Our August focus is Yoga, and what purpose stretching should have in our workout. Currently, our True40 fusion class has a dynamic warmup at the beginning of class, static stretches in between sections, and a cool down yoga-inspired flow at the end.

1. Our first change we are making to the program is to eliminate stretching in between sections. Here’s why:
   1. Stopping to static stretch in between sections interrupts the flow of class, and can bring the heart rate down. For the first half in class we especially want to keep the heart rate elevated to see improvements of cardiovascular health.
   2. Static stretching can create tension in your muscles and limit their performance as you continue to workout out. It is meant for recovery and should be performed at the end of an entire workout.
   3. Static stretching can start the cool down process too early. Warmer muscles perform better and can work at greater ranges of motion.
   4. This will allow more time for an intentional and longer yoga stretch at the end of class where recovery is actually needed. 
2. How to start implementing into your classes:
   1. You do not have to do this all at once with your classes, you can start to eliminate stretching section by section.
   2. You may want to announce at the start of your class that we are going to keep the class moving in between sections, but they are more than welcome to take their time and get back into the class when their body is ready.
   3. Or you can simply talk through as you are teaching. I recommend this way since it doesn’t draw attention to the change and clients may not even notice.
      1.  For example, in my last class after Legs ended I said “Alright guys, shake it out and grab a sip of water. We are going to move on, take your time if you need it, but if you are ready, grab your TRX straps and let’s get into combo.” 
   4. For your first program I recommend starting Combo with TRX or weights at a slower tempo to give your clients a chance to catch up. 

I started implementing this small change into my classes this week and clients didn’t seem to mind. I even finished yesterday’s class with a 9 minute yoga flow and finished on time – it was amazing! 

We are excited to see the impact this will have on your programming and I think it will give you more freedom to teach a complete class without having to account stretch time.