SMR

Pictured above are a couple different collections of SMR tools. Each collection is good, but one of them is more suitable for the gym environment. Be sure you get the right tools for your people and for yourself.

The top picture features (from left to right) the orange grid roller made by Trigger Point Performance, a black yoga block, a white marble hand stone, a black basalt neck pillow stone, and two yellow lacrosse balls. The Rumble Roller is a great substitute for the grid roller since it has an antimicrobial additive that prevents bacteria & fungus growth and the bumps are like having a ball, block, & roller all in one!

The bottom picture features (from left to right) two massage balls, the orange grid roller, baller block, footballer, and quadballer made by Trigger Point Performance.

The main differences between the two kits is that the balls, footballer, and quadballer made by Trigger Point are covered in cloth which can soak up sweat and other fluids at the gym. This makes them difficult to disinfect and breaks them down more quickly.

The lacrosse balls, stones, grid roller & Rumble Roller do not soak up sweat and other fluids. They are very easy to disinfect. They will all last almost indefinitely unless you drop the stones onto concrete or another hard surface or use the rollers on a very rough surface like asphalt or unsmoothed concrete.

You should be doing SMR everyday, regardless of the tools you choose to use. If you need to get some, just click here.

Train hard, and take care of those muscle aches before they become joint aches or actual joint injuries…3-2-1-GO!

For a printout of the tools collections, click here.

Our SMR Clinic on November 6th and 7th was a small group of knowledgeable and committed participants. We utilized the theatre on site at Main Street Village in Irvine, California. The palm trees around the pool were calming during our breaks from the intense rolling out we did.

2 days, 60+ SMR exercises, and a certificate of completion later and we now have 5 more SMR coaches ready to help others take care of those nagging aches and pains caused by muscular adhesions, trigger points, scar tissue, and contraction knots.

It was a pleasure working with you. Remember that I am here to support your efforts with the downloads, videos, or an email/phone call to help you get the most out of your tools.

Good luck guys!

–Jeff

After years of requests from the CrossFit community, we now have a list of the SMR movements for each of the benchmark named workouts. Feel free to download the Adobe PDF and print or email it to share with whomever you choose. We want you to perform better so that you can raise the level of competition out there. 3-2-1…GO! Click here to download the CrossFit Named WODs (as of 6-12-2011)

Click here to download the list of SMR for the Girls Pre-WOD SMR should be done prior to your dyanamic warm up and practice movements. Remember, the purpose of SMR is to “turn off” stubborn, overly tight muscles. You want everything awake when you try to crush Fran or any other WOD. Post-WOD SMR should be done following your cool down stretches, as your heart rate returns to normal. Do the rolling movements at the gym, and the ball exercises much later when you have completely cooled down. You don’t want to significantly restrict bloodflow right after your WOD, and the localized pressure possible with the ball is likely to be too much to ensure adequate bloodflow while you are lying on top of it. Take your time, breathe deeply, and focus on allowing your muscles to wrap around the ball or roller. Good luck!

Click here to download the list of SMR for the Heroes Pre-WOD SMR should be done prior to your dyanamic warm up and practice movements. Remember, the purpose of SMR is to “turn off” stubborn, overly tight muscles. You want everything awake when you try to crush Murph or any other WOD. Post-WOD SMR should be done following your cool down stretches, as your heart rate returns to normal. Do the rolling movements at the gym, and the ball exercises much later when you have completely cooled down. You don’t want to significantly restrict bloodflow right after your WOD, and the localized pressure possible with the ball is likely to be too much to ensure adequate bloodflow while you are lying your body on top of it. Take your time, breathe deeply, and focus on allowing your muscles to wrap around the ball or roller. Good luck! (The pictures below include the first 8 of the 20 pages in the printable Adobe PDF linked above.)

Here is a fascinating and easy-to-read over view of human tissue, Davis’s Law, plyometrics, elasticity of tissues and plasticity: http://www.begin2dig.com/2009/06/plastic-vs-elastic-when-talking-about.html

Continue working on your “trouble area.” What differences do you notice? Post comments regarding your progress.