Warm up… really? Yes.

Inflict Training Prep Map

by Danny Nigro

A good, long activation and prep (warm up) session is pertinent to any workout.  It’s a sequence of movements designed to lubricate the joints with synovial fluid, flush blood through the muscles gradually to them elastic and ready to bear a load of weight.

The focus is to perform this series of movements at very light resistance, and to perform the main movements that will prepare you for the exercises you’ll be performing during the workout.  These activation and prep movements are most often performed with body weight and/or light weight bands.

For example, if you’re doing a stadium workout you’ll want to make sure you perform body weight squats, step ups, and one leg squats to warm up the pattern of muscles you’ll be firing for that movement (hip flexion and extension).

Conversely, you also want to make sure you’re activating movement patterns that you will not be using during the workout.  You would do this to help ensure you’re not building in muscular asymmetries (muscle imbalances).  So, in the example of a stadium workout where you’d be doing step ups and squats almost the entire time (flexing and extending the hip), along with activating your step up and squat patterns, you’ll also want to perform lateral patterns, like side lunges, speed skaters, body weight single leg dead lifts, etc.

Here are some basics to remember when prepping and activating your body:

1) Keep all the resistance light, around 50-60% of what you believe is heavy.

2) Keep your rep ranges long, between 15-30 reps of each exercise.

3) Maintain good form!  Make sure through all these movements you’re maintaining neutral spine – chest is tall, shoulder blades are packed into your back (next to your spine), and your navel is drawn in tight.  This will set the foundation for optimum results from each exercise.

4) Take your time.  Prep is meant to move you gradually into the workout.  Keep a smooth, even tempo.  You want to feel each rep, especially the stabilizer muscles that support joint movement and function.  Our Inflict trainers typically prep our clients for up to 25 mins before starting their workout.

Your goal is to get your joints warmed up and your muscles feeling elastic, i.e. long and ready for a load.  The map of exercises above are a great sequence we take most of our clients through.  It preps your entire body and prepares it for a number of different exercises.  Check it out and if you’d like to see this as a HD video follow the link to our Inflict Training Facebook page!

This entry was written by dnigro, posted on November 9, 2009 at 3:39 pm, filed under Fitness, Santa Barbara and tagged activation, full body, inflict training, prep, SOMA GET FIT, stretching, warm up, workout. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.