The key to a successful workout is a workout. The meaning of such exercises is to prepare the body for intense physical activity. This will reduce the risk of injury, discomfort after the lesson, and also help to achieve maximum results. In general, warm-up exercises are similar for each sport. And it doesn’t matter if you exercise at home or in the gym - there should be a warm-up!
What is the point?
Warm up is an integral part of every workout. Only well-heated muscles will increase the heart rate, improve blood circulation, which in the future reduces the risk of injuries and injuries. Be sure to warm up in any case, whether cardio or power, you need to prepare not only the muscles, but also the heart for subsequent loads. How to do the workout correctly?
The benefits of a warm-up:
- “Hot” muscles are elasticity and the absence of injuries and sprains in the future.
- If you are a lover of strength training, then the warm-up complex is strictly required to perform, because the warmed muscles are better compressed and relaxed. Therefore, the effectiveness of such training increases several times.
- An important advantage of a warm-up is the optimization of the cardiovascular system. This reduces the load on the heart during exercise and the risk of developing diseases.
- The warm-up complex is also intended to enrich muscles with oxygen and start metabolic processes. This increases stamina and improves your workout.
- Already during the warm-up period, the body begins to produce more hormones, the task of which is to generate energy.
- We all know that training is a real stress for the body. Therefore, the main task of warming up at home and in the hall is to prepare for the loads, improve concentration and coordination.
- Already during the performance of the warm-up complex, adrenaline enters the bloodstream. Thanks to this, the body will cope with intense training.
- A warm-up for training starts the metabolism in the body and at the cellular level.
You can often notice in the gyms that people skip warm-up exercises in order to save time. But this approach is fundamentally wrong. If it seems to you that it is better to spend the time devoted to warm-up for strength exercises, then know that the risk of injury increases several times. After warming up, the body is ready for exercise, and you will work much more efficiently. Therefore, saving time and refusing to warm up is stupid and pointless. Preparatory exercises are necessary regardless of what you plan to do, whether it is stretching, crossfit, running or boxing. It also does not matter where you do it - at home, in the gym, on the street. Preparation for the main training is required.
The danger of not warming up before training
In fact, no matter how the doctors try to convince people who play sports, to warm up before each exercise, few follow this advice. Research suggests that only 5% of people perform warm-up exercises before training. And this is sad news. What is fraught with the lack of a good workout?
- The most common injury is sprain. It often arises due to the banal lack of warm-up, but has very unpleasant symptoms and requires a long break in training. Have you regretted five minutes to warm up? Now you have to abandon classes for a month.
- Even worse, if during the training process a joint injury was received. This happens if you give a strong load on cold, unheated joints. The danger of such an injury lies not only in the fact that it will take a long and painful recovery, but also in the fact that the injury will remind of itself for a long time. The most common injuries to the joints of the knees, ankle, shoulder and hip joints.
- It often happens that without warm-up and good physical, as well as moral preparation, both ordinary severe dizziness and fainting occur. Would you like to leave the gym for an ambulance? Then do not forget about the warm-up.
- Sudden stress causes a pressure surge, which is especially dangerous for those who suffer from hypertension or hypotension.
And this is not a complete list of misfortunes that everyone can face in the absence of warm-up exercises before training.
How to warm up?
An ideal warm-up should last at least 5 minutes, and preferably all 10. Trainers recommend starting the warm-up with cardio exercises, after which it will be necessary to warm up the muscles and complete the process of preparing for training again with cardio exercises. It is important to restore breathing after warm-up exercises and only then proceed to the further main occupation.
What is the plan to follow during a warm-up?
The structure of the preparatory exercises for 10 minutes is as follows:
- Warming up cardio exercises for 1-2 minutes. They increase body temperature, improve blood circulation and prepare the body for further exercises.
- Joint warming up - 1-2 minutes. It starts the work of joints, ligaments and tendons, improves their elasticity and mobility.
- Stretching - 2-3 minutes. The task of such exercises is to stretch the muscles as much as possible so that they become elastic.
- Final cardio exercises - 2-3 minutes.
Breathing is restored for another minute. Such a warm-up helps the heart to work actively, to drive blood throughout the body and wakes up all the muscles, preparing them for training.
Many also confuse stretching and warming up. The last type of exercise is mobile, as their goal is to warm up the muscles. Stretching is performed after training in order to restore breathing.
The complex of warm-up exercises
The first stage of the warm-up is the activation of the heart and blood circulation. We have already learned that you should start a warm-up with light cardio exercises. In the classic version, this stage consists of:
- easy run;
- quick walk in place;
- walking with high knees;
- walking with breeding in the arms and legs.
During the performance of these exercises, the pulse should grow up, and the muscles should warm up. Each exercise is performed for at least 30 seconds.
The second stage is the heating of joints, tendons and ligaments
These exercises are so useful that they are perfect not only for warming up before training, but also for morning exercises. Each of the proposed exercises will need to be repeated 10 times. In the exercises of the second stage, you can include:
- The rotation of the head from one shoulder to another. It is important not to throw your head back, but rotate it with a crescent.
- Spin shoulders back and forth.
- Rotate your elbows forward and backward.
- Circular movements with hands.
- Circular motion with wrists.
- Circular motion of the pelvis.
- Rotations by legs and knees.
- Rotation of the foot.
In fact, we rotate all parts of the body, going from top to bottom, starting from the head and ending with the feet.
Stage Three - Stretching
After the joints and ligaments are properly warmed up, you can begin dynamic stretching. Each exercise should be performed within 20 seconds. The complex includes:
- Breeding hands, where the muscles of the chest and back are involved.
- Stretching the shoulders and triceps.
- Tilts to the sides.
- Tilts to the legs or the so-called mill.
- Side lunges.
Stretching muscles is an important step in every workout.
The final stage - cardio
At the end of the preparatory complex, we return to where we started, namely cardio. The duration of the exercises is 2-3 minutes, and each of them is performed for at least 40 seconds:
- Intensive running in place.
- Jumping rope.
- Jumping with breeding of arms and legs in different directions.
- Running with a knee lift at an angle of 90 degrees.
After such intense exercise, breathing should be restored. You will need at least 30 seconds to do this. Breathing can take place with a squat or tilt.
If your training is aimed at a specific part of the body, for example, at the legs, then special attention should be paid to warming up the muscles of this part. Do not forget that fun warm-ups and home workouts are also a must.