The Importance of Warming Up
It’s 8:30 am on a Saturday morning. You just woke up and are still feeling the effects from a long week at work. Half asleep, you begin the stampede to get to the gym for a 9 am session. You throw some clothes on, grab a snack to eat on the go, and depart gym bound. You arrive with about five minutes to spare, just enough time to say hello to everyone and put your things away. You are in a positive frame of mind and looking forward to the workout ahead. What now? Five to ten minutes of cardio to get the blood pumping? Or maybe nothing, and go straight to the bench and load up the barbell?
The value and importance of a proper warm-up before a workout cannot be underestimated. Not doing so places your muscles in a highly stressed environment with no preparedness or defense. More often than not, this combination will end up in disaster, which can manifest itself in numerous forms – the most destructive being serious injury. Yes, we would all love to have the luxury of arriving to the gym early enough for meticulous preparation but, for the vast majority, this is not feasible. Time is very valuable and something which at the best of times, there is not enough of. When you find yourself battling against the clock, there are certain steps you can take to prevent a slow start to your workout. More importantly, these steps will aid in the prevention of injury.
The warm-up routines that I advise are not complex at all. They are quick and simple but very effective. I have listed some exercises below that work as great warm-up movements before a workout. They are all based off the principles of dynamic stretching. This type of stretching requires gentle movement to the range of motion limits. It increases body and core temperature; decreases the chance of injury, elongates the muscles readying them for the upcoming musculo-skeletal demands and also stimulates the central nervous system. Conversely, I do not advocate the practice of static stretching before a workout. Static stretching improves static flexibility. There is time and a place for static stretching. However, a workout is a dynamic endeavor and therefore, needs to be prepared for in a dynamic fashion. So, before your next workout add some if not all of the exercises below to your dynamic warm-up. Enjoy!
Push-Up to Inch Worm
Reverse Lunge with Upper Body Twist
Sumo Squat
Standing Figure 4 Stretch
15 ft Lateral Shuffle to Lateral Lunge
