Why and how you need to warm up before training- part 1 (The ‘why’)

 

Warming up- the one part of a training session that everyone wants to skip! You know it’s true.

And unfortunately, it’s something that a lot of gyms and coaches floss over or ;eave out altogether.

Over the past few weeks our team have been reviewing our warm up process as we continue to optimise our training programs so that they are as effective as possible for our clients. Better programs equals better results and there’s nobody who doesn’t want that.

So, if you’re in the habit of not warming up or just giving it a half-assed attempt, hopefully I’ll convince to really focus on this super-important aspect of your training from today onwards.

So lets, get started.

Generally speaking, a proper warm-up is designed to do 2 main things- keep you healthy and uncap your potential for a great training session so you’re primed to make the best use out of your short time in the gym.

So how does it do that?

1. It increases how well your joints move. A joint is where 2 or more bones meet (e.g., hips, shoulders, etc.) and where this happens there is a liquid called synovial fluid that covers the surfaces of the bones and reduces the friction between them. Warming up promotes this fluid to really waken up and get to work. when it does your joints move better which is super healthy for you
2. We all have muscular imbalances, suboptimal joint mobility, tight muscles, past and current injuries, etc.- thats just part if life. Warm ups give us a great opportunity to focus on these areas so that we can improve, maintain and even remove them so that we enjoy a better quality life due to not being as affected from them
3. Warm ups are a great way to get mentally prepared for the session ahead. The majority of our clients are super busy people with high demands on their energy and time (work commitments, travel schedules, family commit nets, etc.). A lot of the times when they come in for their sessions they are tired and pre-occupied with these life-issues. Warming up gradually eases them into their session in a way they can handle and appreciate. 10 minutes later and they are in the zone!
4. A good coach can pick up on the energy of a client from their warm up and guide them towards the right effort to put in on a particular day. Within a few minutes of warming up it’s often becomes clear that a clients energy is on the low end of the spectrum and that this session can’t be too taxing. Having an easier ‘feel good’ session will make the client leave with more energy than when they came in. They’ll also be mentally fresher and more confident as they’ll feel as their coach has met them where they were at on that particular day and treated them respectfully with that in mind. On the other hand, their energy levels could go through the roof by the end of the warm up and ………… well, you know what happens then!!
5. Warm ups prime your muscles and nervous system to give their all. These guys play such an important role in training yet they are half asleep when most people ask them to do some big work like sprints, chin-ups, deadlifts, etc. They simply aren’t ready and need to be primed for action and given a bit of a heads up that they will be called on to do some challenging work in a few minutes time. This not only helps your training. It keeps your joints and muscles healthy and plays a major role in minimising your risk of injury.
6. Warm ups allow you to get your technique dialled in. Our sessions include what are called ‘warm up sets’ and ‘work sets’. Warm up sets focus on what we talked about earlier (priming the body) but because they are lighter they are also a great opportunity to work on your technique because you’re not struggling with a very challenging weight. We save this sets for after the warm up and they are called our work sets.
7. It builds trust. I hear so often from people inquiring about our services that they don’t want too be screamed at or smashed into the ground when training. They simply want to get healthy and enjoy a better quality life. During our warm ups we ask our clients how they are since we saw them last, any problems since they were in (falls, bad sleeping patterns, etc.), how their energy levels are today, describe the sessions ahead and do they have any questions before we get started. This creates trust and puts clients at ease that they are being well looked after which means they are more likely to stay on track and achieve their goals.

These are some of the biggest reasons we focus on giving our clients a great warm up (there are many more  we could add) and they benefits they get from them are huge including better results, better training sessions and a better understanding of their body’s requirements.

I hope I’ve convinced you why you need to make time for safe, effective warmups before you train and that you’ll start adding them in ASAP. If you’re not sure exactly what to do, don’t worry. I’ll be back soon to show you how so stay tuned.

Steve McGrath