When Do I Practice SMR?

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Many of us "out there" do not know when we need to practice a little SMR, or instead a little stretching, or when we should go harder with our workouts, or when we should take a recovery day, etc.

We will not answer all of your training related questions in this post, but we will begin the decision-making process for when to stretch or practice SMR prior to your workout by providing a nifty little flowchart you can refer to when you are beginning your warm up.

Workout-Self-Care-FlowchartIf you can stretch properly and lengthen all of your muscles without any massage work, then your body is working as it should. Simply continue doing whatever it is you are already doing! It's like the saying, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it!" You should stretch and exercise regularly. If you are fully capable with only these two elements in your schedule then you do not need to seek additional methods and assistance.

583_cropped_730x4122-625x360We must stress the need to conduct an assessment of whether or not you truly have the Range Of Motion (ROM) to do all the things you wish to do in your life. To do this assessment you will not need any special knowledge, equipment, or training (no, you do not need a wired hat like in the picture above).

Try to lift or move the normal things in your home or work life. Are these movements easy? Now try to move just a little farther than the ROM you need for those activities. You should be able to move much farther without a load than you can with the load, and well beyond the range you require for any movement (such as touching your toes or reaching straight overhead).

QuitterInstead of challenging themselves to maintain or increase their ROM, many people simply make excuses to no longer do certain activities because they hurt or they have a mistaken belief that the movement in-and-of-itself is dangerous (like squatting below parallel or running is bad for you).

We believe quitting is bad! We want to help you find ways to learn or revisit activities without injuring yourself. Scaling the ROM, loads, and repetitions in any program is almost always a must at times, especially in the beginning, but quitting should never be your answer. If you do not know how to modify your movements to make them safe, hire a personal trainer to guide you.

Workout-Self-Care-FlowchartSo how do you know when to stretch, exercise, practice SMR, or seek the help of a qualified professional? The flowchart above makes it simple. The text below walks you through it...

  1. Start moving.
  2. Feel stiff and restricted?
  3. Stretch and do some light exercises.
  4. Still feel stiff and restricted?
  5. Practice some SMR and more stretching/light exercise for the tight areas.
  6. Still feel stiff and restricted?
  7. Are you hydrated? (especially hydrated with balanced electrolytes)
  8. If you are capable of safely performing the movements in the workout, proceed. If not, contact your local hands-on therapist to get the help you need. Here is a link to help you find some local therapists.

Does this list cover everything you need to know about self care? No. Does every problem have a complicated answer. No. Some of the simple things that will solve your problem you are not in the habit of doing. The most common cause to movement limitations in the gym that we've found in over twenty years of instruction is the lack of effort a person makes into changing the bad habits they have. Start with hydration. Add some stretching. Move in ways you might not be doing while you are at work. Limber up those joints and extend your reach just a bit outside your comfort zone. When stretching is not improving your ROM, add in massage work (both on your own and with a professional). If that isn't solving your movement limitations, then take it a step farther but with professional guidance. Take a concerted interest in your own health and well-being. It is not the physician's job to be your nanny and clean up after all of your mistakes. You need to clean up some of them yourself.

You just might be surprised by how much you can improve your quality of life by diligently practicing your SMR homework, some complimentary stretches, and keeping yourself hydrated. Take it one day at a time. Now go take care of yourself!

SMR & Training Terms

We use the following terms in our workout notes. Some of these notes are unique to us, and not endorsed by other organizations (e.g., PSU = push up). This is to avoid confusion when reading the workouts, so that no acronym is used more than once (CrossFit uses PU for pull up or push up). If we find one acronym or note is less clear than a different one, we will alter the list below. We will add links for each item to provide more detail as time and resources allow. Happy training!

SMR Programming

Quads Roll - Quadriceps Roll, the first Primary SMR Technique
Adds Roll - Adductors Roll, the second Primary SMR Technique
Lats Roll - Lats Roll, the third Primary SMR Technique

Workout Programming

AMRAP - as many rounds/reps as possible
m - meter
min - minute
WOD - workout of the day
SWOD - strength/skill/speed workout of the day
KB - kettle bell
kg - kilogram
# - pounds
BW - body weight (do the prescribed exercise with a load equal to your body weight)

Stretches, Warm Up & Recovery Terms

SMR - self myofascial release (rolling out with balls & rollers)
BWU - Burgener warm up (set of 6 specific Oly lifting prep movements)
PT - Pass Thrus
ATW - Around the Worlds
GATW - Giant Around the Worlds
GM - Good Mornings
IW - Inchworms
SIW - Stationary Inchworms
LL - Lateral Lunges
SL - Super Lunges
SCP - Scorpions - quads, hip, core & shoulder stretch
CO - Crossovers - hamstrings, hip & lower back stretch
CT - Core Twist
SSK - Sumo Squat Knees (stretch in which you push out against your thighs with your elbows)
SST - sumo squat Toes (stretch in which you hold your toes as you straighten your legs)

Body Movement

Burpee - Burpee - fom a standing postion lower torso to ground to make contact with ribcage, rise, jump & clap while feet are off the ground
PU - Pull Up
MU - Muscle Up
BMU - Bar Muscle Up
PSU - Push Up
AS - Air Squat
SU - Sit Up
HS - Hand Stand
HSKU - Hand Stand Kick Up
HSPU - Hand Stand Push Up
HSWU - Hand Stand Walk Up
DU - Double Unders - jumprope, 2 turns per hop
JR - Jump Rope
BJ - Box Jumps

Olympic Lifts

Clean - Full Squat Clean
C&J - Clean & Jerk
PC - Power Clean
HC - Hang Clean
HPC - Hang Power Clean
PP - Push Press
PJ - Push Jerk
SJ - Split Jerk
Sn - Snatch
PSn - Power Snatch
HSn - Hang Snatch
HPSn - Hang Power Snatch
SSn - Split Snatch
SnBal - Snatch Balance

Weightlifting OTHER than Oly Lifts

TGU - Turkish Get Up
DL - Deadlift
OHS - Overhead Squat
FS - Front Squat
BS - Back Squat
P/SP/SP - Press/Strict Press/Shoulder Press
BP - Bench Press
WB - Wall Ball
MBC - Medicine Ball Clean, usually with a Dynamax medicine ball

Have a suggestion? Drop us a line at info@smrtips.com.

SMR for the CrossFit Named WODs

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 blood flow right after your WOD, and the localized pressure possible with the ball is likely to be too much to ensure adequate blood flow 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!

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR

Click here to download the list of SMR for the Heroes

Pre-WOD SMR should be done prior to your dynamic 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 blood flow right after your WOD, and the localized pressure possible with the ball is likely to be too much to ensure adequate blood flow 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 20 pages in the printable Adobe PDF linked above.)

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2

CrossFit Named WODs -- SMR2