Here Are the Stretches Tia-Clair Toomey Does Every Day Before Training
The reigning six-time Fittest Woman on Earth® Tia-Clair Toomey will venture for a seventh consecutive CrossFit Games title in 2023. Before that, she will endeavor into Team competition alongside Brooke Wells and Ellie Turner at the 2022 Down Under Championships on Nov. 18-20, 2022, at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, Australia.
While Toomey did not officially decline her invitation to the 2022 Rogue Invitational, scheduled for Oct. 28-30, in Austin, TX, she is not on the 20-athlete roster. It appears she will vacate the Rogue Invitational title to allow more recovery time for a lingering back injury she has dealt with since before the 2022 Games.
However, Toomey is still training for her team up with Wells and Turner. On Oct. 4, 2022, she took to her YouTube channel to share how she stretches every day before moving barbells and hitting muscle-ups. Check it out below:
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Toomey opens her stretching sessions in a lunge position with her back knee resting on an exercise mat. She shifts her front knee forward until it tracks over and past the toes to fully lengthen the calf while the knee is at peak flexion. The torso can fall onto the quad for additional pressure if needed. Toomey suggested holding this stretch between 30 seconds and two minutes.
Really focus on keeping that heel down on the ground.
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Toomey advocates for stretching both sides sufficiently, even if one side is more flexible than the other. Catering to one side is fine, but neglecting the tighter side to any degree may lead to injuries due to imbalances when training or competing.
The second stretch in Toomey’s stretching warm-ups begins in the lunge position, but this time the front knee is directly over the ankle and the back knee positioned further back. From that starting position, she allows her hip to sink to the ground to feel a deep stretch in her hip flexor. Toomey’s left side feels tighter than her right, so she spends a bit more time breathing into the stretch in the left hip.
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Moving on to the upper body, Toomey lays prone on her mat with one arm extended. She rolls as though her back would fall onto the extended arm if possible, to stretch out the front delt and upper chest.
Following that, Toomey utilizes the child’s pose to stretch the lats — sitting on your knees with your buttocks on your ankles, lean forward with your arm outstretched to feel the pull in your lats. Pushing your chest to the floor can apply additional pull to the lats for a deeper stretch.
Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.
Featured Image: @tiaclair1 on Instagram