What you could be doing to take your warm-up another level…

The information in the article may seem very basic to a lot of you, but I see it so many times where someone will literally walk into a group exercise class late, go straight to the machines, or pick up a set of dumbbells and start their workout immediately without warming up. What they fail to realize is that the warm-up is one of the most important components of the overall workout.

Essentials of a Proper Warm-up

A warm-up done right would be considered the rehearsal for the rest of the workout. By starting your workout with a proper warm-up you are:

• Increasing blood circulation to the muscles and preparing the joints for increased levels of physical activity
• Increasing delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, preventing shortness of breath early in the workout
• Preparing the heart for activity, helping to avoid a rapid increase in blood pressure

Studies show that approximately 8-10 minutes of ”DYNAMIC” stretching is enough time for a proper warm-up. Dynamic stretching is defined as an “active stretching movement staying within the range of motion (ROM). Anything beyond the ROM would be considered a ballistic stretch and is not recommended to be used as part of the warm-up.” These stretches should simulate moves that would be part of the overall workout. Compared to static stretches (movements that extend the muscle and are held for a minimum of 30 seconds) that do little to avoid injury or increase range of movement. If incorporated in the warm-up it could cause discomfort to the muscle being elongated.

I personally like to warm-up using a combination of soft tissue movements AND dynamic stretching (approximately 5 to 6 minutes of each).

Benefits of Soft Tissue Movements During the Warm-up

Soft tissue is made up of muscles, fascia, tendons, joints and ligaments. When we train this is the part of the body that experiences the greatest impact (trauma) and causes the body to get stronger when healing.

Those knots that you feel in the muscle after a training, those are called ‘trigger points”. Trigger points restrict the body from moving efficiently. A soft tissue warm-up helps to prevent trigger points from occurring by increasing blood flow to the muscles that are about to be “traumatized”.

This is also great for post-workout recovery.

Example of a ‘Soft Tissue and Dynamic’ Warm-up

The next time you are about to workout, try using this warm-up and see if you feel a difference in the quality of your workout.

Soft Tissue (5-6 minutes on a foam roller):

• Hamstrings (30 seconds each side)
• Quads (30 seconds each side)
• Calves (30 seconds each side)
• IT Band (30 seconds each side)
• Back (upper and lower) (Start at your shoulders and roll down to the base of your spine. Roll your entire spine from top to bottom for 30 seconds)
• Lats (30 seconds each side)

Dynamic Stretches (5-6 minutes total. Start with 2-3 minutes of light cardio then transition to 15-30 second increments of each movement. Isaly Tip: I like to start with the legs and work my way up the body. This way each warm-up is consistent and I know I am hitting all the muscle groups.):

• Jump rope or walk for 2-3 minutes
• Squats
• Alternating Side Lunges
• Alternating Reverse Lunges
• Alternating Forward Lunges to 5 Calve Raises (on the front leg)
• High knee with a rotation to the side (while the knee is raised) then drop foot back to the ground. Reverse the sequence of movements so you end up where you started. (This is a great stretch for the hip flexors). Make sure do to both sides.
• Trunk rotations
• Shoulder Rotations (forward and back)
• Neck Rotations (Start with ear to shoulder then dropping your chin to front while rotating your so your in the opposite position then when you started. Avoid rolling your head back to compress the vertebrate in your neck.)

I would love to know if this helped you with your workouts. Please come back and post a comment and give some feedback.

Stay tuned for my next Fitness Blog on The Advantages of Metabolic Training or HIIT…