A good way for women to exercise and relax

For women to relax after fitness, the most universal and least error-prone core logic is to "follow the body's feelings and deal with different fatigue signals in layers." There is no standardized process that must be done. Whether it is stretching, foam rollers, fascia guns or mindful breathing, as long as it adapts to your training intensity and tolerance, it is a good method.

I ran into a lot of trouble when I first started working out. I followed the tutorials of fitness bloggers. After training my buttocks and legs, I had to roll with a mace for 20 minutes. It hurt so much that I scratched the yoga mat with my fingers. The next day, there was a big bruise on the outside of my thigh, and it was difficult to bend down to put on my socks. Later, I went to a sports rehabilitation specialist for an evaluation and found out that I have low muscle mass and thin subcutaneous fat. The high-intensity release with bulges was not suitable for me at all. Instead, it caused soft tissue contusion.

There are actually two mainstream ideas in the sports circle about relaxation. There is nothing right or wrong, but they are suitable for different groups of people. One is the "active interventionist" group, which advocates using external force to break up tense muscle fibers immediately after training, such as foam rollers, fascial guns, and manual massage. This type is more suitable for people who train with high intensity and have a particularly strong sense of target muscle strength - for example, you just hit a deadlift PR this week, or did high-intensity aerobics for an hour. This method can quickly loosen the newly formed myofascial nodules and reduce delayed-onset soreness (the kind of soreness that everyone often says comes to your door the day after training). The other school is the "natural metabolism school", which is mostly promoted by yoga and Pilates instructors. They believe that excessive external force relaxation will destroy the tension of the muscles themselves. It is also recommended to do 5-10 minutes of low-intensity transitional exercise after training, such as slow walking or riding an elliptical machine with the lowest resistance. Wait for the heart rate to slowly come down, and rely on daily activities to allow lactic acid to be naturally metabolized. At most, a few simple static stretches are enough. This is especially suitable for office workers who just want to move around. For example, if you practice shoulder and back relaxation for 20 minutes every day, you really don't have to engage in a lot of complicated procedures.

There are two completely opposite examples around me. One is a friend who competes in women's bodybuilding competitions. After every practice, he has to see a rehabilitation practitioner for 40 minutes of deep relaxation. Otherwise, the muscles will be so stiff the next day that it will be difficult to lift his arms and put on clothes.； The other is a planner who works from 9 to 5. He follows the video and practices vest line for 15 minutes at home every day after get off work. After the exercise, he stretches his waist and slumps on the sofa with the cat in his arms for 10 minutes. He has never had any muscle soreness. Whose method do you think is wrong? In fact, they are all correct, it is nothing more than adapting to your own needs.

The "taboos" that many people ask about are actually not that absolute. For example, it is said that the fascial gun cannot hit the stomach. When I have soreness and swelling in my oblique muscles after practicing, I often use the lowest setting to gently sweep against the skin without going deep and avoiding the ribs. The results are much faster than static stretching. ； There is also the argument that "static stretching will cause muscle loss" that has been debated for several years. There is currently no clear conclusion in academic circles. If you don't plan to build much muscle mass in the first place, but just want to shape and stretch, there is no need to worry about this at all. Comfort is the first priority.

Let me talk about a few tips that I have used for many years, all of which cost nothing: in the summer, if you are sweating all over after practicing, if you feel the foam roller is cold, you can put it on the balcony to bask in the sun for two minutes. When you warmly roll your back, it will feel like someone is rubbing you with warm palms. It will be so comfortable that you want to sigh.； If you don’t bring tools with you on a business trip, you can find a corner of the wall after you have sore shoulders and back, put a tennis ball between the trapezius muscle and the wall, and rub it up and down for two minutes. It saves a lot of effort than rubbing it with your hands. ； Every time I finish exercising my legs, I am afraid that they will hurt when I go downstairs the next day. Before going to bed, I put my legs against the wall at a 90-degree angle for 10 minutes to promote blood return. I tried this last time after practicing 10 sets of lunges, and I was able to wear high heels to work the next day. I didn’t even bother to wear flat shoes before.

In fact, in the final analysis, fitness is to make oneself more comfortable. If it is more painful when relaxing than when training, isn't it putting the cart before the horse? After you practice, you can stretch if you want, or roll with a foam roller if you want. If you are really tired, no one will say anything wrong about you and just lie on the sofa watching a TV show for half an hour. As long as you feel that your body is relaxed and there is no tight feeling, that is the best method for you.