Breaking up with your warm-up? It's time to make up again - your muscles will love you

Like breaking up, warming up seems hard to do. At least that's my observation based on 20 years of going to the gym.

People seem to hate warming up as much as they hate stretching after a workout.

​They just don't, or won't, do it.

They say that warming-up up is hard to do
Now I know
I know that it's true
- to paraphrase Neil Sedaka.

Stretching isn’t warming up

Did you warm-up? Yes, I stretched.

Warming up isn't stretching.

​Decades ago, Japanese sports scientists found that a warm-up consisting of only static stretching increased the risk of injury in athletes. They found mobility as a warm-up decreased the risk of injury.

A proper warm-up will raise your general body temperature and muscle temperature, lubricate your joints, and raise your heart rate - gently. 

Ideally, a warm-up has two key components:

1. a stretch after the initial warming mobility movements; and,
2. be related to the exercise that you are about to do e.g. jogging slowly before running.

Doing this type of two-phase warm-up would typically take about 15 minutes.

However, in practice, since people don't do warm-ups, a generic warm-up is better than not doing the ideal warm-up nor any warm-up.

Eight warm-up exercises - eight minutes or less

 This generic warm-up will get your blood flowing, warm your muscles and ligaments, and offer some stretching along the way. Your muscles will thank you as warm-ups are shown to reduce post-exercise muscle soreness.

It will also promote circulation without raising your heart rate too much.

Do the warm-up in the order below, as the exercises progressively mobilise regions before exercising or stretching them.

The Generic Warm-up

1. (Old school) Arm swings. Swing your arms together forward and backward in windmills while flexing your hips in time. Have your feet squarely under your shoulders. See this video Arms Swing Exercise
2. Squat to hold. Place your feet wider and toes pointing outwards. Do 5 slow half squats, and then lower yourself down into the space between your knees and rest there for 20 seconds. Make sure that you keep your feet flat on the floor. This warms and stretches your hip flexors and your front thighs (quads). If you can't squat all the way hold on to something in front with both hands and go down as far as is comfortable. Stand.
3. Plank walk-outs. A great exercise to warm-up your core and shoulders. Start in a standing position and walk out to the point where your arms are further out than your head. Do not allow your body to arch or touch the floor. Do this slowly and control everything throughout the movement. Do 5 repetitions (video here).
4. Walking Spiderman with hip lift and overhead reach. Step forward with your right leg into a lunge. Place your right hand inside your right foot on the ground, and left hand alongside. Raise your right knee- raising your hips, and then back to the floor. Finally gently and smoothly rotate your left hand up to vertical, following that left hand with your eye. This video is excellent technique. This exercise is a great warm-up to improve your hip mobility, thoracic mobility, and hamstring length. Do 5 lunges for each side. Stand.
5. Jumping jacks. A simple but effective warm-up - when done properly. Have your feet pointing forward and touching under you. Jump and while raising your hands outwards move your feet outside your bodyline. As your feet hit the ground, your hands should touch above your head - in time. Arms are as straight as possible for more stretch - this video. Do 10 jumping jacks.
6. Crab walk. Sit down, lean back, supporting yourself with your arms. Then lift up onto your legs, and gently walk in the direction of your head in this supine table-top position. This warm-up is a full-body strengthening movement that also works on coordination and mobility. See this video. Do ten "steps" forward on your hands. Stand.
7. Pushups. Now we have just two more exercises. The 2nd to last warm-up exercise is pushups. Choose whichever way is best for you - full-body, on knees etc. Do 5 slowly. Aim to get the full range of movement but don't push yourself too hard - this is just the warm-up. 
8. Trunk Twists. These are a great way to finish, and to finalise the dynamic warming of your core, shoulders and arms. It's the simplest warm-up exercise of the 8. Put your feet under your shoulders, and rotate your arms at full length from side to side. Although this is a simple exercise, I suggest that you watch this video explaining the benefits and how to do it most effectively.

Now you are warmed up and ready for your exercise.

You have reduced your risk of straining anything, including your heart, tendons and ligaments.

These eight warm-ups will take you less than 8 minutes, and less than 5 when you get into the flow. They take me 4 minutes to smoothly execute.

Your muscles and other parts of your body respond better to exercise when they are warmed up.

Plan to arrive for your class ten minutes early; go to the stretching area and work through the eight warm-ups. Your body will thank you. 

You'll feel a lot better when you start your class and get better results from the exercises you do.

Here’s the list again, for easy noting down:

1. Arm swings
2. Squat to hold
3. Plank walk-outs
4. Walking Spiderman with hip lift and overhead reach
5. Jumpin jacks
6. Crab walk
7. Push ups
8. Trunk twists.

​
​Let me know how you go.

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