With the cold weather well and truly landed here in London I thought I would write a quick message about warming up. In my eyes the most under used tool when it comes to training, many will run over to the mats at the end of the session to have a quick flex in the mirror, attempt a few stretches whilst trying to chat up the new girl to the gym but when do people really take the time to warm up? Very rarely!!!
So why should we warm up? Think of your muscles like rubber bands. If you spend all day sitting at a desk, hunched over a keyboard, those rubber bands have gone almost completely unused. Now, combine this lack of movement with some cold winter weather, your bands are now extra tight and constricted. Then, go to a gym and immediately start lifting heavy weights or sprinting really fast then those cold, unstretched rubber bands get pulled apart very quickly and will snap. Other factors include the improvement of blood circulation around the body meaning you'll be able to achieve that shirt bursting arm pump you've dreamed off but furthermore your muscles and joints are ready for maximal flexibility. Which means the correct form can be performed on each exercise with maximum results along with minimal risk of injury.
So how should you warm up? Well the generic choice is a piece of CV equipment in the gym for 10 minutes. This I strongly advise against. Many gyms and PT's do this purely because it covers health and safety regulations. What I like to do with clients or even when warming up myself is play some sport. The sport of choice for me has got to be basketball because it promotes lower limb mobility along with mobility at the shoulders whilst raising your heart rate improving circulation. It's a fun game, played with 1-10 people in a small space and really gets you moving quickly. Try it before your next workout, just remember it's your warm up and not your workout so don't become too competitive.
I also like to warm up key areas before I begin training that certain muscle group. Many people begin with just a lighter weight on the first exercise of the workout which I do also but the more and more you train, heavier weights your lifting, the more you need to focus on areas, for me this is shoulders. Here is the quick shoulder mobility circuit I'm currently using before every upper body workout:
* Scapular retraction - Hang both arms down while grasping very light dumbbells, 5kg max. Now, bend the arms at a right angle as if you are nearing the top of a row (an exercise that targets the back - this is like a one-armed row but with both arms). Keeping that angle, draw the shoulder blades together, squeeze them, hold, and relax. Your arms do not bend more nor extend during the movement; you are solely focusing on the scapula. The range of motion will only be a few inches or less.
* Lateral rotation - Lie on your right side. Keep your left arm along the upper side of your body. Bend your right elbow to 90 degrees. Keep the right forearm resting on the table. Now roll your right shoulder in, raising your right forearm up to your chest. Lower the forearm slowly. Repeat the exercise for 10 - 20 repetitions. Then do the whole exercise again with your left arm.
* Windmills -Simply straighten both arms then rotate forward 10 times, then reverse and rotate backwards. Start with small, slow circles and eventually increase the size of the circles and speed of rotation as your joint becomes accustomed to the drill.
Repeat this three times with attention always paid to form and tempo and that's you're warm up done. With the colder temperature outside the warm up is crucial but no matter the temperature I'll always do the same. It's a real investment for a much more efficient workout.
Give this a go!! Happy Dunking
Jack
So why should we warm up? Think of your muscles like rubber bands. If you spend all day sitting at a desk, hunched over a keyboard, those rubber bands have gone almost completely unused. Now, combine this lack of movement with some cold winter weather, your bands are now extra tight and constricted. Then, go to a gym and immediately start lifting heavy weights or sprinting really fast then those cold, unstretched rubber bands get pulled apart very quickly and will snap. Other factors include the improvement of blood circulation around the body meaning you'll be able to achieve that shirt bursting arm pump you've dreamed off but furthermore your muscles and joints are ready for maximal flexibility. Which means the correct form can be performed on each exercise with maximum results along with minimal risk of injury.
So how should you warm up? Well the generic choice is a piece of CV equipment in the gym for 10 minutes. This I strongly advise against. Many gyms and PT's do this purely because it covers health and safety regulations. What I like to do with clients or even when warming up myself is play some sport. The sport of choice for me has got to be basketball because it promotes lower limb mobility along with mobility at the shoulders whilst raising your heart rate improving circulation. It's a fun game, played with 1-10 people in a small space and really gets you moving quickly. Try it before your next workout, just remember it's your warm up and not your workout so don't become too competitive.
I also like to warm up key areas before I begin training that certain muscle group. Many people begin with just a lighter weight on the first exercise of the workout which I do also but the more and more you train, heavier weights your lifting, the more you need to focus on areas, for me this is shoulders. Here is the quick shoulder mobility circuit I'm currently using before every upper body workout:
* Scapular retraction - Hang both arms down while grasping very light dumbbells, 5kg max. Now, bend the arms at a right angle as if you are nearing the top of a row (an exercise that targets the back - this is like a one-armed row but with both arms). Keeping that angle, draw the shoulder blades together, squeeze them, hold, and relax. Your arms do not bend more nor extend during the movement; you are solely focusing on the scapula. The range of motion will only be a few inches or less.
* Lateral rotation - Lie on your right side. Keep your left arm along the upper side of your body. Bend your right elbow to 90 degrees. Keep the right forearm resting on the table. Now roll your right shoulder in, raising your right forearm up to your chest. Lower the forearm slowly. Repeat the exercise for 10 - 20 repetitions. Then do the whole exercise again with your left arm.
* Windmills -Simply straighten both arms then rotate forward 10 times, then reverse and rotate backwards. Start with small, slow circles and eventually increase the size of the circles and speed of rotation as your joint becomes accustomed to the drill.
Repeat this three times with attention always paid to form and tempo and that's you're warm up done. With the colder temperature outside the warm up is crucial but no matter the temperature I'll always do the same. It's a real investment for a much more efficient workout.
Give this a go!! Happy Dunking
Jack
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