6. If you have created an injury to a muscle, recommendations are to perform gentle stretches as soon as a week after the tear or strain in order to prevent fibrous scar tissue from forming. That scar tissue will hinder your movement later down the road.
Down-dog position ranks at the top of my favorite stretch list because it covers muscles in the entire body:
7. The part of the body that we all stress but no one understands is the knee. There are multiple ligaments grown in strategic places to stabilize what is one of the most dynamic joints in our body. Most knee injuries occur when the knee flexes and rotates, and the meniscus (medial knee) travels forward too fast to control.
These are super basic, yet effective to the necessary muscles: good old wall squats!! (Hint: add some shoulder raises or external rotations to the wall while holding so you can multitask)
8. Aside from muscle and ligament elasticity, it is the shape of your hip bones that determine hip mobility (hello weird flexible people that can do splits on command). Bottom line, do not try to raise your leg higher than it is meant to go.
I LOVE pigeon pose as a safe route to stretch the hips. Get in it then try to go to your "happy place" and relax.
9. When doing core exercises, the game plan is different from doing squats and deadifts. During a leg movement like a squat, you need to hold the back in an arch so that you can protect it. When doing a crunch, you want to have a rounded spine so the back will relax and the abs will engage. As a HUGE pilates fan, I think the pilates roll up teaches you how to engage the correct muscles during core exercise. Learn the correct technique for a rollup and it will carry over into your routine.
10. Most important rule to follow for your anatomy when working out is that every exercise is like a pair of shoes, they won't fit everyone for every purpose. Create an exercise plan that caters to your personal strengths and weaknesses. Work your strengths while improving your weaknesses.
