If you did an observation of fitness centers across the country and observe gym members you would notice a couple trends. 1) The majority of people jump on the treadmill or elliptical for a couple minutes before they begin. 2) Some (and more than you may think) will grab two 5 pounds weight plates and begin to swing their arms in circles with a plate in each hand. 3)A lot begin with static (holding) stretching.
Are these activities a good way to warm-up? No, while most people think that they just need to get their blood moving, joints moving, and stretch out there is more to a warm-up.
So lets take a look at what a good warm-up looks like.
First we want to prepare our body for what we are about to do. This means the warm-up needs to be specific to the activity we are about to participate in. For example walking/jogging on treadmill for 5 minutes is not similar to lifting weights.
Second we need to move our body through full range of motion movements and get in some dynamic stretching (get a stretch by moving a muscle, but not holding it). Example: Touching the toes and holding for 30 seconds is not the same or as beneficial as inch worms, even though they are similar.
Third we need to get the core involved. Again, inch worms
Fourth we need to break a light sweat and get our heart rate and breathing rate up. Example: Jumping, Hopping, Skipping, and Shuffling
Now if you will look back at what the typical gym goer does and compare it to what is needed to have good warm-up you will see that those activities do not meet all the criteria.
I understand that some days you may feel slow, sluggish, and stiff. You may feel that you just need to walk/jog slowly for a few minutes before you begin. This is fine when needed, but just remember that you still need to do your warm-up after those couple of minutes.
Live Fit,
Josh
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