TRAIN
BRAIN GAIN
Race week can leave you feeling sluggish and stressed. Keep your muscles activated and firing— and ready for the big day—with these light neuromuscular activation exercises. BY JENNIE HANSEN | ILLUSTRATIONS BY PETER SUCHESKI
Similar to how athletes typically include short swims, bikes, and runs during taper week to maintain a sports-specific “feel,” neuromuscular exercises can help sharpen the connection between the brain and muscles. Proper neuromuscular activation and timing ensures that muscles are turned on and off as needed to produce stability and coordinated, powerful movements. Traveling, standing in check-in lines, and extra time off of the feet during
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Single-Leg Banded Hip Drive
race week can all lead to sluggish neuromuscular connections—which is where these exercises come in. Neuromuscular activation exercises are designed to recruit muscles in sport-specific patterns and increase proprioception, coordination, and technique. They are meant to be performed at relatively low loads in order to optimize your ability to go on race day, without producing soreness. So, save that max effort squat, but pack a few bands in your tri travel bag and give some activations a try!
Why: The tension of race week can manifest physically with a forward head, and hiked, forward shoulders. This results in tight muscles in the neck and chest, and inhibition in the shoulder blade stabilizers, which compromises shoulder function and power generation. How: Stand with your back against the wall. Bring your arms back, touching the wall with the backs of the elbows and wrists. While maintaining contact with the wall, slide the arms up into a “Y” position. Do not allow the back to arch excessively from the wall, or the shoulders to hike excessively. At the top of the motion, bring the shoulder blades down and together. Hold 3-5 seconds, then slowly lower arms back down the wall. Do 20 repetitions.
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Wall Angels
Why: The hip extensors are important for power generation and stability while cycling and running, and increased sitting during race week can impair their neuromuscular efficiency. This exercise helps to counteract that in a running-specific movement pattern. How: Begin standing with a band anchored behind you, positioned high around the front of the hip of the stance leg. Bring the opposite knee forward, then bend the hip and knee of the stance leg slightly, allowing the band to pull the hip backwards as you extend the opposite leg behind you. Return to the starting position, pushing the stance hip forward by contracting the gluteal muscles, and driving the opposite knee forward. Perform 2 sets of 20 repetitions per side.
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T RI ATHLE T E // JU LY/AU GU ST 2022
