The answer is always YES! Who doesn’t want to increase their overall fitness performance? The next question is how? Many people always assume it’s found in some new energy drink, workout supplement, diet, or nothing at all is possible. Are you already defeated before you start due to previous failures? What if I told you the answer is in the warm-up. I know right, it sounds easy enough, but have you ever watched someone enter the gym and go straight to the cardio equipment or go straight into max repetitions of a particular exercise and that’s it. Everyone has seen this guy or girl, but they are missing the most integral part of their workout. THE WARM-UP! Find a person who warms up consistently and effectively, and you will find someone who we consider athletic or very fit because they have obviously learned the secret.
An adequate warm-up last anywhere between six to ten minutes in length; combining several dynamic movements to prime the body for optimal performance. At Team Irving Fitness we utilize a multitude of movements in our warm-ups. Usually all of these actions are bodyweight in nature such as squats, push-ups, planks, leg lifts, pull-ups, sit-ups, and many more. We typically combine these exercises into a circuit to get the clients to increase their heart around their target (220-Age=). We would like all of our athletes to stay in a range of sixty five to eighty percent throughout the duration of your workout. This maximizes both your cardio and respiratory functions while increasing your total calories burned. The circuit is usually repeated a minimum of three rounds in which we have noted the best results. We found that the first round allows the client to become acclimated to the specific movements, the second allows moderated exertion while the body accommodates to the stress applied, in the final round the client is perfecting the movements and is now ready to achieve maximum output. YES, you should be sweating and slightly out of breath during the warm-up because we are using all the muscle groups that will be used in our workout.
Without proper activation of your muscles you usually will experience lag in muscle recruitment once the workout begins causing a decrease workout performance. Have you ever stated, “I just don’t feel it today…” Most of the individuals who usually feel this are typically forgetting about the warm-up. It not only primes you physically, but what many people fail to realize that the mental aspect of the warm-up is just as critical. In the duration of the warm-up, we have diminished the soreness from the previous training session, set the tone of our current session (intensity), and prepared the mind and body to perform as one unit. After a proper warm-up the body can only perform at its most optimal level. Try the challenge! I dare you to go cold into the gym and perform your regular routine as scheduled without warming up for one week, then the following week try all three of the warm-ups we suggest. Try one each time you enter the gym and be amazed by the outcome. “Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden
Suggested Warm-up Circuits: 3 rounds of
Warm-Up One
10mi Jog/Sprint
8-10 Push-ups
10-20 Squats
10-20 Sit-ups
Warm-Up Two
Plank- in push-up position 30sec
10-15 Hop Squats
Mountain Climbers 30sec
5-10 Burpees
Warm-Up Three
25 Sit-ups
10-20 Alternating Lunges
Plank w/ Leg Lifts 10 each leg
High Knees 30sec
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