Warm Up to Slim Down

When is the last time you took 15-20 minutes to warm-up before a workout? When is the last time this warm-up did not include the treadmill or bike?

If you have to think about this one, chances are, you have not been making the most of your time at the gym. While strength training is crucial to fat loss and muscle gain, it is only as good as your preparation for it. Unfortunately, even if you have been working in some warm up time, the standard 10 minutes on the treadmill just won’t cut it anymore. We want all of the following to be achieved BEFORE we begin strength training:

1)    Focus our minds on the task at hand

2)    Improve tissue quality

3)    Lengthen muscles

4)    Re-program motor control signals

5)    Activate core musculature

6)    Prepare our central nervous system

7)    Turn on hip, knee, and shoulder stabilizers

8)    Increase tissue temperature

As you can see, the treadmill will only achieve one, maybe two of these goals. A better approach would be to include a variety of activities that truly prepare your body for the work you are about to demand of it.

This, in turn, will produce better results from your strength work! This is especially true if you are trying to slim down. The benefit of strength training is most apparent when the body must work hard to recover from the exercise, not necessarily from the exercise itself. In general, you burn fewer calories during a strength workout than a long-distance run, but the total calories AND total fat burned over a 48-hour period are much higher as a result of strength training.

Back to the warm-up: If we prepare our bodies properly, we will be able to push ourselves harder in our workouts and produce a larger recovery response over the next 48 hours. In other words, more fat burning! The following are the three steps that I take to ensure that I get the most out of my strength work.

P.S. As you will notice, the follow will add up to around 20 minutes of work. This may concern you as it means that you may not have as much time for your usual workout. Fear not! Most people spend way too much time with their exercises with varied results. By warming up and having a focused strength program, you will not need as much time for your lifts (only 20-30 minutes) and you will still get better results than you did when you were lifting for 60+ minutes. Less is more, so let’s get to it!

Step 1: Foam Roll

If you have never used a foam roller before, check out the video below to learn more. During your time on the foam roller (about 5 minutes), you should be focusing on two things. First, you are working to break down scar tissue, increase the flow of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, and ensure that your muscles can fire properly. Second, you should be thinking about your goals and what you want to achieve from your workout. Is this going to be a give-it-you-all day? Or is this going to be more of a recovery day? Do you need to progress in an exercise from last time? This should be your time to mentally prepare so that you get the most from your exercise.

Nice series, as you do this more, you will learn where you need it the most and focus on those areas more.

Step 2: Corrective Exercise

This is sometimes referred to as prehabilitative training, the idea being that we are spending time on specific issues that may result in injury if not attended to. I take a two part approach to corrective exercise: first we stretch and then we stabilize. Let’s say you frequently leave the gym with a sore back. Chances are, your butt is not doing its job and your back is now picking up the slack. If this sounds familiar, you might want to combine your favorite hip stretch (what is most tight around your hip?), and then go straight into bridges to help get those glutes firing! If you jump into a workout without your butt working right, there will always be problems. This section will usually involve 2-3 exercises, so it should not take more than 5 minutes.

Good movement on this one, but I would go for 3-5, 5 second holds on each side.

This one you can do with or without the tennis ball, tennis ball will be more challenging.

Step 3: Dynamic Movement

The benefit of dynamic movement, or dynamic stretching, is that we actively take our bodies through various ranges of motion, therefore increasing flexibility, while also keeping the muscles warm and engaged. You will want to look for diversity in your movement, so combine movement skills such as jumping, skipping, running, side steps, etc., with dynamic stretches such as lunges, twists, reaches, squats, pushes and pulls. It is also helpful if you engage in movements that will mimic those exercises you have planned for your strength training session. This should take no more than 10 minutes, but will be vital for eliciting the best response from your strength training.

 Nice variety here, feel free to throw in some of your favorites as well!

There you have it. Follow these three steps, train hard on your lifts, and you will not only see better results, you will also be helping your body to recover and rehabilitate nagging joint problems. Exercise should be about total body health, so let's keep ourselves healthy & moving well as we lose those pounds. Enjoy the warm-up and keep up the good work!