serinde | (no subject)

Ucky hot, and it's definitely a lot more humid than 55%, sorry Weather Underground. However, I was working with David, who is on the same page as me with respect to taking it somewhat easy during the nasty weather, so I am neither dehydrated nor brain-cooked. Yay. Did pretty well, generally, although I had a mildly frustrating bit of doing a throw that I know I've done before but it just wasn't clicking. Finally achieved competency towards the end, so that was okay. My leg's still hurting on a few flavors of ukemi, which is not so okay. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to be stuck with this for all time. (Though someone said in the locker room that in her experience, injuries like that do take many months to clear up completely. "Live and find out", clearly.)

An oddity: sitting in seiza is very comfortable before class starts (at which point I've usually done some warm-up stretches), and comfortable from about 1/3 of the way through class and onward; but it's rather painful when we pause after the first technique we've been working on. I'm not concerned or anything, just sort of mildly WTF?.

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Wow, I can answer that for you! :) We just learned that in neurology.

Basically, there are two reflexes that govern muscle tightening/loosening: "muscle spindle reflex" and "Golgi Tendon Organ reflex". The former (also called "stretch reaction reflex") kicks in right away when you start exercising, and keeps the muscles contracted (taut) so your joints stay firm and it's harder for you to twist or sprain (overstretch) them.

A little later, when your muscles have been working for a while, the GTO reflex kicks in, -loosening- your muscles to help prevent spasm and improve blood circulation. So I'll bet that period of discomfort is just the space between the two.

We're being taught in Sports Massage class that stretching -before- an event can actually make injury -likelier-, because your muscle spindles are "calibrated" to the muscles' usual length and pre-event stretching lengthens them. It throws your anti-sprain reflexes off, basically. We learn warm-up Range-of-motion exercises to get the joint fluids flowing, instead of pre-event stretches.

I don't know if any of this will help you, but hey, it's an answer. :)

I are educated! Thanks. :)

Can you give me some examples of "range-of-motion" exercises that I should maybe do instead?

Well, it's basically just mobilizing all of your joints (well, we don't do the jaw in class, we figure that's plenty mobilized already *grin*) with a bunch of simple movements.

We start with the head. Here's exactly what we do in Sports Massage class for a warmup. 4 times each, going as far in each direction as you can comfortably move (in other words, don't twang or bounce your muscles, this is just motion, not a stretching exercise):

- head nods, front to back (using your whole neck, not just your head)
- head tilts, side to side
- head twists, left/right
- shoulder shrugs and depressions
- shoulders forward and back
- shoulder circles
- reverse direction (shoulder circles)
- arm flaps, like jumping jacks
- arm flaps, like a bird (back to front)
- wide arm circles
- reverse direction (arm circles)
- elbow curls
- forearm twists (clockwise/counterclockwise, with elbow bent 90 deg.)
- flap wrists up and down
- flap wrists side to side
- hand circles (and reverse direction)
- clench fists/spread palms
- spread fingers and bring 'em together
- bend trunk forward and back (keeping hips upright)
- bend trunk side to side (keeping hips upright)
- twist trunk (keeping hips forward)
- bend trunk forward/back (this time at the hips)
- swing leg forward and back
- swing leg out to the side, then across other leg (we alternate in front and behind) (this one takes balance)
- plant toe on floor, rotate leg clockwise/counterclockwise (like you're grinding out a cigarette)
- single knee flex, like you're kicking your own ass
- ankle flexes (flap foot up and down)
- invert/evert foot (er, flap foot side to side, not rotation, more like rocking the sole of your foot left and right)
- foot circles and reverse direction
- clench and extend toes

Whew, there ya go. It takes longer to type than it does to do, trust me. And it's a terrific mental warm-up too. Spreads your consciousness to every part of your body.

Hmm, i only stretch muscles i've hurt when i haven't stretched them. Seems to work. Range-of-motion does seem to help a lot more, though, especially since my aerobic shape is crap.