If you've been hitting the gym for a while now, you probably already know how important it is to warm-up before that big session.
It will protect you from getting injured, it will increase the quality of the workout session you're about to perform, and it will make the entire experience more enjoyable for you.
So, how to warm-up effectively?
1. Start with a general warm-up.
Go ahead and start your warm-up session with light, physical exercises. The duration of this phase as well as its intensity will vary, depending on the intensity and duration of the actual workout.
I don't recommend it to last more than 10 minutes, though, and when you're done, you should break a little sweat.
2. Let's stretch.
One of my favorite ways to stretch is what I like to call static stretching. What it will do for you is, cause you to be very flexible, as well as minimize the risk of injury during the actual main phase of your workout.
Make sure to stretch all your muscles for 5-10 minutes.
As a general rule of thumb, you want to place your body in positions in which your muscle groups will stretch under tension.
3. Do a warm up session before working out.
This is the third phase of your warm-up. Your body is now ready to warm-up for the specific exercises you're going to be performing during your workout.
During this phase, you want to reflect the movements that you're going to be performing during the actual workout.
If you're planning on working on your abs, for example, perform a few movements that will reflect that. If you're focusing on your chest or back, go ahead and do a few reps that will get you ready for that.
4. Let's get dynamic.
You should end your warm-up session with some dynamic stretching. What that is, is a set of bounces or swings in which you help your body get ready for the range of movement that you will be performing during the workout.
For example, you might run in place a little bit do some squats or leg lifts.
It is important for you to understand that you can cause an injury on your last phrase of your warm up if you don't know what you're doing.
That is why you should always try to consult a competent professional, who will sit down with you and make a specific routine for you. You'll then be able to follow that routine when getting ready for your workout.
Of course, if something hurts during your stretching, you should stop the activity immediately and talk to your trainer. It is okay if there's some usual muscle pain, but the moment you sense anything abnormal happening, stop what you're doing and get a professional opinion.
This simple, four-step process will help you get ready for any type of workout you might want to go though. This will help your prepare your body for physical and metal challenges to ensure you don't get hurt and cause an injury to take place.
Enjoy!
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