How to start Every Workout

The other day I was beginning a session with a client and this was at the time when the gym was just opening. Yep, right at 530 am. This time of year when there is some light it's not so bad. But in the middle of winter when it's still dark and cold that's another thing altogether.

Anyways, as we were warming up I was able to notice what everyone else does when they get to the gym. It's much easier to notice this at 530 am because every new person you see has just walked in the door. And here's the thing. People tend to do just dive straight in to the regular workouts.

If they are cardio people then head straight for their machine of choice, key in the program they want to follow and get started.

And if they're people who lift weights then they will go straight to their exercise of choice and start loading weight on the bar for their first set.

And the yoga people throw their mats down, turn the lights in the group fitness room and go to sleep. Well, not really but pretty close.

But here's the thing, when you go skiing do you do a few warm up runs before you tackle the moguls and advanced runs? When you go golfing do you do a few practice swings and maybe a few stretches before teeing one up on the 1st tee? And if you play rec league basketball, soccer or volleyball do you shoot a few free throws, dribble or pass the ball around before game time?

Absolutely you would. So why wouldn't we take some time to warm-up before our workouts? Besides increasing our core temperature, activating the core and mobilizing key joints a proper warm-up helps us perform better during our workout. And you will reducing the chance of injury and enhancing your ability to recover when you warm-up properly.

Not sure what to do for a proper warm-up? Well here's what we include for our athletes and clients.

1. Tennis ball roll. Rub the bottom of the foot, without shoes, on a tennis ball. This helps awaken proprioceptors in the foot and as the muscles are connected by fascia it helps to recruit the musculature throughout the lower extremities and towards the glutes and hips.

2. A general warm-up. This may be a light jog if outdoors or a few minutes on a cardio machine to get a sweat on.

3. Run through a dynamic warm-up. The keys are to get the body moving but start slow to fast, no rotation to rotation, small level changes to larger level changes, small ranges of motion to greater ranges of motion. If you're not sure how to set up a dynamic warm-up let me know and I'll send you one.

4. Lateral tube walking. We want to get the glutes firing. This is a great staple of our program and a great drill to make your knees really stable.

5. Med ball chops. We use a med ball to increase loading through the core and increase mobility through the thoracic spine.

6. Wall slides. Most people have over active upper traps and this drill helps to reverse this.

7. Ankle mobilizations. Most people tend to lack ankle mobility. And what we lack at one joint will be accessed from another. Unfortunately for many this ends up being the low back which shouldn't be moving around a lot.

8. Scapular push-ups. The more we do these the less shoulder issues I've seen with our clients and athletes. And it transfers very well to the technique we want them to use when doing any kind of horizontal pressing.

Well that's how we warm-up. 8 drills or exercises that take approximately 10-15 minutes. It gets the body warm, fires up the nervous system and get the key area activated, mobilized and ready for work.