Any quality workout is preceded by a set of warm-up exercises. By gradually warming up the muscles, you prepare the body for the load, so that it does not experience tremendous stress. Be sure to do a warm-up, and then physical exercise will benefit.
How to properly warm up before a workout
This exercise helps to gently accelerate blood circulation, expand the amplitude of the joints, and prevent injuries. How to properly warm up before a workout:
- Fulfill simple exercises.
- Take 10-15 minutes to warm up. If you are exercising in a cool room, you can increase the duration of this stage.
- Start working out upper part body, gradually descending.
- The warm-up before training at home should take place at a leisurely pace, but sufficient to warm up the muscles.
The main types of exercises
The warm-up before training the legs, arms, abdomen and back includes extremely simple exercises - various rotations, twists, squats, tilts, push-ups. Good way warm up quickly and effectively - run. You need to start with a leisurely walk, then increase the pace, and in the last 7-10 minutes of warming up, switch to running with average speed. you use maximum amount muscle tissue, make the heart work faster, speed up blood circulation. After such a warm-up before training at home, the body will be ready for a more serious load.
General warm up
Warm-up exercises before training can be grouped into the following groups:
- Universal. Relevant before any physical activity. Such complexes are carried out on school lessons physical education, so they are known to everyone. The warm-up begins with turns and tilts of the head, then you need to move on to working out shoulder girdle, arms, torso, hips, knees, ankles. The final stage of preparation - breathing exercises.
- Special. The main difference before the universal program is the maximum warming up of the muscles that will work intensively during training. If this is a power load, tasks from the main complex are performed, but without weights.
At home, you can warm up like this: jump rope, walk at a fast pace with your knees high, go up and down stairs. If you are going to train the press, twist the hoop. Before a long run, it is important to do one set of lunges, squats, push-ups, tilts. Stretch the femoral, calf muscles, be sure to rotate the knee joints and ankles.
Joint warm-up
This type of training helps to activate the joints, tendons and ligaments, improves their mobility, coordination, and works out the periarticular muscles. Often the complex acts a full workout that's how effective it is. It should be done at home before strength training, fitness, yoga, cardio. What exercises to warm up the muscles before training are included in this complex? Examples:
- Tilt your head back and forth, left and right. Head rotation.
- Lateral slopes corps.
- Stretching the arms up and to the sides.
- Rotations of the shoulders, forearms, hands, chest.
- Twisting of the body, rotation of the pelvis, turns with the legs.
- Lifting, bending-extension of the legs at the knees.
- Ankle rotations.
- Toe raises.
Stretching before workout
Harmonious weight loss and improvement of body shape at home is possible only with the implementation of a comprehensive program. Stretching in this case is not the last place. Often it is recommended to do after sports activities, but as a warm-up before training at home, this type of activity is also good. In order for the exercises to give results, they should be performed with a certain amplitude. If the muscle tissue is weakly warmed up and stretched, there is a high probability of injury.
Before stretching, you need to perform a small set of warming movements. Everything must be done smoothly, pain should not be allowed. Feelings should be comfortable. After correct stretching pleasant warmth spreads over the body and does not feel tired. If you want to sit on the splits, make it the goal of the main workout or cool down. When the muscles become "hot", perform dynamic exercises for stretching:
- Take as a basis the tasks from the general warm-up. When doing them at home, stay longer at the highest point and try to pull as much as possible. muscle tissue.
- If necessary, help yourself with your hands, but without effort and jerks.
- Sometimes at home it is difficult to give an adequate assessment of your progress and body position, so if possible, look in the mirror. This will allow you to see the main errors.
- Productive warm-up exercises for women and men - swings, rotations with legs, arms, springy lunges (can be dangerous for beginners!). Start moving in small amplitude and gradually increase the angle of elevation.
An effective set of exercises for warming up at home
Reach excellent results not only in the gym. At home, it is quite possible to put yourself in order, even if you live in a multi-storey building with poor sound insulation and do not have auxiliary equipment. In this case, jumping and running in the apartment are not available, but you can warm up in another way. Remember and perform the following complex:
- Walking in place. Starting position: standing, arms pressed to the body, feet at a short distance from each other. Walk in place at an average pace for 3-4 minutes.
- Raise the knees to the level of the pelvis. Do 30 reps in 30 seconds.
- Squats - 15 times. Remember that the knees should not go beyond the socks, the emphasis should be on the heels. When lowering the body, take your buttocks back, and tilt your back slightly forward, keep your spine straight.
- Triceps stretch - 4-5 times on each side. Raise your arm, bend it at the elbow. Bring your forearm back. With the other hand, lightly press on the elbow, stretching the muscle.
- Shoulder rotation - 12 times forward, 12 times back.
- Stretching pectoral muscles- 8-10 times. Put your hands behind your back, rest your hands on your lower back. Fingers should point down. Lightly push the pelvis, and chest put forward.
- Stretching the back muscles - 6-8 times. Clasp your hands in the castle, put them in front of you. Round your back and stretch your arms forward.
- stretching thigh muscles– 5 times with a 5-second delay. Bend your knee and lift your foot up to the level of your buttocks. Hold the toe with your hand and gently stretch the muscle tissue.
In order for the muscles to become more supple, they need to be warmed up. Trainers recommend starting with a small warm-up, followed by stretching and the main system of exercises. Final stage- This is a complete stretching of all muscles. This approach will help avoid pain V muscle mass, improve relaxation and increase their stamina.
Even if you don't professional sportsman while stretching for your health and pleasure, take a little extra time to warm up your muscles. This will speed up blood flow, and the exercises themselves will not take much time and effort. For example, light walking or rotation of the arms, pelvis, head, etc. Main goals:
- tone the entire muscle group, increase the temperature;
- reduce overvoltage;
- improve muscle elasticity;
- reduce the load on the heart by increasing cardiovascular activity;
- increase the heart rate;
- increase the intensity of the training process;
- reduce the risk of overstretching, strain and injury;
- warming up allows you to psychologically prepare for the stretching process itself.
When the muscles are cold, there is a risk of injury while exercising at exorbitant speed and power load. This is the opinion of most professionals.
- Everything is done at a slow pace. Haste does not contribute to relaxation, but on the contrary, it can lead to injury.
- At first, take on simple exercises, gradually adding new ones, each time a little more difficult.
- Duration of warming up to 15 minutes, and not to exhaustion.
By following all the rules of stretching, you can avoid side effects. Experts advise that to warm up the muscles, it is better to perform exercises similar to the main system of physical activity, but at a more relaxed pace. Movements aimed at warming up the muscles should have a certain sequence.
Universal exercises
Increasing muscle temperature, start with elementary relaxation. To do this, take the initial position - feet shoulder width apart. Raise your arms as you inhale deeply and lower as you exhale. And so 4-5 approaches.
Next, decide which muscle group is most loaded during stretching. It is on these parts of the body that the main emphasis should be placed when warming up. With any type of physical activity, there are such universal movements as neck rotation, shoulder warm-up, torso twists. To warm up the lower part are walking at a slow pace, squats, leg swings, jumping rope. Forward bends give elasticity not only to the muscles of the back, but also to the vertebrae. Light jogging is very effective. It can be done either on a treadmill in the gym, or on fresh air which is better for the body. calf muscles become warmer as you lift your legs.
Stretching exercises can also serve as warm-up exercises. Raising your hands, grab the wrist of the other hand with the palm of your hand. Make a slow tilt to the left. Return to the original position and repeat, but in the opposite direction.
To warm up the muscles of the lower part, lunge with one leg while leaning on the knee of the other. Gently pull the heel of the same foot towards the buttock with your hands.
Lying on your back, lift your legs up at a right angle. Grasping your ankles with your hands, pull your legs up to your head, pulling your toes towards you. At the same time, do not tear your lower back off the floor.
The final exercises can be with a rope. There is none at hand - replace with jumps in place.
So, regardless of whether you need stretching for professional victories, moral and physical satisfaction from the flexibility of the body, or to benefit from your body, you can achieve maximum results without associated injuries only by properly warming up the entire muscle group before stretching.
Video: warming up and stretching before training
Hi all! Do you stretch? It is sometimes believed that stretching (or stretching, as it is commonly called today) is a secondary activity in the entire workout and that it does not affect the result in any way.
But this is not at all the case, look at the athletes - not a single workout goes without stretching. And this is all because stretching improves body mobility and endurance.
But for a beginner, the word stretch raises many questions, and the most important one is stretching, where to start. And the answer begins with what we actually want: to sit on the splits or in the lotus, stand on the bridge, or put your foot behind the neck.
The goal determines the type of stretch and there are five of them:
Active - when we ourselves make efforts to stretch this or that part of the body - for example, legs or back;
Passive - when we stretch with the help of a partner;
Dynamic - light tension and a smooth transition to another exercise;
Ballistic - prohibited during therapeutic stretching, because it is performed with jerks and springy movements; 
Static - the most effective and recommended type of stretching, its essence is to linger in one state or another for 15-60 seconds;
And, as you can see, if you want to improve your health, you need recovery, then it is better to choose a static type of stretching, while avoiding other types that involve sudden movements.
Also choose smooth gradual movements if you decide to practice at home.
The fact is that performing sudden movements without supervision, without a coach, you risk harming yourself.
The most effective stretching will be if it is carried out every day, performing each exercise for 30-60 seconds.
Exercise technique
Rule number one in stretching is power and relaxation, it is very difficult to pull a tense muscle.
The second thing to consider is posture. You should always have a straight back. Even if you are curled up and it seems impossible for you to straighten your back - stretch, try to keep your back straight. By hunching over, you reduce the elasticity of muscles and ligaments.
Third - avoid positions that provoke injury. For example, if you are bending down to try to touch the floor with your hands, then keep your knees straight, but bend them slightly at the knees as you straighten.
Also don't forget to breathe. Breathe evenly, do not hold your breath. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Take care of stretching symmetry- by doing an exercise right leg, repeat it on the left.
And most importantly - be sure to do it before stretching. warm-up exercises at least 10 minutes. It could be active walking, running, cycling, jumping.
So you will improve your result when stretching, because warmed up muscles are elastic muscles.
Moreover, this will warn you against injury in case of unsuccessful sudden movements during stretching.
The benefits of an active workout
By increasing the temperature during warm-up exercises, you will increase muscle plasticity.
This will allow them to contract and relax faster. Also increase performance.
Muscles will be more saturated with oxygen due to increased blood flow.
Due to the increased blood supply, the level of lactic acid in the body decreases, which will improve muscle function and reduce the sensation of pain.
Performing a warm-up before stretching will improve the cardiovascular activity of the body and this will allow you to perform more work.
Types of exercises for warming up muscles
There are three types of warm-up exercises:
Passive. These are ways of warming up the muscles through the influence of external factors. For example, it can be a sauna, a hot shower, ointments.
Such methods are the least effective, because at the same time we do not involve muscles and joints in vigorous activity.
Non-specialized. Such a warm-up covers a large group of muscles, while not preparing the body for certain loads.
Such activities include jogging and swimming - great way warm up before exercise. After all, we spend little effort, but the warm-up is strong enough.
Specialized. Warm-up, aimed at warming up those muscles that will be involved in the first place.
For example, before practicing kicks, the muscles of the legs are warmed up more capaciously. But before the fight, the emphasis in the warm-up warm-up is on the torso and arms.
This type warming up is the most effective, as it reduces the risk of injury and increases muscle performance. It also improves neuromuscular coordination.
But before performing a specialized warm-up, you must perform a non-specialized one.
After performing a non-specialized warm-up before stretching, it is better to move on to specialized flexibility exercises. These can be joint rotations and dynamic, static stretching.
At school and at home, in the classroom physical culture in college and even kindergarten we always did a warm-up, which lasted 10-15 minutes. Alas, but only the time period is often correctly sustained in such classes, because few people think about what warm-up exercises for muscles should be screened out and used depending on the condition of these muscles. In order to understand this mechanism, let's look at the process of warming up muscles in general.
Here everything happens in several stages:
- - Initially, the muscles are "cold", that is, the volume of blood in them is minimal. As soon as you start doing one or the other muscle work, more and more blood gradually begins to flow to the muscle;
- - Muscles are attached to the bones with the help of tendons, respectively, in order to avoid ruptures in the ligaments, during the warming up of muscle tissues, the tendons also warm up;
- - And, of course, any movement is performed at the expense of the joints, which are also quite easy to injure if they are not warmed up. Well, here everything is even simpler, you just need to evenly distribute the load, increasing it gradually.
So, now you see that the exercises for warming up the muscles, the muscles themselves warm up, one might say, in the last place. This is understandable, because the most traumatic areas during training are precisely the joints and ligaments, and not the muscles themselves. That is why I will conditionally divide the whole process of how to warm up the muscles into three simple steps that you will need to go through in the corresponding stage of the workout.
Stage number 1. Warm up
During the warm-up, our main goal is to warm up the joints, tendons and muscles. It is in this order, and, therefore, here you can not especially invent ingenious exercises, but use the usual treadmill or exercise bike* within 5-10 minutes. After the warm-up part of the warm-up is over, you can start the exercise. Many, remembering the swings and other movements that we all performed in our school years, will ask why we don’t warm up the body in parts? The bottom line is that it is impossible, having such a limited amount of blood in the body, to charge everything at once. muscle groups and thus protect against injury. So waving your arms and legs should only be done when you do not have the opportunity to warm up in other ways.
* If as home gym you choose an exercise bike, then it is very right choice, allowing you to receive moderate physical activity in the most comfortable conditions - which you can choose in one of the best online stores sports equipment sportish. It should be noted that the exercise bike is not only a great way to warm up muscles and reset excess weight. Such trainers are good remedy from anemia, stress, poor memory, irritability, to improve metabolism and brain function.
Stage number 2. Warm up the target muscle
Here everything is somewhat more complicated, since the very idea of \u200b\u200bwarming up is that you have to warm up the muscles, ligaments and joints during the exercise. In other words, if you press the bar and your working weight under 200 kilograms, then you still have to start with 20-40 kilograms, for 4-6 repetitions and add 20-40 kilograms in each approach and nothing else. This is the only way to qualitatively prepare the body for the load to which you are going. Some will say that, at this rate, until you reach the working weight, you won’t be able to shake it. What can I say? In this case, know that this is not your working weight, because even a thin skinny can squeeze out two of his weights at once, tearing his ligaments, but doing it competently and efficiently is what distinguishes a real athlete.
And, of course, if you are a beginner and just starting to train, always follow this rule. Even if you are benching 40 kilos, start with an empty bar and add 10 kilos. And remember one more thing. important rule– no jerks and downed breath. Everything should be clear and technical. Believe me, if at first it looks funny from the side, they say a weakling, 20 kilograms presses like 200 hung! Then in six months or a year, when you shake your first hundred square meters easily, without injuries and unnecessary red tape, you will already laugh at 30-year-old injured pensioners who neglected technology.
Stage number 3. Hitch-stretch
This stage is the most difficult, as you will have to overcome the pain to stretch your hot, torn muscles. That is why even many professionals often "forget" to do exercises to warm up the muscles after a workout. And why is it needed at all? I answer, it will depend on the quality stretching after training:
- A) Your flexibility and mobility. Muscles are very plastic, but they need to be stretched in a heated state;
- b) Your health and strength. Stretched tendons and ligaments are ready to take on a large load and, therefore, you will be able to work with big weights without risking injury;
- C) Your recovery rate. During stretching, you are actually squeezing your muscles, removing the remaining lactic acid from them and allowing the blood to renew its nutrient reserves.
Warming up the muscles before training is a set of exercises that helps prepare for physical activity and avoid injury. Many novice athletes neglect the warm-up and do not warm up, which is a big mistake.
The role of warming up muscles
How to properly warm up the muscles before training, we will describe in detail in today's material. First, it’s worth understanding why the warm-up is really important and necessary:
- Warming up the muscles involves an increase in the temperature of their fibers. In this state, they work more efficiently and relax better. This improves strength, speed and endurance. Still warmed up muscles are more elastic, so the likelihood of getting stretched is lower.
- Vasodilation is another factor in favor of warming up before exercise. Blood flow improves, the load on the heart is reduced, and the muscles receive more oxygen.
- Normal cooling of the body due to normally occurring thermoregulation (sweating). This eliminates the risk of overheating and muscle injury at the beginning of the training process.
- Psychological aspect. By warming up before training, you mentally prepare for intense work, so the session brings more benefits.
How to warm up muscles?
Every athlete, including beginners, should know how to warm up and prepare the muscles before training at home or in the gym. Experts advise starting with aerobic exercise which will speed up heartbeat and provide the muscles with the oxygen they need.
At home, you can warm up the muscles with the help of brisk walking or running in place for 5-10 minutes. Then you need to stretch and warm up all the joints and tendons. A set of exercises suitable for home and gym is as follows:
- Turns and tilts of the head. Stand up straight, spread your legs shoulder-width apart and begin to perform different movements with your head, stretching your neck.
- Warm-up of hands with the development of joints. In the same starting position start rotating your hands and forearms, swing your arms to the sides, up and down.
- We go down and perform turns and tilts of the torso. Try to go lower with each workout during the warm-up, improving the stretch.
- Rotation of the pelvis, placing the hands on the waist. Perform springy movements, stretching the oblique muscles of the press.
- Warming up knee joints: we stand straight, putting our feet together and putting our palms on our knees. Begin to perform rotational movements with your knees, as if describing a circle with them.
- You can finish warming up your muscles before training by jumping in place with your hands clapping over your head.
How to warm up in the hall?
If you work out in the gym, it is better to warm up your muscles before stretching or twine with cardio loads. Use a treadmill, orbitrek or exercise bike - 10 minutes is enough, starting at a slow pace and gradually accelerating it.
The gyms have jump ropes and expanders, which can also be used to warm up the muscles, moderately increasing the load. Also, before each exercise, it is recommended to prepare muscle fibers by performing several warm-up approaches with small weights.
What is the danger of not warming up?
Many beginners make the same mistake when they come to GYM's: they begin to perform the exercise with large weights. For example, they do a bench press immediately with a weight of 60-80 kg with workers of 100 kg. This is simply unacceptable, as the chance of injury is too high:
- sprain is the most common situation;
- fainting due to a sharp increase in pressure;
- joint damage.
Experienced athletes always start their workout with a warm-up to warm up the whole body. Some even sit on the splits and perform other complex exercises to stretch the ligaments and muscle fibers, and for beginners it is enough to confine themselves to the above-described complex.
