Thursday, December 29, 2016

Did You Do Your Warm Up?



Why Warm Up?

Sometimes you’re in a hurry to get your workout done so is it okay to skip the warm up?  NO!  Here’s why:  it will make your workout unpleasant and maybe even dangerous!  If you skip your warm up you could suffer joint pain during your workout or worse muscle strain or injury.  Not to mention it’s harder on your heart if you just jump into your workout without a proper warm up. 
Still not convince?  Well check this out:  warming up properly will actually improve your workout
performance! 

The Purpose Of The Warm Up

 

The warm up is meant to increase overall body and muscle temperature and also increase blood flow to the muscles you’ll be using most in your workout.

Your warm up will include low intensity moves that are specific to what you plan to do in your workout.  For example, you don’t need to do pushups before a run.  Walking for 5-10 minutes before your run would be more appropriate.  

Let’s Take It A Bit Further 


For anyone who participates regularly in physical activity there is nothing more frustrating than an injury.  Taking your warm-up to the next level might be what you need to do. 


  

Taking care of the pain source.  

 

Did you know that chronic joint pain and overuse injuries are caused by tightness in the muscles above and below that joint?  Knee pain is often caused by tightness in the calves and quads.  Got back pain?  You probably have tight glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors.  Shoulder pain can be caused by tight pecs and lats.

If you’re active, especially if you’re doing a lot of high intensity training, over time you’ll develop scar tissue, adhesions and knots that will eventually present itself as joint pain.  What to do?  

Self-massage!  Self-massage is a great way to loosen up muscles and prepare them for your workout.  You can also do a little self-massage after your workout just before you stretch.  

Focus on your weaknesses.   

 

We all have them.  Maybe it’s a lack of flexibility, or bad balance or imbalance in muscle strength from one side of the body to the other.  Knowing where your weaknesses are is a very valuable thing – once you know what’s wrong you can take measures to fix it.

One way to discover where you’re lacking is by going through a Functional Movement Screen (FMS).  Basically it’s a ranking system used to identify limitations and asymmetries that have been linked to an increased risk of injury.  Once you know what these limitations and asymmetries are you can focus on the proper exercises to improve these issues.   

If you’d like to get one done and you’re in the Vancouver area you can go see my favourite chiropractor Dr. Tony McDougall at Armitage& Associates in Kits or downtown at Performance Health Group.  I’ve had it done….I was surprised by the results!

Activate with mobility.   

 

Mobility is just the ability of a joint to move through a certain range of motion.  Mobility requires a certain amount of flexibility as well as strength, stability and neuromuscular control.  Mobility exercises will often activate key and often dormant muscles in your hips, core and shoulders.

Never Skip The Warm Up!

 

So as you see the warm up is an integral part of your workout.  If you skip it you run a huge risk of injuring yourself or at very least not performing at your best during your workout.  Either way it’s worth the 5-10 minute time investment before you start your workout.






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