I show some of my warm up in the youtube video :)
Monday, December 17 2018
Hello everyone! I hope you all had an amazing weekend! I definitely did :)
We had our very first holiday potluck at the gym! It was absolutely amazing!!!
I love my gym family <3
Well... Before I get carried away with babbling on about my random-ness... I want to talk to you guys about HOW TO WARM UP FOR YOUR WORKOUTS! I almost always see people come into the gym and just hop right onto a bench or under the squat bar! People don't warm up. OR... I'll see people sit down on the floor and stretch for 20 mins before hitting a 1RM (one rep max).
NONE of that is optimal for you to perform at your best!!!
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Omg!!! I have totally been slacking on my blog! I'm so sorry you guys!
Tony and I have a ton of things going on! All really great things! I'm excited.
But a tad bit overwhelmed as well. Either way, NO EXCUSE to slack on other things. LOL.
Okay... HOW TO WARM UP FOR YOUR WORKOUTS?!
1. GET WARM!!! Stretching does NOT warm you up! And stretching while cold can lead to injury.
You can get warm by doing a little bit of cardio. This can be a 5 minute walk on the treadmill or a couple rounds of jump rope. Totally up to you. I personally just like to start moving and doing "primer" exercises for the muscle I will be training that day.
2. "Primer" Exercises.. Lighter/easier movements that help activate/"wake up" what you are about to be working. For instance, if you are about to do squats.. You want to "wake up" the legs, hips, glutes, core, and back (a little bit of everything LOL).
Examples:
-Split Squats (gets the legs moving, while stretching the hips/hip flexors)
-Clam Shells (activates the glutes)
-Dead Bugs (favorite core/bracing exercise)
-Lat Pulldowns (gets the lats awake and ready to pull the squat bar down into you)
3. Start warming up with your main movement/exercise.
Now that you are warm.. And your body is feeling ready to LIFT! You can get under the bar.
No matter how big or strong you are.. You should start with just the bar.. Although you technically just warmed up.. You still have to "warm up" with this exercise/movement.
Slowly work your way up in weight. Everyone's weight jumps will be different...
Also, keep in mind that you CAN go back to some of the primer exercises if needed. You can also do some stretches if you feel the need to, to help you get into a certain position better/more comfortably. I would recommend you try to do any need stretch with a movement though. For example, if your hammies feel tight.. Instead of just stretching towards your toes and holding it there.. You can do light DB Stiffleg Deadlifts with a small pause at the bottom. Stretching while still priming.
Well... I think that's about it for warming up.
Warming up can be a little time consuming. Especially when you are in a hurry to get in and out of the gym. But you will perform better and safer if you take the time. AND IF YOU DO IT PROPERLY!!!
For those who like to do static stretching.. There is a time and place for it. I would recommend doing it after your training session or the night before (or the morning of, if you train at night). Stretching is very relaxing.. Which is NOT what you want right before lifting heavy weights!
Feel free to email me if you would like help setting up your warm up routine :)
kaylie.trainer@gmail.com