“Before starting a resistance training session one should always warm-up.” This is very common to hear but it is also common to see the warm-up being done in not so optimal way so we will be discussing how to warm up properly. Before we do that, let’s understand the need for a warm-up routine so that the movements in the warm-up routine will make sense.
- It helps to move the joints freely and the muscles shouldn’t be too stiff otherwise improper activation of muscles may lead to inefficient movement patterns that may increase the injury risk during the lift
- Increasing the body temperature can help to optimize the performance ( Courtney et al, 2015 ) and mentally prepares a person for the session
- Increasing the blood flow in the body can help to deliver the required nutrients to the target muscle
- The body should be prepared enough to lift heavy loads with minimal injury risk
Keeping the above-mentioned points a warm-up routine can be divided into 3 parts
- Dynamic Stretching/Mobility drills
- General warmup
- Exercise specific warmup
Dynamic stretching/Mobility Drills
Dynamic Stretching can in freeing the joints and muscles controlling the joints so that each joint can move freely and smoothly.
Dynamic stretching is a kind of stretching that is less aggressive than ballistic stretching. It can include movements like neck rotation, arm rotation, toe touching, etc. The reps of each movement last less than 5 secs.
General Warmup
The aim of this is to raise the body temperature a bit and increase blood circulation. The movements can include only a few repetitions of squats, burpees, high knees, mountain climbers, light intensity cycling, or jogging. Any movements that increase the heart rate will do. It is very important to note that these movements should be done at a light intensity or for a few reps only as too many of these movements can make one lose a lot of energy that may interfere with the performance during the actual lift.
Exercise Specific warmup
The exercise-specific warmup is done to rehearse the movement of the lift and it is done with no weights or light weights. This helps the muscles to prepare for heavier lift instead of directly lifting heavy loads as this will prepare the body physically and mentally for the heavy lifts.
For example: Person XYZ has to lift 100 kgs of a squat for 8 reps then XYZ can do the following
- Bodyweight squat: 3 to 5 reps for 1 set (Warmup set)
- 40 kgs squat: 2 to 4 reps for 1 set (Warmup set)
- 70kgs squat: 2 to 4 reps for 1 set (Warmup set)
- 90 kgs squat: 1 to 2 reps for 1 set (Warmup set)
- 100 kgs squat: 8 reps (Actual set)
This approach is very useful for lifters, especially powerlifters. People who don’t lift heavy can go for only a couple of warmups sets instead of 3 to 4 warm-up sets.
Note: In the above example, the first 4 sets won’t be counted as an actual set. The set with 100 kgs for 8 reps is SET 1.
Summary
It is advisable for people to follow the below sequence for warmup and everyone should make sure it shouldn’t be done too much to make the best use of the body’s energy.
- Dynamic Stretching/Mobility drills
- General warmup
- Exercise specific warmup
Reference
- McGowan, C. J., Pyne, D. B., Thompson, K. G., & Rattray, B. (2015). Warm-Up Strategies for Sport and Exercise: Mechanisms and Applications. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45 (11), 1523–1546. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0376-x
