Benefits of SMR (Self Myofascial Release By Chris Gorden
Now that Fargo is a wrap, most of our wrestling programs will have a down period from competition through late August or September; this can be an opportune time to give your wrestlers’ bodies a solid recovery period. End of summer and generally during the regular season, is when our wrestlers are the most beat up and can strongly benefit from a heavy focus on muscular recovery and mobility training. Having wrestlers shift towards hypertrophy (muscle size) and power (force divided by time) while emphasizing “building the armor,” where the objective is to strengthen tendons and ligaments and take advantage of the longer recovery time available, is ideal for recovery. Through each workout, and full recovery day, applying Self Myofascial Release (SMR) techniques along with working to improve mobility of the shoulders, neck, hip and ankles with a targeted approach, will greatly benefit each athlete.
Typically, overuse injuries account for almost 50% of all sports injuries in middle school and high school athletes. Regions of the body that are most frequently injured while engaging in athletics are: lower extremities (40%) upper extremities (30%) and head and neck (16%). With wrestling, it is nearly impossible to predict when and where injuries will occur, and it’s common for multiple injuries to pile up during the off season for those who compete year round. SMR is a technique that involves applying sustained pressure to regions of connective tissue that restrict motion and muscle function.
This form of flexibility utilizes autogenic inhibition (action to muscle spindles within agonist muscles by prolonged Golgi tendon organ stimulation) to improve soft tissue extensibility (ability of a muscle to extend to a predetermined endpoint). There are a few different modalities which can be used for this type of recovery such as: foam roller, lacrosse ball, cold sphere, or percussive treatment (theragun, hyperice)–all of which can aid tremendously in recovery and mobility of the shoulders, knees, traps, quads, and hamstring muscle groups.
Many common injuries in wrestling are due to activity, overuse, or both. You can take a targeted approach to the affected areas by spending 5-10 min of treatment with SMR as a tool for recovery and flexibility. Below are a few examples of a targeted approach to Self Myofascial Release.
Positioning Target Muscles Method/Duration Upper Body while Supine Pectoralis, Shoulder, Forearm, Biceps Theragun assisted 5 passes or 30 seconds Upper Body while Prone Erector Spinae, Lower Back Foam Roller 30 second hold Upper Body Side Lying Lats, Tricep, Upper Oblique Foam Roller 30 seconds Lower Body while Supine Quads, Hip Flexors, Abductors Theragun assisted 5 passes or 30 seconds Lower Body Prone Adductors, Quads, Hip Flexors Foam Roller 30 second hold Lower Body Side Lying Tensor Fasciae Latae, Peroneals, Piriformis Theragun assisted 5 passes or 30 seconds Spine Seated Scalene, Erector Spinae, Edges of Cervical, Lumbar, and Thoracic Spine Theragun assisted 5 passes or 30 seconds
Self Myofascial Release can be applied for corrective (correction of common postural dysfunctions), active (stretching techniques designed to improve soft tissue extensibility) or functional flexibility. Functional flexibility involves stretching techniques designed to improve soft tissue extensibility through all 3 planes of motion, while optimizing neuromuscular control though a full range of motion using functional movements that use the body’s muscles to control the speed, direction and intensity of the stretch.
These three forms are part of the Integrated Flexibility Continuum and if used efficiently, allow wrestlers to drastically improve their recovery rate and overall flexibility. Repetition is king in our sport; my hope is the information helps our wrestlers gain maximum mat time with minimal interruption in their kinesthetic development. One of the greatest benefits of this form of recovery is that the time invested is minimal and it can be done consistently throughout the year along with the pre and off seasons.
Chris Gorden (775)342-9564 cgorden0117@gmail.com