As I have mentioned in earlier posts, the most important thing you do when working out is perform a proper warm up. Many people believe a proper warm up requires a few static stretches and some arm circles. Something I always emphasize to beginners is the importance of effectively warming the entire body. The best injury prevention move is to warm up. Sure injuries are always going to happen, but warming up makes one less susceptible to them. From personal experience, some days it takes me longer to warm up than others. Some days I feel like I can start exercising with no warm up and other days I feel like I can never get warm. Regardless, I like to follow a specific warm up routine.
- 5-10 minutes of Light Cardio (Treadmill, Eliptical, Bike, etc.)
- Dynamic Warm Up
- Exercise Specific Warm Up
5-10 minutes of light cardio is pretty self explanatory. Simply hop on a cardio machine and do a light 5-10 minute workout. You should work up a decent sweat. The next step, the dynamic warm up, is what many people choose to skip. I feel that a dynamic warm up is a much better way to prepare the body for a workout rather than static stretching. Here is an example of a dynamic warm up:
-20 yards high knees
-20 yards butt-kickers
-20 yards side shuffle
-20 yards walking lunge
-20 yards frankensteins (kick leg to opposite extended arm)
-25 mountain climbers
-10 squats w/5 squat jumps
-25 arm circles (forward and backward)
-10 neck rolls
-10 shoulder rolls
-10 push ups
-20 trunk twists
Feel free to mix and match exercises and add your own variations. The most important thing is to perform a dynamic warm up as it will get the blood flowing and prep the body for work. Finally, an excerise specific warm up is to practice form of an exercise you are about to perform. For example, if you are going to bench press, practice your form with a weight significantly lighter than what you would normally use. Next time that you’re in the gym, try this warm up routine. I guarantee you will feel ready to go and will have a nice sweat going before you even start a weight exercise. This routine will take you around 15 minutes and is definitely worth it. Remember the best way to improve your health and fitness is with consistent effort. What will you do if an injury knocks you out of the gym? Take the time to warm up and when ready, get after it!
