If we're in a time crunch often what is left in the dust is our warm-up. This is a common habit, however its one we should actively work to break.
Lets talk about warming up before your workout...
Think about your car. Without any oil, your car is not going to function properly; you pose a risk to your engine and you just can't predict the problems that may occur. The same principle applies to our body. Warming up helps get our blood circulating, joints lubricated, movement patterns prepped, and our brain awake and ready for action.
If you skip your warm up, you are missing out an an opportunity for your lifts to go better. Oftentimes the warm includes some neural or mobility prep work that in turn helps you with your compound lifts.
Your warm up may also include some rehab movements or aerobic activity to get you ready to go. The beautiful things about your warm up, is it is YOUR warm up. Therefore it's designed for you with all your needs in mind to best get you prepped! There is value in what you do in your warm ups!
Let's briefly look at some example warm ups to get through the full picture of its importance:
Athlete Example
3 rounds
10 Box jumps
8 Kettlebell Swings
10/each Single Leg Med ball Slams
Why? This warm up is great for central nervous system (CNS) prepping. Essentially it is training your brain to articulate what it needs your muscles to do faster! This can aid when you go into your lift, allowing you to potentially lift heavier or react quicker.
General Fitness Example
Oftentimes we see our warm up as a burden, but in reality it can set the tone for our workout. All this to say... don't skip your warm up (:
-Coach Amanda
Fradkin AJ, Zazryn TR, Smoliga JM. Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Jan;24(1):140-8. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c643a0. PMID: 19996770.
Herman, K., Barton, C., Malliaras, P. et al. The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies, that require no additional equipment, for preventing lower limb injuries during sports participation: a systematic review. BMC Med10, 75 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-10-75
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