If there is one thing i see talked the most about online to do with training it is warming up and cooling down. In this modern age you either belong to 1 of these 2 camps. The first camp are the people who go in the gym and start foam rolling and then move onto a set of static stretches and then they do some dynamic drills to get the blood flowing, then 30 min later they are finally to their actual training session. The second camp are the ones that walk into the gym and load 135 on the bar and get right to it. So we have the extremist and the just do types of people. So with that said which method do i believe is right? I have written old blogs about this as well but recently i have tried some new ways of warming up and I'm really enjoying them as we will talk about today.
The majority of people don't do a proper warm up
Like i discussed above as you can see the majority of people are either doing to much or too little. The point of a warm up is to:
- get your body warm
- have your mindset right for training
- Muscles that are going to be doing the work should be ready to go.
- Get the blood flowing and heart rate up
I would say those are the 4 main priorities to set for a proper warm up. Once each one of those is achieved then your ready to train. The trick is tho accomplishing those in all about 10-15 min.
Warming Up Has Shown To Reduce Chance of Injuries
Another reason i always recommend some type of warm up is that it has been shown to help prevent injures. I for one never used to warm up that much and thats also the same time i herniated 2 of my discs in my back. Now i'm not saying that no warm up was the reason why it happened but I'm also saying it definitely did not help. I have also ripped my trap on bench press by not warming up for that properly either. So as you can see in my case warming up has made a world of difference, specially when i started warming up properly.
Throw The Foam Roller To The Side For Now!
Notice how i did not say throw it away i just am saying save it for at night while your watching Netflix. One thing i think is pretty much pointless to do before training is foam rolling with the exception if you have some aches and pains that need some attention. Only use the roller if you need to focus on a specific spot. Don't waste your precious 10-15 minutes you have for a warm up on the foam roller. If need be spend 2-3 min on a specific spot but thats it. Save it for night before bed. I still think a foam roller can be very beneficial to use, just not so much around training. You can spend your time better elsewhere.
3 Popular Methods of Warming Up
- Dynamic warm up
- Static stretching warm up
- progressive weight warm up
So lets briefly describe each one of these. First off the dynamic warm up. This is basically the people that come in the gym, do some arm swings and circles and then get to lifting. This method for the most part is alright to do. Your moving around fast to get the muscles ready and this is a good way to go about a warm up.
Static Stretching warm up, i'm going to save time here and say - DO NOT DO STATIC STRETCHES FOR A WARM UP. They have shown in many studies that static stretching before training can decrease power output greatly in a stretched muscle compared to a tight muscle. Instead try using static stretches but put a dynamic twist into them and hold for no more than 5 seconds. This should be pretty fast pace. The only time i recommend a static stretch is just like the foam roller. If you have a nagging tight area like hips or back and chest its alright in my opinion to spend a little more time on those areas. Just don't stretch the area for more than 60 seconds or you risk taking away power output from that area.
The Best Warm Up
I never like to use the word best just because how subjective it sounds but over the years i have tried tons of different warm ups but nothing stands close to this style of warm up as it accomplishes everything a warm up should and it only takes 10-15 min. Another pro? its actually fun! you read that right a warm up can be fun if you allow it too be.
This warm up starts off with just 3 min of band dynamic stretching like shoulder dislocations and any thing that just feels good, Pretty much just hold on to both ends of the band and use it to get your shoulders warm in anyway possible.
Then i throw the band over a bar and hold onto it with one arm at a time and stretch the lat out. I noticed that this movement really improves T-spine mobility and allows for better bench press sessions and front squat positioning. After that i put the band around a pole and just do some face pulls and band pull aparts. The reps don't matter here, sometimes its 10 sometimes 15, just when things feel loose and prepped your good to move on.
After that comes the fun part
Metabolic Weight Circuit
This is a circuit where your going to pick 3-4 exercises that will be targeted at the muscles your going to be doing that day and your going to giant set them for 3 rounds 15 reps each. After each round take a 30 second break and do some dynamic stretching then repeat the circuit 2 more times. These movements you want to do explosively and relatively fast so use a light weight. Don't worry about a typical slow negative here, jus lift the weight. Not sloppy form but not slow either, find the middle ground.
After you complete the circuit then move onto your regular workout. Between each circuit you might notice different tight area. These are the areas that should be focused on between circuits. For example you might notice your forearms are tight, do some forearm stretching then do another circuit and just watch how the mobility each round gets better and better! It's pretty amazing to feel it happen.
Example Circuit for a day i would be training chest and back
3 rounds 15 reps each
- incline db press
- side laterals
- wide cable pull down
It's as simple as that. There are no rules either you just pick whatever you want to do and make it fun! you will notice warming up like this is an extremely good way to get ready to train and you actually have a pump before the workout even begins!
The benefits of this type of warm up
- Increased work capacity
- Increased blood flow
- Increased Brain function and focus
- Increased vascularity and pump
- Increased range of motion
- Increased muscle mind connection
AND MUCH MORE!
That whole warm up should take no more than 10-15 minutes and you might even break a little sweat too! I have been using this type of warm up for the last couple weeks and my training sessions have never felt so good. I think i found a long time winner for warming up.
Keep It Simple
Just like everything i ever talk about i always mention that the best way to do anything in life is to come up with a way to KEEP IT SIMPLE. When you keep things simple you stick to them and create a blueprint for long term progress and success. This warm up accomplishes everything it needs too and its also very simple to do. Warming up does not need to be complicated and it does not have to take 30 minutes. Just get in there move around a bit get the blood pumping and get to the real reason your there and thats to train! Another week i will discuss the best way to cool down but thats it for this week. If you guys got something out of this let me know in the comments below and please share on your social media as i greatly appreciate it. Till next week guys....
Stay Strong,
Shawn Fausey