on the tad-bit-dramatic side.) 6:00 PM- Proceed to locker room, gather my belongings, and exit gym. Minus minor deviations, most people can relate to this scenario. If this is you, I regret to inform you you’re doing it all WRONG!!!  My first three posts will be dedicated to injury prevention and muscle gains conservation.  Part one will focus on a subject that many fitness enthusiast avoid until injuries set in: Stretching.  Yes, stretching. There are three basic forms of stretching:

• Dynamic- active stretching that warms your core body temperature and prepares your joints/ligaments for a workload.
•  Static- isolated movements that stretch specific muscles. Promotes flexibility and lengthens your muscles.
• Ballistic- isolated movements that stretch specific muscles through bouncy movements. Potentially dangerous and often leads to hyper extension. DO NOT ATTEMPT!!!

Studies show combining dynamic stretching with your warm-up assists in preparing your muscles and nervous system, increases oxygen and blood supply to your muscles, and help attain a greater range of motion. Dynamic stretching should be a part of any good weight training program. If not, include them today! Simply choose 3-5 stretches (10-25 reps each) to create a circuit. REMEMBER: Maintain control of muscles throughout entire movement. Happy stretching! Peep below for a few of my fav dynamic stretches. JUMPING JACKS ARM CIRCLES WALKING LUNGES LEG SWINGS ALTERNATING TOE TOUCHES BUTT KICKS If you have any dynamic stretches you love please share the knowledge. Feel free to comment below, share this article, and by all means don't be a stranger: Reach out to me via FaceBook- Jean Edwards, Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest- JeanELifestyle. Till next time, xoxo;)