This workout of the week has to do mainly with stretching and mobility. Both of these components are very important aspects of your workout endeavors. Mobility will increase your ability to perform more movements as well as prevent injuries. Various studies show that people who stretch often are less likely to experience an injury and recover from injuries at a faster rate.
Stretch #1: Wall Shoulder/Chest stretch
Begin by standing next to the wall with one side of your body parallel with the wall and the other side facing away from the wall. Make sure one ear, hip, and foot are all about six inches away from the wall. Take the arm that is closest to the wall and reach as far back as possible. Then rest your entire palm on wall. Your arm should also be shoulder height. Now begin to rotate your chest away from the wall and you should start to feel a stretch. Keep rotating until you achieve a strong stretch without any pain. You should never feel any pain during stretching. If it hurts, stop the movement or return to a lessor position that does not cause any pain at all. Hold for a minute then switch to the other side.
Stretch #2: Wall Quadriceps stretch
Begin this stretch by kneeling on the floor so that your back knee touches the wall, meaning your foot should be pointing towards the ceiling, your knee should be touching the ground, and your calf should be parallel with the wall. You may use a yoga mat or any pad to place under your knee for comfort. Begin to lean forward until both your hands are touching the floor and in line with your front foot. You can adjust intensity by moving your front foot forwards and backwards. Hold for a minute, and begin to raise your torso up so that your hands are now resting on your knee. Make sure your torso and head are in a straight upright position. Again, you can adjust intensity by simply moving your front foot forward and backwards. Hold for a minute and then switch to the other side and go through both movements.