During my two and a half years of coaching, I have learned a lot in the aerial and fitness world. I give many thanks to the ease and use of social media outlets to connect with others in the business. In using social media, I have been able to partake in virtual workshops from people (aerialists and fitness gurus) all around the United States and even from the UK! In these workshops, I learned about mobility and flexibility of the body and how important it is. More specifically, I learned about C.A.Rs and they are something I love to incorporate into my warm-ups along with some dynamic stretches before physical activity or work out.
What are C.A.Rs? C.A.Rs stands for Controlled Articular Rotations which help your body function at its peak so you can perform comfortably and efficiently by taking a joint through its full range of motion (R.O.M.) to build in control, strength, and mobility. Mobility helps to prime the body ahead of a workout or activity by lubricating the joints to reduce friction, meaning your body is better prepped and prepared to handle the movements required of it. With that, mobility refers to the amount of USABLE motion that one possesses across a particular joint. Joint health affects our overall health, so maintaining joint mobility helps keep you active and decreases the risk of injury or pain as you age! After completing C.A.Rs, you will see an immediate improvement in mobility and capability to move through an improved joint ROM.
C.A.Rs are distinct from other mobility exercises and systems because of the isolative nature and the controlled, even, and slow speed of each movement. The purpose is to activate the muscles around the joint within a desired effort to be able to increase the active ROM and strength while increasing the control within greater limits of movement. C.A.Rs can be performed on almost any joint in the body and the following link from Joint Flow shows you how to perform C.A.Rs from your shoulders to your ankles.
A couple of Instagram pages with great mobility exercises that you can also check out:
Britta Paulin | Cross training for Pole, Circus and Dance (@its.britta) • Instagram photos and videos
For references and additional reading: Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) - What are they and why should you do them? (physioinqpenrith.com.au)
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