As I'm sure you've figured out by now, I usually like to use Friday's as an opportunity to share with you a few of my favorite stretches, exercises and/or rehab movements.
Having been a successful Powerlifter for over 10 years I've had my share of tight muscles, poor flexibility and too much focus on how heavy the weight was instead of proper form. Being able to Squat over 700lbs as well Deadlift over 700lbs, with a body weight of 200lbs was great. Unfortunately it led to me not being able to sit for longer than 30-45 minutes without my legs going numb. Well those days are long gone and guess what . . . . you get the benefit of all my mistakes.
The stretches, exercises and rehab routines I share with you on Friday are in fact movements I do or have done to get my body back in alignment/balance after 10 years of lifting "heavy". Don't get me wrong, I'm still pushing myself to the limit every training day. But the difference is, these days I spend much more time being interested in executing proper form in addition to lifting moderate to heavy. I've done the whole "grab the heaviest weight I can stand and just force the reps". It's not all it's cracked up to be.
Well I'm 45 y/o now, not 25 y/o. My ego has taken a backseat to my interest in keeping as much muscle as possible, but only as long as I can enjoy my hobbies of boxing, occasional rollerblading, and anything else that happens to tickle my fancy. I really enjoy weightlifting, but now I am sure to make form first and the weight second.
When it comes to resistance training it's all about variety and proper form. Need a little variety to your workout that will keep you functional and still challenge you? Click the video below and add another option to your training routine.
Try Single Arm Rows for a Little Variation in Your Training
Kurt Elder of Energy F/X Fitness explains and briefly demonstrates a variation to seated rows. http://www.energyfxfitness.com