Blood is the life force of your body and, it's what transports all of the necessary nutrients, oxygen, and energy to your muscles. It's also what removes any of the toxins that may build up in your muscles from intense training programs. These are some of the reasons why promoting a healthy blood flow is important for your strength and flexibility, but what affects your blood flow, and what can you do to keep it flowing smoothly?
Firstly you should know why blood is important to your muscles though. Your muscles can basically only do two things, expand and contract, but to do this they need energy so that they can produce ATP which is just a molecule that powers your muscles. The energy needed for this process is supplied by your blood. Muscles also build up toxins when they are put under intense stress, and it's your bloods job to clear them to allow free movement.
What affects your Blood Flow?
Incorrect breathing, lack of movement, and adhesions are the three big things that impede your blood flow.
Oxygen is the bodies biggest energy source and it's transported around you body with blood, so if you stop breathing while your body is under stress, like lifting heavy weights, your actually making it a lot harder and starving your muscles of oxygen.
Second is a lack of movement. Have you ever heard the saying 'if you don't use it you lose it'? Well this applies to your muscles. If you aren't active your body doesn't need to use so much oxygen or energy so it slows down your blood flow. This mostly affects people who have sedentary jobs because you spend most of the day at a desk. This is why you should always get up and go for a walk and stretch at least every two hours.
The last thing you need to watch out for are adhesions. Adhesions form in your muscles as a natural healing process to help speed up recovery. It works by using a chemical your body produces called Fibrin that acts as glue to seal up and repair damage muscles. It causes problems though when it 'glues' two muscles together preventing free movement. This is why you may feel stiff after tough workouts.
How to Improve your Blood Flow
Taking good care of your muscles is important because you're stuck with them for a very long time and they are put under a lot of stress. What you are actually doing to them is aggressively damaging them and rebuilding them to better cope with the stress. Here are some ways to help you keep your muscles working properly:
Stretching before and after training is by far the best way you can help to promote healthy blood flow because it helps release any built up toxins in your muscles.
Cardio exercise help improve your bodies efficiency and the way it uses oxygen for energy.
Deep tissue massages help in freeing up any adhesions in your muscles and are a great way to get rid of post workout soreness.
Foam rollers are another great tool for getting rid of adhesions, especially in you upper and lower back.
Conclusion
So the biggest things you have to be aware of and be careful of is improper breathing, a lack of movement, and adhesions, but these can be avoided if you just remember to stretch before and after all of your workouts. Also if you have a sedentary job like an office job remember to regularly get up and stretch so your muscles stay active.
Personal Trainer Seattle
Cody has 12 years experience as a personal trainer. He started his career at the University of Washington as an instructor. He was in charge of running a beginning weightlifting class and was the creator of many new classes because of the demand for his knowledge and leadership skills. From there he trained at a corporate gym while gaining knowledge in the studies of human movement. He now has his own business with numerous pleased and fulfilled clients.
Personal Trainer Seattle
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