What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger….right???
Ever get that soreness on the front part of your legs? You probably woke up with it this morning if you did those 150 wallballs yesterday! Taking stairs you feel them, sitting down takes an extra second to ease into it, yup you know what I mean. This large muscle group is called the Quadriceps (or Quads) and is made up of four large muscles, the Rectus Femoris, Vastus Medialis, Vastus Intermedius and Vastus Lateralis. The quadriceps are regularly used in Crossfit making it crucial for us to keep these muscles strong and more importantly healthy. If we neglect these sore muscles, we are setting ourselves up for trouble. These tight quads will lead to discomfort in our knees and hips, so it is necessary to mobilize and stretch these regularly, not just when we are feeling the “good sore”. Now that we know what we need to do, the next question is “How can we do it?” Two simple, yet effective ways to keep our quads healthy:
1.) Smashing them out
This can be done by rolling them out with a foam roller, using a lacrosse ball (or really any type of hard ball), using an empty barbell, or having a buddy use their foot. The goal here is to just find the tight sore spots and focus in on that spot for about 15-20 seconds, then find the next spot. Work from the top of the knee all the way up to the hips. The more pain you can tolerate in those tight muscles, the better!
2.) Stretch
A great stretch for our quads is the couch stretch. With the help of a wall, get into a lunge, then take your back knee and get it as close the wall as possible. Keep your chest upright and your core braced. The goal should be to get your heel in contact with your butt. For most of us with tight hips and quads, this is a big challenge. Hold the pose for 1-2 minutes, then switch legs. Quick Tip: Focus on your breathing throughout the stretc
Article By: Q. Murr
