Many years ago when getting ready for a training session, I would be impatient and spend just a few seconds with a stretch here and a stretch there, then take off. A common theme that occurred every time was I did not feel “in the groove” for several minutes or sets etc. Have you ever felt that way?
The problem was that I did not warm up properly, in this case at all.
So, I went back to the basics, warm up.
Not all warm ups will be the same, it depends on your activity and intensity.
Here are a few questions to consider when developing a warming up:
- What are you warming up for? …endurance event, sprints, weight lifting, throwing, shooting
- What is the intensity? …. Fast, slow, ballistic
- What is the duration? … short, long
- What systems are you using primarily? …Muscular, Cardio/Respiratory
- Is this your first session of the day? or second?
- What are your external conditions? …Hot, Cold
- How old are you? … the older you are the longer it takes
Once, I started to warm up properly for my session, I noticed I felt better, faster and not so tight. The objection I hear often is… “My time is limited and I need to get “this much” training in. We have all been there, but the reality is you need to warm up to maximize your training time. When setting up your sessions, remember to add the warm up time to your training block for that day or session.
We help frustrated individuals and aspiring athletes, confused about what to do and stuck, by identifying their limitations and developing a hand crafted plan for success.
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