The Fitness Warm Up: Your start to a great workout!
Begin every workout with a fitness warm up.
When I was a kid, there was always a pick-up game of shinny going on anywhere within a two-block radius from where we lived.
Almost every day, we'd spot runners coming out of their homes to train. There were a lot of them back then.
The first thing they did was walk up to the nearest tree, place both hands on the trunk, take one step forward with one leg, lean in, and stretch the back leg.
Following this, they would systematically stand upright, kick one leg back toward their butt, catch it and hold it there with their hand, stretching their quads.
If there was a ramp available, they would then throw one leg over onto the ramp and reach for their toes. If not, they would immediately proceed into their run.
It was always the same thing. If you're about my age, you can relate to this. This is how we were taught to 'warm up' back then.
I still see people doing this today.
The problem is this is not a warm up. This is a stretching routine, and a fairly incomplete one at that.
Today, we know to never stretch a cold muscle. Science is showing that stretching a cold muscle increases the risk of connective tissue damage.
Here's a great tip. Never perform any exercise without first properly warming up.
Stretching is not the same as warming up.
A fitness warm up is a series of continuous, rhythmic, movements using large muscle groups that will gradually increase your heart rate, respiration rate, and muscle temperature.
Essentially, a fitness warm up is engaging in any light activity that prepares your body for the more strenuous parts of your workout and prepares your mind for the challenging work ahead.
The goal is to raise your core body temperature and increase blood flow to active muscles.
You want to work just hard enough to break into a light sweat. Remember, you are preparing the body for activity-- not fatiguing it.
A fitness warm up should last between 5 and 15 minutes.
If you're a beginner, if you're unconditioned, or if you're an older adult, you should spend at least 15 minutes warming up.
Personally, I tend to favour longer warm ups over shorter ones.
I understand many people want the warm up to be over with so they can get to the 'real' part of their workout. Even five minutes seems like a long time to some people.
However, it's been my experience that when I take a little bit longer to warm up properly-- I can go harder, longer, and lift stronger.
The result is a much more effective workout.
So how do you warm up?
The most common approach is to use either a treadmill or stationary bike and begin to walk or cycle slowly increasing your pace lightly until you break into a slight sweat.
This is fine. Although perhaps a moot point, you should note that while you will break out in a sweat all over, you are primarily increasing blood flow to the lower extremities.
I like to incorporate upper body movements in all three planes of motion. I use a light medicine ball but you should realize there is an infinite amount of possibilities when it comes to a proper fitness warm up.
You needn't be constrained to treadmills, cycles, stair-stepping, or jumping rope only.
In fact, follow the link to your next topic if you want to see an example of a simple, effective bodyweight warm up without equipment that's particularly useful if you workout from home...
SIDE NOTE:
A word about weight training or resistance training...
Before lifting your regular weights, you should develop the habit of performing what we call a 'warm up set'.
A warm up set is a set of an exercise you perform with about half the weight in order to prepare your muscles and tendons for heavier loads.
Warm up sets are especially important for exercises involving the knee, low back, and shoulder.
So be sure to start with a warm up set whenever you lift weights.
To conclude then, remember that a good fitness warm up is an excellent introduction to your workout. The fitness warm up is one of those components of training that tend to get botched up the most!
Always take the necessary time to properly warm up. Begin every workout with a fitness warm up.
