True Spirit CrossFit
  • Home
  • Get Started
    • 100 Days Journey
    • Workout of the Day
  • About Us
    • Blog
    • Our Clients' Stories
    • Newsletters
  • Our Programs
    • Remote Fitness Coaching
    • CrossFit >
      • Workout Of the Day
    • Report Ready
    • OCR Training
    • Endurance Training >
      • GORUCK Club
      • Running
      • Cycling
    • Personal Coaching
    • Yoga
  • Contact Us
  • Our Schedule
  • Buy a Gift Card
  • Untitled

7/20 Tips for Performance Tuesday

7/19/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hope rounding the corner during one of our running WODs. The IT bands are crucial in helping us run.
Hey everyone, happy Tuesday! During my stint writing this blog I will be focusing on various tips for better performance in the gym. Of course, the point of Crossfit is the transfer into our everyday lives so I will discuss how to see these improvements in our everyday lives as well!
Today we will be talking about our IT bands, in my opinion these are the most neglected part of our bodies but contribute the most to helping our performance and preventing injury. If you come to my 9am and noon classes you are probably starting to get familiar with the painful exercise of rolling out our IT bands at the beginning of our class. But, don’t fear! This pain is short lived and this stretch will no longer hurt after just a week or two!
So you may be wondering what is an IT band and where is it? To begin, your IT band is a large piece of fascia that runs on the outside of your thigh from just above your hip to just below your knee. Fascia is an elastic tissue found in the body that works like your tendons. Fascia primarily surrounds your muscles and connects them to your bones, the IT bands are actually the largest piece of fascia in your body.
Cool, so what do they do? Imagine that your IT band is a giant rubber band that goes down the side of your leg. When you are running the band stretches are your leg goes back and the elastic energy propels your leg forward, aiding in the movement and saving you energy. Basically, the elastic energy in your IT band aids you in any movement that involves flexion and extension of your legs. A team of scientists at Harvard discovered that the human IT band can store 15-20 times more elastic energy than that of chimps and its energy storage potential is greater in running than walking. So, the harder you are using it the more it will help you.
The IT band is tricky in that you don’t notice it too much when it’s loose and everything is working properly but it becomes a significant bother when things aren’t going right. When your IT bands are too tight you develop what’s called IT band syndrome. As your IT band tightens it becomes inflamed and can rub against your femur or the outside of your knee. As you can probably imagine as the “rubber band” tightens it pulls things like you knees, hips, and lower back out of alignment and can cause significant pain there too. There are many different things that can cause IT band syndrome but the good news is that the way to fix it isn’t too difficult! The recipe for success here is rest and stretching.
As with anything the best treatment is prevention which is today’s tip for performance. Regularly stretch or foam roll your IT bands. If doing this hurts it is a good sign that your IT bands are too tight and need a little more attention. I know that a lot of you love to get outside and run or hike which is one of the best things about this beautiful place we live. To continue doing this pain free and get the most enjoyment out of it as possible pay a little more attention to those IT bands and keep getting out there and having fun! See you all in class this week and come in ready to do some foam rolling!
Below are a couple of the links I used to help write this post and others that could be useful to you in learning more and finding some good stretches.
​
https://www.athletico.com/2012/06/05/it-band-syndrome-the-top-5-causes-and-solutions/
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/08/understanding-the-it-band/
https://www.prevention.com/fitness/workouts/g26098571/it-band-stretches/
https://blog.nasm.org/fitness/5-go-corrective-exercises-iliotibial-band-syndrome
Click Here for the WOD!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Special Events 


    Record your WOD on Beyond the Whiteboard. 
    Do you need CrossFit or yoga gear? Click on the links below to buy through our GORUCK, Reebok, Rogue or Affiliate share sale programs. These are affiliate links and our gym will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links.
    Picture
    Shop Now Rogue Fitness
    Check out our Flickr page!

    Categories

    All
    Covid 19
    Covid-19
    Foodie Friday
    Homegrown Paleo
    Mental Toughness
    Mobility Monday
    Motivation Monday
    Myth Busting Monday
    Start Up
    Start-up
    Technique Tuesday
    The Magic Of CrossFit
    Transformation Tuesday
    Whole Life Wednesday
    Whoop
    Wilderness Medicine Wednesday
    Wod


    Archives

    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014


    RSS Feed

True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga
Call or text us: (406) 404-6FIT
32D Shawnee Way, Bozeman, MT 59715
Email: leslie@truespiritcrossfit.com
Picture
Picture
Photo used under Creative Commons from OakleyOriginals
  • Home
  • Get Started
    • 100 Days Journey
    • Workout of the Day
  • About Us
    • Blog
    • Our Clients' Stories
    • Newsletters
  • Our Programs
    • Remote Fitness Coaching
    • CrossFit >
      • Workout Of the Day
    • Report Ready
    • OCR Training
    • Endurance Training >
      • GORUCK Club
      • Running
      • Cycling
    • Personal Coaching
    • Yoga
  • Contact Us
  • Our Schedule
  • Buy a Gift Card
  • Untitled