Warming Up before starting your Fitness Program
The warm-up phase is designed to increase the flow of blood and oxygen to muscles. It makes exercise feel easier; when your muscles are warm they are able to contract more easily so you can work at a higher intensity for less perceived effort.
I never let client skip this phase because muscles become more elastic during the warm-up, reducing the chances of pulling a muscle or tearing something. Activity also pushes synovial fluid through the joints, increasing the range of movement and joint flexibility all over your body- knees, elbows, back. If you have been sedentary all day, the chances are you feel creaky, the warm-up will put life back in to your body. Injuries take 3 weeks to 6 months to heal- don't put yourself at risk!
The Routine
In this program the warm-up is simple just 5 minutes of walking, jogging or intermittent skipping to get blood flowing through your muscles. This is sufficient to get your body ready for exercise.
People used to do stretches as a warm-up routine but fitness thinking has changed- research has found that cold muscle is easily injured. There are two exceptions to this rule.
If you are feeling the stresses and strains of a previous workout, add a few stretches onto the end of your warm-up to help relieve muscle pressure and make your workout more comfortable. Just make sure you are warm before you start, and stretch very gently.
If your shoulders or back feel tight from sitting down all day, or you know these are weak areas for you, incorporate a few light mobility exercises, such as shoulder and arm rolls, into your warm-up to help lubricate your joints and prevent injury. Going straight from static to using the treadmill, lifting heavy weights or doing dynamic movements puts a huge strain on your back and is not recommended, so lie on your back and hug your knees to your chest until you feel comfortable.
The Mindset
Use the warm-up to bring your mind and body together to work as one. As soon as you change from your work clothes to your gym clothes, that's when your focus starts. Don't even think about using preparation and recovery time to write mental shopping lists or rehash today's problems Forget the day and its irritations, and notice how your body feels and as you relax into activity, concentrate on your ambitions for this session.
You'll get a lot more out of your workout if you decide what you want to achieve before you start. During the warm-up think about your goal, whether it's to do a certain number of reps, or to focus on doing everything with perfect form. You'll find it's a lot more rewarding exercising with awareness than doing a session with half a mind on what you're going to cook for supper and the other half on whether you want to do this session at all. You're here now, so get ready to enjoy it.