Are you tired of getting DOMS after a good ol’ gym sesh? PT, mobility coach and Fiit trainer, Lawrence Price, has this answer - and all you need is a big stick. In a recent Instagram post, Price shares his top tip for achieving the best stretch after a challenging full-body workout. It involves grabbing a long stick and placing it between different limbs in the body.
The result? Relieving that inevitable post-exercise delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS for short.
“My new favourite stretch - the snake reach - hits so many commonly tight areas,” Price explains in the post. “Grab a stick and enjoy the release this stick mobility classic move provides.”
Price demonstrates the super stretch in the Reel, showing how it hits a bunch of commonly tight areas such as hip flexors, rib cage tissues, lats and the quadratus lumborums or “QLs” (the deepest back muscle).
Check out the post above for how to perform the stretch. Each stretch will require holding the stick for 10-20 seconds, Price says.
The Mobility Stick (retailer link) is a flexible tool used to provide leverage to access expanded ranges of motion and create tension that builds neuromuscular function and full-body strength. The sticks are designed for professional use in gyms, medical facilities, and sports fields. But if you don’t want to buy a stick, you can just use a broom or mop handle.
[Hardcore lifters can also use a barbell! Please be careful with those, though, as a standard Olympic barbell weighs 20 kg/44 Lb.]
In another mobility-related post (links to IG), Lawrence says that using a stick for stretching is great for all types of humans but can be particularly beneficial to those who are looking to improve their yoga practice and for functional fitness athletes looking for a highly practical methodology for performance preparation & recovery.