5 warm-up and cool-down options for your workouts

The more professional the athlete and the higher the level of his skill, the more thoroughly he warms up. Warm-up before training - everything is in your head!

The usual story: there is little time for training, you need to start doing it quickly in order to meet the deadline. You get into the plank position, ignore the warm-up and think that the process has begun.

This will not only protect you from injuries, but will also improve the results of your workout, because the main purpose of warming up is to prepare the muscles, joints and all body systems for further stress.

As a rule, a classic pre-workout warm-up includes performing light aerobic exercises with a gradual increase in intensity.

The effectiveness of the warm-up is assessed by the pulse: within 10 minutes, the pulse rate should increase to approximately 100 beats per minute, but should not exceed 50-60% of the maximum heart rate.

The type and purpose of the warm-up may vary depending on the duration, goals and type of workout itself. If the time allocated for training does not allow you to devote 10 minutes to warm-up exercises, the warm-up can be shortened, but become more comprehensive.

Each type of load has its own warm-up. So, warming up before practicing yoga first of all warms up the joints, evens out breathing and adjusts psychologically; before dancing - in addition to warming up the body, it tunes the vestibular apparatus and gives a positive attitude; before strength training, you should pay more attention to the joints, spend more time on them than on dynamic warm-up; Before intense training, the dynamic part should be lengthened, or, and this would be the best option, combine joint warm-up with dynamics, for example, through simple aerobic steps.

Why do a warm-up?

By warming up before training, we get a wide range of benefits:

• Warming up the muscles. This improves our overall efficiency. It becomes easier to lift weights because warm muscles are more elastic than cold ones. The risk of injury is also reduced.
• Vasodilation occurs. This reduces the load on the heart. Blood flow also increases and our muscles receive more oxygen.
• Prepares the nervous system for hard work. Any physical activity is stressful for your body. Especially hard work in the gym with heavy weights. Therefore, in order to tune your nervous system in the right way, you should warm up.
• Warming up joints and ligaments. With a sedentary lifestyle, our joints lose their elasticity. And before you start training, it won’t hurt to stretch them. Otherwise, all sorts of problems with the articular-ligamentous apparatus may arise.
• Speeds up metabolism. Warm-up increases hormone levels. Such as: somatropin, dopamine and testosterone. Consequently, your efficiency during training will increase.

That is, in just 5-10 minutes, we will protect muscles and joints from serious injuries. We will also strengthen the cardiovascular system. Warming up helps us prepare the body by letting it understand that now you want to give your best in training. And he is required to be fully involved in the process. An analogy can be made with the operation of a car in winter. Before driving, the engine is warmed up. Due to this, all lubricating fluids become less viscous, and rubber seals are pressed through. That is, we spent a few minutes in order to reduce the wear of parts of our car. Consequently, its service life will be much longer. Warm-up does the same thing.

Warm-up before aerobic training

Exercises on non-impact exercise machines such as rowing, stepper or elliptical require only preliminary joint warm-up and a gradual increase in heart rate to levels that work for you. In fact, the special warm-up here will be the same movement without load or resistance, or with minimal resistance and at a low pace. It is especially necessary to monitor how the knee and hip joints work during the warm-up - avoid bending the knees back, abducting the pelvis with each step, and other traumatic changes in the amplitude of movement.

Aerobic group classes, as a rule, come with a “built-in” warm-up - those same five minutes that many spend pouring water in the cooler are extremely important. Even if you don't like marching in place, pay enough attention to it simply because these simple steps prepare the body for work. In addition, a good aerobic group class includes a mandatory pre-stretch, that is, preliminary stretching in a static-dynamic (mixed - first “springs” gently, and then a few seconds of static stretching) mode.

In general, the same rules apply to warming up before homework. And no warm-up can be considered universal or suitable for everyone. Actually, the most important thing is to avoid two extremes - avoiding the warm-up and turning it into an independent workout, that's all.

What are the consequences of not warming up?

If we don't warm up before training, the risk of getting a muscle strain increases. After all, when cold, they are less elastic. It is also very easy to injure joints, which can lead to:

• Arthritis. That is, the joint wears out and the condition of the cartilage at the ends of the bone deteriorates. All this is accompanied by pain.
• Bursitis. This is an inflammation of the synovial bursae, which are designed to lubricate the joints. Elbows and shoulders are especially susceptible to bursitis.
• Tandinite. This is inflammation of the tendon due to excessive strain.

If you constantly ignore warming up, then your cardiovascular system may be under attack. And the heart is the main organ in our body. Therefore, it should also be trained. And if we suddenly switch to an increased pace of work without warming up. Our heart will begin to experience greater stress. Since he will have to sharply adapt to a new rhythm.

Preparation for jumping

To prepare your body for jumping, you need to do jumping exercises, starting with small jumps and ending with large ones. It is worth including acrobatics in your warm-up to develop coordination. For example: forward flips, backward flips, cartwheel, barrel roll, somersaults, chené, crossover, rolls. And also be sure to go through all the elements of the exercises. Practice balances, static and dynamic. In order to easily perform static elements in an exercise, you need to include these elements in your warm-up and perform them for as long as possible. For example, time a stopwatch and stand in balance for 1-2 minutes. Now you are ready to exercise to music.

Warm-up rules

In order for the warm-up to give maximum results, you need to understand the principle by which exercises are selected. We don't have to spend all our energy at this stage. Here are a few rules:

• Warm-up doesn't have to be very difficult. It is worth choosing simple exercises. Since not every person can handle jumping or push-ups.
• The duration of the warm-up depends on age. Over the years, our muscles become less elastic, and our joints are no longer as mobile. Therefore, the risk of injury after 40 years is much greater than in earlier years. Consequently, the older we are, the longer it takes to warm up the body. Athletes under 40 years old will need 5-15 minutes to warm up. And above this age, from 15 minutes until the body feels completely ready to work.
• Body type also plays an important role. We are talking about overweight people. For them, many exercises can be very difficult. Therefore, individual warm-up programs are selected for such athletes.
• It depends on what muscles we train on a given day. That is, if you have a day of training the pectoral muscles, then paying much attention to warming up your knees will not be entirely rational. It is much more logical to concentrate on warming up the shoulder and elbow joints. Conversely, on leg day, warming up your lower body will be a priority.

If you take into account all these points during the warm-up, then its effectiveness will be much greater. Than if you do it for show.

We can also divide warm-ups into three types:

• General. Performed at the beginning of the workout. This is a kind of small gymnastics for all parts of the body. It mainly consists of bending and turning the body, as well as rotational movements. We start warming up from top to bottom. That is, we start with the neck and end with the calves and feet. The main thing is not to forget about the emphasis on those muscles and joints that will actively work on a given training day. All movements must be controlled. Perform 20-40 repetitions of each exercise.
• Specialized. It is aimed at additional warming up those muscles that will participate in the work. That is, these are our warm-up approaches. Depending on how intensely you train and the weight of the weights you use, the number of such approaches will be selected.
• Stretching. When doing strength training, you should not stretch before training. Because this will lead to muscle relaxation. But we need, on the contrary, so that they move from rest mode to work mode. But at the end of the workout, stretching will be very useful. But this is a topic for a completely different article.

Now it remains to choose the exercises that can be most useful for us.

Types of warm-ups

What the set of warm-up exercises will consist of and how long it will last depends on the type of upcoming workout, time of day, physical fitness and current well-being. There are these types of warm-ups:

General warm-up:

• warming up joints and muscles - dynamic exercises;
• stretching—isometric exercises;
• cardiac stimulation - 3-5 minute running, working on cyclic machines, jumping rope;

Special preliminary preparation:

• for example, a lead-in approach (series, set), which should be performed 7 to 10 times, lifting 30-50% of the maximum weight to be expected.

Exercises for general warm-up

Of course, there are a lot of warm-up exercises. And it’s unlikely to be possible to list everything. Therefore, I will list only the most popular ones. Most of them are familiar to you from physical education lessons.

Cervical spine

Head tilts

This exercise is performed standing. The back should be straight, shoulders down, neck muscles relaxed. Lower your head, trying to reach your chin to your chest. At the same time, we move our shoulders forward and round our back. Then we tilt our heads back. And we spread our shoulders, sticking our chest forward. Afterwards, we tilt to one side, trying to reach our ear with our shoulder. We do 10-15 such tilts in each direction.

Circular head rotations

The position for the exercise is the same. Lower your shoulders and relax your neck. We begin to rotate our head clockwise and counterclockwise. We do 10-15 repetitions in each direction. We try to perform circular rotations at full amplitude.

Shoulder muscles

Shoulder Raise

From the starting position described above, we begin to raise our shoulders up. The main task is to try to raise them as close to the ears as possible. This exercise is similar to SHRUGS, but is performed without weight. The number of repetitions is at least 20.

Shoulder rotations

Now we complicate the exercise a little and begin to rotate our shoulders clockwise and counterclockwise. Don’t forget to bend and move your deltoids forward and back. This will give us the opportunity to work at maximum amplitude. Also, we do at least 20 repetitions.

Circular rotations with hands

Again, we make the exercise a little more difficult by straightening your arms completely. Now we are working as much as possible on warming up the shoulder joints. You can rotate your hands either clockwise or counterclockwise.

Arm muscles

Forearm rotations

Spread your arms out to the sides and bend them. From this position, we begin to rotate our forearms in different directions. Just don't just wave your arms. Movements should be at an average pace and completely under your control. We perform 20-30 repetitions in each direction.

Rotations in the hands

There are two options here:

• Raise your arms to the sides and rotate your hands clockwise and counterclockwise.
• Clasp your palms, placing them on top of each other. And we rotate them in different directions.

We also do 20-30 repetitions.

Warm up the pectoral muscles

Raising arms to the side with a turn

This is an excellent exercise that warms up not only the pectoral muscles, but also the oblique abdominal muscles. Stand up straight. Feet shoulder width apart. Bend your elbows and place them in front of you so that the fingertips of your two hands touch. We take in air, filling the chest with it. We make a turn in any direction and spread our arms to the sides. We do 10-15 times in each direction. In this exercise, you can make slightly jerky movements at the time of extension. This will give more effect.

Warm up your back and core muscles

Four-way tilts

This exercise will warm up your back and abdominal muscles. Stand up straight. Place your feet slightly narrower than shoulder width. We place our hands on our sides. From this position we lean forward. Then we bend back as far as possible. Next, we tilt to the right and then to the left. The number of repetitions is at least 10 times.

Circular movements of the pelvis

Let's stand up straight. We put our hands on the belt. Feet shoulder width apart. We begin to rotate the pelvis clockwise. Having made a full circle, we change the direction of movement. We try to work at full amplitude. That is, we draw the largest possible circle with our pelvis. Do it at least 20 times in each direction.

Leg warm-up

Hip rotation

We stand straight. We lean with one hand on any ledge for greater stability. Bend the opposite leg and lift it up. From this position, we begin to rotate in any direction. Then we change legs. We do 10-15 times on each leg.

Bent over knee rotation

We place our feet shoulder-width apart. We lean forward and place our palms on our knees. From this position, using your hands, we begin to rotate your knees in both directions. We do this 10-15 times in each direction.

Squats without weight

Feet shoulder width apart. We put our hands in front of us. During a squat, we try to move the pelvis back as much as possible. We do it at least 20 times.

Calf raise

We stand straight. Feet hip-width apart. Hands on waist. From this position, we rise up onto our toes as much as possible, contracting the calf muscles. We return to the starting position slowly and under control. We do it at least 20 times.

These exercises are simple, but very effective. If you don't know where to start warming up, you can use the above example.

To illustrate how the warm-up is performed, I suggest watching the video:

Home pre-workout warm-up

It is clear that doing a warm-up at home and then driving or going to the gym is absurd. True, this option is acceptable before a running workout, when it is raining outside. But since at home people usually do some form of rhythmic aerobics, stretching, gymnastics with dumbbells or yoga, warming up before working out at home can compare favorably with the traditional standards used in the gym or on the street.

Warm-up before stretching or other home training can be like this:

• 90 sec - walking on the buttocks: forward, backward, sideways, “around stationary heels”;
• 75 sec - sitting on the floor: socks towards you/away + rotation;
• 2 times for each leg - lying in support behind your forearms: quickly drawing zigzags down/up, with the toe of the bent leg stretched, touching the floor to the left/right of the stationary leg;
• 5 times alternately in dynamics + 1st static for 15-30 seconds - lying on your back, arms to the sides: twisting the lower back by touching the floor with a bent knee;
• 6 times - from a lying position on your stomach, palms resting near your chest: bending the back and neck by straightening your arms;
• 3 repetitions in each direction - from the knee-wrist rest with a rounded spine: straightening the back and abducting the opposite arm and leg to the side;
• 75 sec - stretching calves and Achilles against the wall;
• 10 times - movements from an emphasis while sitting, bent, to an emphasis while standing, bent, at the end, linger with straight knees for 15-30 seconds;
• 6 times, alternately - bending to the side, interlocking your fingers with a “bear lock”;
• 10-15 times - squats;
• 3 minutes - intense dance movements, jumping and skipping.

Warm-up mistakes

Replacing joint exercises with cardio

Yes, while running we improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Our body is warming up. But we won’t be able to fully stretch our joints by doing cardio. Pay attention to what professional runners do. Do they come and immediately start running? No, at the beginning they properly stretch their joints and ligaments. Since they are the ones most susceptible to injury. And if you work in a gym with heavy weights, the risk is even greater.

Insufficient time devoted to warm-up

You can often see how a person comes into the hall. And it seemed like he started warming up. But with a little waving of his head, arms and pelvis, he completes it. The worst thing is that this athlete can sincerely believe that he has now protected himself from all disastrous consequences. And what opinion might he have when he is injured? “I warmed up before every training session, but I still got injured. Conclusion: it is useless." The worst thing is that he can then cite his experience as an example. And some of the novice athletes will believe it. Therefore, spend enough time warming up. But of course without fanaticism

Warm up only those parts of the body that are loaded during the training day

Of course, it is very important to thoroughly warm up the shoulder joint before the BENCH PRESS. Or on leg day, when we do heavy BAR SQUATS, warm up our knees extra. But this does not mean that you do not need to pay attention to other areas. Don't forget that bench presses also put a lot of strain on your neck. And in the same squats, not only the legs are involved, but also the lower back. Therefore, we warm up the whole body, focusing on those areas that will be more loaded as part of the training program.

Remember, it’s better to warm up, but not have time to practice. How to exercise and forget to warm up. Yes, medicine has come a long way. Now both ligaments and joints can be replaced. But such an operation is unlikely to allow you to live as before. Therefore, you need to take care of your body. And a little warm-up before training will help you with this. You can also perform it in the morning, or after long sedentary work. And believe me, you will feel a surge of strength.

Good luck to everyone in your training!

Why do you need a warm-up and cool-down?

They help the body prepare for physical activity and complete it correctly, “return” to the usual rhythm.
“Warming up also helps prepare proprioception—it adjusts our “muscular sense,” which is responsible for feeling the position of body parts relative to each other and in space. By performing warm-up exercises, we prepare our tendon system so that the load on the muscles and tendons is distributed correctly so that they are not injured.” A cool-down is a light stretch with elements of cardio, designed, on the one hand, to normalize the heart rate and gradually reduce it. On the other hand, it can stretch muscles. “The cool-down is necessary in order to stretch those muscles that have experienced excessive stress during training. This is necessary so that they do not spasm, shorten, and trigger points do not arise (areas where the muscles spasm and painful sensations occur),” says Grigory Zhezha.

Normally, the duration of the warm-up should be 15-20 minutes, and the cool-down should be about the same. “How to stretch correctly? Any exercise is performed simultaneously with exhalation, because when we inhale, from a neurological point of view, our muscles contract, and when we exhale, they relax,” adds Grigory Zhezha.

Experts do not recommend stretching through pain.

Gymnastic stretching

In order to get all possible efficiency from stretching, two blocks are used - static and dynamic. When performing static exercises, the body freezes in a certain position and does not make movements. Static exercises are done in motion; gymnasts do both slow and fast movements with different amplitudes. For a dynamic block, rolls from twine to twine and swings are used. Towards the end of the stretch, splits are done.

It is very important to spend enough time on both legs, stretch the back of the thigh well, and do both longitudinal and transverse splits. The cross split must be correct; performing it incorrectly with the hips turned out will not do any good, but harm.

Stretching can be active, when the gymnast stretches herself and uses only her own body weight, or passive, when the coach puts pressure on her.

For stretching, use splits, different types of lunges, butterfly and frog exercises. Warm-up includes many bends and waves in different directions, back and forth, rolls and bridges are required, they are necessary for the back. Leg holds are always included in the warm-up, this increases the range of movements.

Warm-up before jumping

Preparing for jumps is a separate part of the warm-up. In gymnastics they gave it a funny name - jumping. First, gymnasts make small jumps, gradually increasing them and bringing them to large ones. Jumping requires perfect coordination of movement; it is developed when performing acrobatics elements.

Flips forward and backward, rolls, barrel rolls, cartwheels, chenets and somersaults develop a good sense of balance. If the training includes complex exercises with unstable body position, then their elements are practiced during the warm-up. There are static exercises for maintaining an unstable posture; the longer they are performed, the more benefits they provide. It is advisable to maintain balance in one position for at least two minutes. After such a warm-up, the gymnasts are ready to perform the main program to music.