Post-workout, you'll normally find me dashing out of the studio doors, with barely a thought for my stretching routine.
As the door swings shut behind me, I can faintly hear the instructor plead with the class to stretch out on the gym floor, but with places to be, I rarely heed their advice.
That said, last week I was invited to Calcot & Spa's grand opening of their new wellness space, The Grain Store, and on top of an impressive spin studio, an airy group exercise room and a gym floor with top-of-the-range equipment, The Grain Store is home to the UK's first stretch pod.
If anything was ever going to inspire me to stretch after a workout, it's the stretch pod. Located in the corner of the gym floor, behind stylish partitions to keep it private yet spacious, lies a squishy bed which invites you to sit or lie on it, while a trained professional helps you stretch to improve manoeuvrability, flexibility and ultimately, give a deeper result from workouts.
"Assisted stretching routines can help you recover quicker and faster post-training, with less risk of injury," explains Kirstie Sherriff, the mastermind behind the stretch pod. "It reduces stiffness and pain and helps ensure that you get to your next session successfully."
Assisted stretch can help before your workout too, as Kirstie explains: "Assisted stretch pre-training ensures that your mind is focused on your session. Plus, it warms the muscles and lengthens the muscle fibres, meaning you feel better, stronger and more energised, so you can instantly train with more intensity. You can train harder and get more gains from your session with less risk of injury."
Guests at The Grain Store can book assisted stretch sessions in the same way they can book a personal training session, with Kirstie explaining the relevance of the pod being on the gym floor.
"The stretch pod is a great permanent reminder of the importance of stretch in our training, both for warm up and cool down. Everyone knows they should do it but actioning it is another thing. Letting a Stretch Therapist do it to you is a much easier and more impactful option."
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What happened when I tried assisted stretch?
I was lucky enough to try the stretch pod and I saw immediate benefits after just 10 minutes. Kirstie pushed me further than I would ever go alone, manipulating my arms and legs into various positions. Afterwards, my limbs were light as air, and the leg she had stretched was longer than the other (until she rectified it by stretching my other leg.)
When I stood up post-session, I was immediately standing straighter and taller, Kirstie explained why: "Stretching improves muscular balance and control and helps improve posture and body alignment. It can leave you standing straighter and taller."
When Kirstie stretched my triceps down my back, my posture immediately corrected too, helping me sit up straighter – much needed, given that I spend hours per day on my laptop.
On this note, Kirstie explained that assisted stretch is key as an antidote for our digital lives. "Sitting at a desk can protract your spine, worsen posture, cause an anterior roll on your shoulders and lead to aches and pains," she said. "This seated, hunched shoulder position shortens and tightens your pec muscles, impacts your neck and tightens your hip flexors which in turn causes lower lumbar and hamstring issues.
"Assisted stretch can target these areas and aim to lengthen those muscles, ironing and stretching you out in the other direction, encouraging you to hold your body in the correct position."
I hopped off the stretch pod bed feeling more limber than any yoga session has ever made me feel, and I've been recommending assisted stretch to everyone I know since – I can't wait for my next session.
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