What do you think of when you warm up? Is your purpose simply to raise your body temperature, or start a sweat? Or do you warm up the particular parts of the body that will take the brunt of your workout?
You might consider preparing the specific muscle groups that you are going to use for the impending workload.
I like to have my clients do a two-part warmup. The first focuses on the center core of the body, and the second focuses on the appendages (arms and legs). Much of this is taken from the warmups of elite athletes in a variety of sports.
The purpose here is to ready the area between the shoulders and hips for what will come later.
The warmup stabilizes and strengthens the muscles that will help transfer work effort throughout your body during the rest of the workout. Front and side planks (with proper technique) are standard. Slow and concentrated mountain-climbers are another. I love anything that involves rotation, including:
CORE
- Start on hands and knees. Put your right hand behind your head. Rotate that right side elbow (along with your trunk) as high as possible — your eyes and head should follow your elbow as you rotate as far as possible, eyes looking skyward.
- Then smoothly rotate your elbow, and trunk, from the up position toward your left knee. Repeat the rotation for 5-8 reps, then switch to the opposite arm.
LIFTS
My go-to is a body complex made up of four rounds of five weightlifting exercises at four to five reps each exercise. Use 95 pounds for men and 65 for women. This is done transitioning from one exercise to the next without rest, 30 seconds between rounds. Yes, it hits a majority of the body parts.
1. Dead lift. Standard lift, balls of the feet underneath the bar, feet inside shoulder width, either of three grips (palms up; palms down; one each — I prefer this one). Pull up with your arms without raising the bar (puts tension into the arms); lift with your legs until the bar is just above the knees; then thrust your hips forward — this not only increases your speed but keeps back pressure minimal. Return the weight, lowering with the legs.
2. Bent-over row. Stand with back lowered until almost parallel to floor (knees bent), hands just outside shoulders. Pull the bar to the area between navel and sternum. Try to squeeze your shoulder blades together.
3. Shoulder press. Raise the bar to rest at chest level. Without changing hand position, push the bar smoothly above your head until your elbows are locked out and the bar is directly over your shoulders/head.
4. Back squat. Place the bar on your back. The center knurl (middle of the bar that has deep etching and raised points) should rest in the center of your shoulders. With feet at shoulder width, arch your lower back and try to keep the torso as upright as possible throughout the squat. Keep feet flat and lower until thighs are parallel to floor. Squeeze glutes and drive heels into the floor as you start back up.
5. Pushups. Hands should be underneath the shoulders. Keeping torso and hips even, lower down until your upper arms are parallel to floor, then push back up to full extension.
If running is part of the workout, then I suggest switching out pushups for two lengths of 40-foot runs at about 75 percent effort. Forty feet is a good distance that gets the heart rate up and blood flowing to the legs.
Bob Thomas is director of the Navy Wellness Center in Pensacola, Florida. Email him at jomof14@cox.net.
