Why do you need a warm-up?
Almost everyone knows that warming up is necessary before starting the training, but unfortunately, some people do not live by this principle. It’s a pity, because the warm-up really does have some extremely important functions.
Firstly, the very name “warm-up” already says a lot about what it causes – its goal is to raise the body temperature and heart rate, which translates into increased blood flow, among others in the muscles. Thanks to this, larger amounts of oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the movement system, which perfectly prepares the muscles for further (and harder) work.
Properly conducted warm-up increases muscle flexibility, which improves the range of motion in the joints. This makes the exercises more effective, because they engage the muscles to a greater extent. Good mobility also means a reduced risk of injury, as well as reducing pain (e.g. in the lumbar spine, caused by sitting for a long time).
Warm-up affects not only the circulatory and musculoskeletal systems, but also the nervous system. Properly selected warm-up exercises increase coordination and balance, which translates into better quality of training.
In addition to purely physical aspects, the warm-up has another particularly important function – it prepares you mentally for the upcoming training. Although this may seem insignificant at first glance when compared to other functions, the mental attitude towards exercise plays an equally crucial role. A well-programmed warm-up allows for stronger concentration, entering the state of “flow” and increasing motivation to exercise. After all, the saying that “no one has ever regretted a workout” did not come out of nowhere ;).
Get the most out of your warm-up
One of the most recommended methods of warming up before training is the RAMP system, i.e.:
- Raise
- Activate
- Mobilise
- Potentiate.
1. Raise – your heart rate and body temperature
According to the RAMP method, the first stage of warming up should consist of accelerating the heart rate, which guarantees better blood supply (and thus nutrition) to the muscles and an increase in body temperature. However, this should not be an intense cardio exercise – your goal is not to rapidly increase your heart rate from resting to maximum in a very short time.
Spend about 5-10 minutes on this part of the warm-up and choose low-intensity cardio exercises, for example:
- a quick or slower walk up a hill on a treadmill,
- light jog,
- cycling (on your way to the gym or indoor cycling),
- stepper or elliptical trainer,
- rowing on a rowing ergometer.
If you have the ability to measure your heart rate, try not to raise it above 120-140 beats per minute. Another method of verifying the intensity of cardio exercises is to stay at the so-called conversational pace, i.e. one that allows you to talk freely during exercise, without visible shortness of breath. As this part of the warm-up continues, you can gradually increase its intensity (e.g. by increasing speed, resistance or slope).
2. Activate – the target muscle groups
Activation of muscle groups that are key in your training is an additional way to improve blood supply and muscle sensation. This element of the warm-up consists in performing exercises involving muscle parts, which you intend to train in the further part of the workout session. The most common way to do this is through weightless exercises or with the use of resistance bands.
For example, before training to engage the lower body, do exercises that activate the gluteal muscles using mini bands, such as monster walks, hip lifts, or any kind of leg extension (backwards or sideways, standing or supported).
If your workout involves the upper body, use resistance bands to perform exercises that stabilise your shoulder blades, warm up your rotator cones (shoulders), and mobilise the muscles of your chest (e.g., dumbbell flys or squeezes on elastic bands).
3. Mobilise – your joints
Mobilisation of joints is, in short, increasing their range of mobility. For this purpose, you should use dynamic stretching exercises, i.e. any movements in which you stretch the muscles and do it with repetitions (e.g. dynamic bends, swings). This element of warm-up serves not only as preparation for your training – it also prevents injury.
As part of the mobilisation, you can perform, for example, dynamic “good morning” exercises, transitions from a supported kneeling position to a “downward facing dog”, hip-opening lunges or chest openers in a supported kneeling position.
For the health and vitality of the spine, it is also worth including any “waving” motions within your torso in this element of training – e.g. alternating from the “cat back” position to the “cow” position in a supported kneeling, moving from the “child” position to the “upward facing dog” position, and any rotational movements of your spine.
More information about back yoga and the five best asanas for back pain can be found HERE.
4. Potentiate – strengthen the intensity
The last element of the warm-up puzzle is a gradual increase in intensity. This should apply from the beginning of the warm-up until the beginning of the actual training session. The gradual acclimatisation of the body to high intensity should also be a smooth transition between warm-up and the training itself.
For example, if you are strength training and you have deadlifts in your plan for the day, do not start with the target weight – start with a relatively light load and gradually increase it until you reach the training values.
The same goes for endurance sports – if you have a plan, for example, to swim, do not start immediately with the target pace and distance. Use the last part of the warm-up to gradually increasing intensity – this way there is a greater likelihood of success in the actual training.
Example of a warm-up plan from a trainer
To summarise the principles mentioned earlier, an example warm-up before a full-body strength training session may look like this:
- Walk on the treadmill – 6 minutes:
- speed 5.5–6 km/h (3.4–3.7 MPH),
- optional: slope 5–7.5.
- Activation with resistance bands and mini bands (partly on the mat):
- stretching the resistance band on straight arms at shoulder height – 25 repetitions,
- moving the resistance band in front of and behind you in on straight shoulders, a wide hand position – 25 repetitions,
- pulling the resistance band to the abdomen (band suspended at abdominal level) – 25 repetitions,
- alternate lifting of the arm and the opposite leg in a supported kneeling (so-called “bird dog”) – 10 repetitions for each side,
- hip raises lying on the back with your knees bent (feet on the mat) (mini band) – 25 repetitions,
- hip raises lying on the back with your knees bent (feet on the mat) – one leg – 25 repetitions per leg.
- Mobilisation (partly on the mat):
- roll down&up – slow bends on bent legs – 10 repetitions,
- transition from a supported kneeling to a downward facing dog – 15 repetitions,
- cat and camel – 10 repetitions,
- moving from the child position to the upward facing dog position – 10 repetitions,
- mobilisation of the hips with chest opening lunges – 10 repetitions per side,
- moving from the deep squat position to a bend with an extension of the knees (hands hold the toes all the time) – 10 repetitions.
- Increasing intensity – before starting the main training, perform the exercises planned for this stage in a reduced intensity variant (e.g. without weight or using a resistance band).
Such a warm-up can take up to 20 minutes – but, despite appearances, it will not deprive you of strength for the main part of the training. On the contrary, such a start will definitely make you feel the wind in your sails during the most demanding parts of your workout.