Part 3
Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) are best described as 3-D joint rotations with an emphasis on moving each joint through its full range of motion. They are the first line of defense against joint deterioration. If you don't use it, you lose it.
First World life doesn't require us to reach and control many ranges of motion. Our existence alone won't keep us flexible and mobile. We have to go out of our way to deliberately move and control our joints through their full range of motion. This is where CARs shine.
When layered atop some other strategies, CARs can also be used to improve mobility (more on this later). They are also a great diagnostic tool. For instance, doing a hip CAR will let you know if there's anything wrong with your hips. Suffice to say, CARs are Mobile Muscle's lighter fluid.
Here are a few things you should know before you do CARs.
CARs: Frequency
You brush and floss your teeth daily to keep them healthy. Likewise, you should do CARs daily to keep your joints healthy. Once you get the hang of how they're performed, doing CARs for every major joint will only take 5-10 minutes.
From a maintenance standpoint, you only have to do 2-5 reps per joint, in each direction. In general, however, CARs have no ceiling. The more you do, the better. They're a great way to warm-up. Do them before you lift or run. They're also great to do when you're sore or fatigued.
You should spend five to ten-minutes doing CARs every morning. You should also find convenient ways to do CARs throughout your day. At your desk, you can do neck CARs. During your commute, you can do elbow CARs. On the toilet, you can do shoulder CARs.
You’d be surprised at how often you can move throughout the day. Your joints will thank you.
CARs: Options
You can do CARs from many different starting positions. For instance, you can do hip CARs from a standing position, a lying position, or even a quadruped position. Variety is your friend.
CARs: Complications
You might experience discomfort and cramping during CARs. They might also make you sore if you do enough of them. Pain should be avoided. Keep an eye on “pinching” pain, ESPECIALLY closing angle “pinching” pain.
During any given mobilization, one side of you is lengthening and the other side of you is shortening. For example, during a biceps curl, your biceps shorten and your triceps lengthen. The closing angle of a joint is the side where structures are shortening and compressing into one another. During a biceps curl, the closing angle is the eye of the elbow, where the upper-arm compresses into the forearm.
In general, you should always be restricted by your lengthening side, which is the side being stretched. You shouldn't feel a pinching restriction in the closing angle. If you do, then reduce your range of motion. Only work through your pain-free range of motion.
CARs: Compensation.
In order to do CARs, you have to be hyper aware of compensations. Your body moves as a unit. Your body likes to accomplish tasks. It has no frame of reference for moving one joint and only one joint.
With Neutral Posture established, you'll be able to better identify compensations… somewhat. Compensations usually happen without our conscious awareness. They are difficult to feel. This is why you should also film yourself doing CARs every once in a while. When you watch yourself on video, you become a third party. You'll be able to see compensations you can't feel.
(When you video yourself, wear tight clothing. This will give you a more objective look at what your joints are doing.)
Another important part of minimizing compensations is learning how to irradiate. More on this soon.
CARs: Learning
I’m learn about CARs every time I do them. Every week, I realize I've been doing something wrong or compensating in a way I didn't know I was. CARs are “simple,” but they aren't easy.
The good news?
They aren't all or nothing.
You’ll probably find yourself losing your tension or compensating or… whatever. Just do the best you can and continually try to improve. CARs are low stakes. They aren't dangerous, even if you do them wrong.
CARs: Database
I've given CARs their own database, for easy reference. You can access this database at any time.