Women's Health - USA (2019-06)

WOMEN’S HEALTH JUNE 2019

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Do You Need a Rest Day?

Sure, you know when you want a day off from the gym, but do you know when your body’s actually begging for one? Probably not. To the

rescue: Paul Winsper, vice president of human performance at Under Armour. If you check off any of these, enjoy that sweet recovery.

It ’s time to dig out the infomercial ab roller that ’s been hiding in your closet.

The ’90s wheels are making a gym comeback for good reason: “When used

correctly, the roller engages the deep transverse and oblique abs, much like a

moving plank,” says exercise physiologist and WH advisor Stacy Sims, PhD.

“But people often use bad form, risking their back.” Not you, not anymore.

Start with knees on floor, holding roller under chest. Keep back

flat as you let wheel roll forward—don’t push it out with arms—

and engage abs to prevent chest from dropping to floor. Once

you’ve rolled as far forward as you can without letting back or

hips dip, hold up to three seconds, then flex abs to pull yourself

up to star t. Work your way up to three or four sets of 8 to 10

reps, says Sims. (No wheel in sight? Try a barbell with a plate

on each side or a stability ball instead.)

Old School and Totally Cool

YOU DID A NEW,

INTENSE WORKOUT

YESTERDAY.Once your

body gets used to a tech-

nique, it can repeat it sever-

al days in a row with few to

no issues. But if you shock

your muscles with a new

way of training, it’ll cause

enough physical stress that

you need to let them recoup.

YOU’RE SUPERTIGHT—

BUT ONLY ON ONE SIDE.

It’s called asymmetrical

tightness, and it could signal

an alignment problem. Over-

training tends to make these

issues more noticeable,

because our form breaks

down when our bodies are

exhausted. Take this a s a

signal to scale back.

YOU R HEART R ATE I S A

BIT HIGHER THAN USUAL

TODAY.Record your heart

rate each morning. (No need

for a fancy tracker; your fin-

gers on your pulse are just

fine.) If, one day, your rate is

about 10 beats per minute

faster, take a break. “It’s a

sign your body is in repair

mode,” says Winsper.

YOU’VE HIT THE GYM

THRE E OR FOU R DAYS IN A

ROW.This one’s pretty self-

explanatory, but it’s rough

on your body and mind

to train every single day

(hello, inflammation).

If you feel antsy, go

for a walk or take

a low-key

yoga class.

THE

RIGHT

WAY TO

ROLL

WARM UP FITNESS P 18