We are just as guilty as the next person when it comes to warming up at the start of a workout. Time at the gym is limited so you hop on the treadmill / bike for a few mins and you’re ready to go. You may even add in an arm swing or two but that’s pretty much it.
Let’s get one thing straight, warm-ups are important – really important. The whole point of a warm up is to prepare your mind and body for the activity you are about to do. A good warm up will also help prevent injury.
What constitutes a good warm up?
Never under estimate the power of a good warm up routine. A well structure routine should:
- Increase your body temperature
- Wake up your body (muscles, tendons and central nervous system)
- Help to lengthen muscles that tend to get tight (quads, calves etc)
- Allow you to lift heavier, run faster etc and generally perform better
- And last but not least….
- Wake up your mind, get you in the right mind-set and get you focussed!
Within the first few mins of a warm up you should be sweating; it is part of your training programme and should be tiring. Be sure to incorporate movements that replicate your workout to wake up the muscles you are going to use (if step back lunges are on your programme, then add in light body weight versions into your warm up). This is also a great time to gauge how certain movements/exercises are feeling.
The danger with any warm up is that is becomes boring and long……before you know it 20mins have passed and you have lost interest in doing anything. Set a timer on your phone for 5mins and complete your full warm up routine within this time.
Try out the below 5min warm up when you are at the gym next.
- 30 second jumping jacks
- 30 seconds body weight squats (focus on the hip stretch at the bottom)
- 30 second jumping jacks
- 30 seconds hand walk outs
- 30 seconds jumping jacks
- 30 seconds band pull aparts
- 30 second jumping jacks
- 30 seconds alternate step back lunge
- 30 second jumping jacks
- 30 seconds inverted rows