Exercising without a warm-up is not a good idea and can result in an injury. When you are performing strength-training exercises, your muscles shorten and lengthen; if they aren’t warm or ‘prepped,’ your muscles are more prone to tear and pull.
The Key Components Of Warming Up
The key components of a warm-up are increasing the body’s core temperature, mobility, muscle activation, and technical build-up. By increasing the body’s temperature, you loosen the tissues around your joints, increasing their range of motion.
A proper warm-up also prepares your nervous system and muscles to perform optimally in your workout. It’s going to help to prime not only the muscles and joints into that position, but it’s also going to help prime the brain to understand what movement patterns they’re going into.
Better flexibility achieved by warm-up does two things: it allows your body to move better through the motions of your workout and helps to protect you from injury. Incorporating mobility help reduce the risk of injury and help the body utilize the correct muscles for specific movements and prep them for power production.
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Best Warm-Up Exercises Before Workout
Properly warming your body before a workout can reduce injury risk and help you make the most out of your training session. Besides the blood flowing and making the muscles and tendons more pliable, a warm-up should activate your central nervous system and prepare it for the work ahead.
Try these warm-up exercises before your next workout.
Jumping Jack
Jumping jacks are the best warm-up exercise to target major muscle groups, strengthen bones, and improve cardiovascular fitness and heart health. It’s essential to do jumping jacks with proper form to gain these health benefits.
How to
- » Stand with your feet hip distance apart, with your arms at your sides.
- » Raise your arms out to the sides and over your head.
- » Jump your feet out, so they’re slightly more than shoulder-width apart.
- » Without pausing, quickly reverse the movement.
- » Repeat for 30 to 60 seconds.
Hip Rotations
Hip rotations are a great way to loosen up the hips. If your hips are tight, this exercise is essential to help with preparing for lower body exercises. Tight hips can inhibit the muscles around them from firing correctly, specifically the glues, which can cause other body parts to compensate and become strained.
How to
- » Start in a standing position, with feet wider than hip-width apart.
- » Bend your arms, and place your hands behind your head.
- » Bend your knee as you lift one leg.
- » Circle that leg across your body, up toward your chest, then back down to the starting position.
- » Repeat on the other side.
- » Continue for 30 to 60 seconds.
Plank Walk Out
Walk-outs are particularly good for stretching the hamstrings and also activate your core. With this move, you’ll work on flexibility, mobility, and strength. Your whole body will become engaged during this movement, which is excellent for an active warm-up. The stabilizing muscles in your shoulders, hips, glutes, quadriceps, and core will start to fire up and prepare your body for your workout. Pick up the speed to get your heart rate pumping even more.
How to
- » Start in a standing position.
- » Bend down until your hands touch the ground.
- » Slowly walk your hands forward until you get into a plank position.
- » Pause for a second, then walk your hands back toward your feet.
- » Return to standing.
- » That’s one rep. Do eight reps.
Squat With Reach
Squats work your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. And depending on what type of strength training you’re doing, there’s a good chance you’ll be making a squatting motion at some point, with or without weight. Doing a few as part of your warm-up helps your body get used to the movement before progressing.
Our blog, “Squats 101: How to do them properly”, can help you learn more about squats.
How to
- » Stand with your heels wider than shoulder distance apart.
- » Turn your toes open slightly.
- » Bend your knees, reach your hips, and lower down into a squat.
- » Drop your arms down in between your legs.
- » Drive into your heels to stand up as you lift your arms straight upward.
- » Continue for 30 to 60 seconds.
Lateral Lunge With Reach
Lunges work the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Going straight from lunge to lift requires serious core strength and stability.
How to
- » Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
- » Put your hands at your side.
- » With your right hand, reach down toward your foot, lowering your body until your left knee is bent 90 degrees.
- » Repeat on the other side.
- » Continue for 30 to 60 seconds.
Lateral Lunge with Balance
How to
- » Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hands at your side.
- » Take a big step to the right.
- » Push your hips back.
- » Bending your right knee and lowering your body until your right knee is bent 90 degrees.
- » Push back to an upright position as you lift your knee and pull it into your chest with your arms.
- » Continue for 30 to 60 seconds on the right side.
- » Do it on the left side.
Squat To Raised Heel
How to
- » Stand with your heels wider than shoulder distance apart.
- » Turn your toes open slightly.
- » Bend your knees, reach your hips back,
- » Lower down into a squat.
- » Drop your arms down in between your legs.
- » Drive into your heels to stand up as you circle your arms to the side.
- » At the top, lift your arms straight up onto your toes.
- Continue for 30 to 60 seconds.
CREDIT: womenshealthmag.com
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