How to Warm-up before a Workout

One of the biggest mistakes people make in the gym is not warming up properly before a workout. In fact most people do more harm then good and set themselves up for injury.

Most importantly, an appropriate warm-up should increase your body temperature (warm you up) and get you ready for more strenuous exercise. When your body temperature increases, your muscles automatically become more elastic and flexible. One of the most common mistakes I see people making in the gym before working out is static stretching a cold muscle. Static stretching a cold muscle is dangerous because you are forcing a cold muscle into a lengthened position which can make you more vulnerable to injury.

The proper way to warm-up before a workout is with dynamic movement for five to ten minutes in all three plains of motion. One of my favorite ways to warm-up my personal training clients before a workout are with medicine ball drills. I have my clients hold a light medicine ball and squat while moving their arms up and down in the sagittal plain (forward and back). Then I have them move side to side with their arms and legs in the frontal plain, and finally I have them rotate the torso with the medicine ball in the transverse plain. The movements can always be changed and modified to whatever type of workout or sport you plan on performing. The basis concept of the warm-up; however, should not change.

The basic concepts of the warm-up are:

1. Gradually increase your body temperature
2. Move in all three plains of motion ( Sagittal, Frontal and Transverse)
3. Make the movements specific to the activity you will be performing

Try this type of warm-up; I know you will have a safer and better workout because of it.

Best- Mike Cola

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