The purpose of a good warm-up is to raise your body’s core temperature and to prepare the Central Nervous System (CNS), your muscles, and your mind for the training session ahead.
You can accomplish this through any mode of cardio including biking, rowing, climbing via a Versa Climber machine, running, skipping rope, jumping jacks, high knees, running in place, squat thrusts, bodybuilder push-ups, burpees, or a combination of the previous, etc. for a brief 5 to 10-minute time period.
How Long Should I Warm Up?
The length and complexity of your warm-up should ultimately depend on how you are feeling, how much time you have available, and how arduous the prescribed workout is going to be. Performing a general, dynamic, and specific warm-up is not necessarily required for most training sessions, but it is ultimately up to you.
More in-depth warm-ups can be broken up into three separate stages comprised of a general, mobility and or dynamic, and specific warm-up (includes potentiation or movement prep).
General Warm-up
This particular warm-up is performed using a single mode of cardio of choice for 5-10 minutes at an easy to moderate intensity level. The idea here is, to begin warming up with a very easy effort and gradually increase output throughout the duration.
Mobility and or Dynamic Warm-up
This warm-up is comprised of a series of mobility exercises and dynamic movements to stretch each major muscle group through the entire range of motion. This portion should last anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes depending upon the intensity of the training session and the time available.
Mobility exercises and dynamic stretch techniques/movements include:
Lateral Plank Walk 5-10 yards down and back
Broad Jumps @ 60% effort + stabilization
This list is pretty intensive and provides examples of useful movements/exercises for preparing the body for an intense training session. You do not have to do them all for a thorough dynamic warm-up, however, I recommend using the ones specific to what you will be doing. The idea is to gradually prep the muscles and connective tissue for more dynamic and stressful training.
This is my go-to list for a total body strength training session:
The above should take roughly three to five minutes depending upon the repetition count for each exercise. From here I transition to movement prep for roughly three minutes.
Specific Warm-up
For a specific warm-up, you will perform exercises or variations of the exercises specific to the training session but at lower volumes and intensity levels.
These warm-ups should build in intensity and are key for adequately preparing the Central Nervous System (CNS) for maximum muscle recruitment which enables better results during the training session. The better warmed up the CNS before the workout, the more muscle you will be able to recruit and the stronger you will be throughout the training session.
An example of a specific warm-up would be to perform 3-5 warm-up sets to gradually build up to your working weight of Loaded Chin-ups. Another example would be to gradually increase the exercise intensity through progressive variations for a bodyweight strength movement like a Single-Arm Push-up or Single-Leg Squat, etc. You might begin with your hand elevated on a box for SA Push-ups or SL Box Squats before moving into a legitimate SL Pistol or Touchdown Squat.
Movement Prep
A template to adequately prime each major muscle group for a total body training session might look like the following...
2 ROUNDS OF:
Upper Body Pull exercise of choice-2-5 reps + use assistance if necessary
Upper Body Push exercise of choice-3-5 reps + use assistance if necessary
Core Flexion exercise of choice-3-5 reps
Lower Body Hinge, Squat, or Lunge exercise of choice-3-5 reps each leg
Durability exercise of choice (pre-hab, core stability, etc.)
Plyometric exercise of choice-5 reps to excite the nervous system
Rest up to 1:00 between rounds if necessary
When Should I Static Stretch?
When it comes to static stretching, it is NOT recommended before your training session unless you are stretching tight and overactive muscles. This is because studies have shown that static stretching decreases the visco-elastic behavior of muscle and tendon for a brief period. In other words, static stretching can negatively impact muscle performance shortly after the stretch.
It is perfectly okay to stretch tight and overactive muscles before training, however, save the majority of your static stretching until AFTER your workout to be safe.
The Proper Way to Static Stretch
It is preferred to static stretch AFTER your training session when your body has returned to normal. You may also choose to stretch at the end of the day for a solid way to relax and improve your overall flexibility with solid results.
When stretching, it is important to hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds but preferably longer (up to two minutes) or as desired.
Stretching is a great way to improve muscle and joint flexibility, extend the range of motion, and prevent injury if done properly.
Do not over-stretch (stretching to pain) and do not focus on stretching muscles that are already in balance. You want to devote most of your stretching to tight and overactive muscle groups for optimum results in flexibility.
The Proper Cool Down
The purpose of an effective cool down is to gradually reduce heart and breathing rates, return muscles to their proper length-tension relationships, and assist your body in transitioning back to a normal temperature and state of rest before training. Proper cool-downs will also prevent blood from pooling within the muscle tissues.
An adequate cool-down will keep blood circulating within the body and improve your ability to recover for the next training session. This can lead to increased performance over time. A solid cool-down should consist of the following…
Low-Intensity Cardio for 3-5 Minutes
This may include walking, cycling or biking, rowing, or any low-impact cardio machine, etc. I advise my clients to begin slow or 'EASY' and gradually increase the intensity throughout the general warm-up never to exceed a 6 out of 10 intensity level.
Foam Rolling or Trigger Point Therapy
The focus here should be on the muscles that were worked during the training session and any tight and overactive muscles.
Use a foam roller or lacrosse ball to perform trigger point therapy on the affected muscle fibers. To do this effectively, you want to roll slowly and gradually apply pressure to the knotted muscle and hold to the point of discomfort, on a pain scale of 8 out of 10 with 10 being the most severe. Hold for 30 seconds at a time then release. For best results, end the process with a static stretch of the same muscle.
Static Stretch
Static stretch the muscles that were foam rolled to increase flexibility, decrease injury, and reduce the delayed onset of muscle soreness.
Stretching the muscle AFTER trigger point therapy allows for a deeper stretch due to the stimulation of the Golgi tendon organ (GTO) causing the muscle to relax when you release the pressure.
Your cool down does NOT have to be too in-depth. You may not necessarily need to static stretch or even foam roll or engage in trigger point therapy afterward. These are options to consider if you want to focus on recovery. At the end of the day, do what you have time for and what makes sense given your current situation.
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