I want to address something that has been a problem for a while now. Warm ups. For too many people, a warm up is 5 minutes on the treadmill or bike. Then it is time to lift, or do whatever else you plan to do in your workout. I think that the treadmill or bike for 5 minutes is perfectly fine however, there are some things that need to be added to that. The 5 minutes of movement serve to get the blood flowing and there is nothing wrong with that. My own personal warmup, which I use with all my clients, contains jumping jacks and a thing I call seal jumps to serve that same purpose. However, it is what follows that, which will lead to a safer, more efficient, and often more powerful workouts.
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| (Cobra)See, it doesn't look stupid |
First off, now you have the blood flowing. Lets get everything else loose and warm. Start with some arm circles or swings. Follow that with some squats and lunges, no weight added, just your body weight. Next is one of my favorite stretches lately. Squat down, grab your toes, then without letting go of your toes, straighten your legs and feel that stretch in your hamstrings. The idea of all these is not to hold for
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| (elbow to ankle)Keep that back leg straight and toes point forward |
15 or 20 seconds. These are all quick, 5 seconds, relax, 5 seconds, relax. Don't waste 20 minutes holding all these. We are trying to keep you moving pretty quickly all while loosening up. Now drop to the ground, chest down. Do some cobra stretches. They look kinda yoga-ish but they are helpful. Then, for 95% of the population the next stretch may be the most important(because we sit down way to much). The elbow to ankle lunge. This will get that hip flexor moving which is something it does not do a lot. Rotate back and forth each leg about 5 times each. If you can't get your elbow to your ankle then get as close as you can. Follow all these with some med ball throws and you will be well on your way to a better workout, and far less likely to get injured.
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