There’s something in the Crossfit community called ROMWOD. It stands for ‘range of motion workout of the day.’ It’s like yoga but the routines are geared towards those who do Crossfit. I think of it as Crossfit yoga.
I started ROMWOD sometime last year at a Crossfit box in South Carolina. They had an entire day dedicated to stretching. I admire them for that. Flexibility is essential and crossfitters have a reputation for not stretching enough. It wasn’t exactly a packed house on ROMWOD Day but I didn’t mind it. I didn’t love it but more so, I knew I needed it. Since I have restricted mobility, I think I need to stretch more than the average person. ROMWOD Day in South Carolina was a great start.
Where ROMWOD differs from yoga is it is was created by athletes to maintain strength and open up joints. The program also aims to strengthen what they refer to as the warrior mentality, which I think is self-explanatory after positioning oneself into some of the poses. There are only a few poses to each routine and they last for 1-4min. What makes ROMWOD so effective is the length of time for the poses. The program allows for the person to really sink into the stretch. Time is what I need. Most importantly, these routines are for everyone. They require no expertise. Let’s be honest, if I can do it, anyone can. I don’t do the poses perfectly, some not at all because I’m still limited but the point is not perfection, the point is effort. The point is to try. Sometimes equipment is used to assist and it does get easier with practice.
The benefits of being swole and flexy are physically performing at your best, improved range of motion, healing, and recovery rates. When I left that box in South Carolina I knew I had to do that program more than once a week. I downloaded the app that provides daily stretching videos ranging from 11-44min, depending on the day and there’s always an option to do the short version. It costs $13.95 a month and I am convinced it will give me a longer life and improve the quality of those days. $14 for loose hips, better recovery and less soreness, all at my convenience through an app that provides downloads so I can stretch anywhere? That’s a good deal. Try it. If you hate it, blame the writer of Mindless Peace, I don’t mind. I love/hate ROMWOD myself.
The third post of the year is dedicated to health. May we all be bendy. In 2020 let’s take care of our bodies which are the homes we live in. Conversely, if you’ve been dedicated to stretching. I’d like to hear about it in the comments. Why did you start? What benefits have you enjoyed? How often do you practice being swole and flexy?
Mindless Peace 