Whether working out at home or at the gym, the warm-up can often by overlooked. We have a tendency to want to jump right in to our workouts. Why should we bother spending time with an exercise warm-up? The warm-up is actually very important, and here are the reasons why.
Warming up before your workout serves many purposes. It gets your heart rate elevated and blood flowing, which will raise your body’s core temperature. It also awakens your nervous system and muscles.
Choosing the right exercises and doing them at the proper intensity can also turn your warm-up into part of your workout.
Example Warm-Up Exercise Routine
(Ask a trainer how to perform the following exercises properly.)
- Medicine ball center chops
- Medicine ball squats
- Medicine ball chops low to high
- Glute bridges
- Planks
OR
- Jumping jacks
- Body weight squats
- Pushups
- Planks
Try some of these the next time you are rushing into the gym or just feeling too lazy to warm-up. I promise it will be worth the extra time and effort both immediately and in the long run.
Written by Jason Liegl, Certified Personal Trainer & AMP Program Director at Elite Sports Club – Mequon.
Jason re-joined Elite Sports Club-Mequon in 2008. He holds a BS in Fitness Management from UW-Parkside. Jason is a certified personal trainer through ACE. He is also certified by Titleist Performance Institute as a level 1 Golf Fitness Instructor, Functional Movement Specialist level 1, Functional Movement Systems level 1, Kettlebell Athletics level 1, and Precision Nutrition level 1 nutrition coach. Jason has experience in training athletes from almost every sport. His belief is that with a solid foundation and hard work, any athlete can get better!