If you lift, you already know how good it feels to get stronger, and how stiff the day after can be. Our Stretch & Recovery class at our Lewisham studio sits nicely alongside that work.
What lifting asks of your body
Lifting loads your muscles hard through a set range: the same squat, press or pull, set after set. That’s how you get stronger, and the rest of your range gets less practice.
Your spine has four main movements: bending forward, bending back, bending to the side and rotating. Most big lifts ask you to hold your spine steady, so those movements don’t get much practice in the gym.
What better mobility does for your lifts
Take a squat. If your hips are tight, they stop you generating maximum force, and other areas of your body come under a lot of stress, which risks injury. The better your hips move, the more of your strength you can put into the lift, and the less you’re asking of everything else.
Higher up, tight shoulders and chest limit your performance on overhead presses and pulls.
How we work on it in class
Where your lifts load you heavily, Stretch & Recovery keeps the resistance light. It’s a deep stretching class with the reformer as a tool, so the springs and carriage support you into each position while you hold it for longer, with nothing forced. Your teacher leads it with breath-led cues, and you can pick an easier or a deeper option for every position.
For lifters, that means time on the hips, shoulders and chest, and moving your spine through the range your lifts ask you to hold still.
How often should you come?
We’d start with two classes a week if you’re starting out and mobility is the goal, then build from there. Book one on a rest day, or when you’re easing back in after a heavy block of training. All levels are welcome from day one, and your teacher will show you how the machine works before anything moves. If you lift with us too, it pairs well with Strength : Reformer or Small Group Personal Training.
If it’s more than tightness
If you’re working through an injury, or pain that isn’t going away, have a word with your GP or physio first, and tell your teacher at the start of class. They’ll cue you towards the options that suit you.
Come and try it
Our intro offer is three classes for £33 over fourteen days, and it works on every class on the timetable. Bring grip socks (we sell them at the studio if you forget). The door opens fifteen minutes before class, so there’s time to settle in.