This post will be shorter than my usual dissertation, but it’s an important piece of advice about preparing your body for a training session.
Many of you are able to come to the gym before the start of class time…this is GREAT! Some of you hop on a piece of cardio equipment and start the warm-up process on your own…AMAZING! Some of you sit on the floor or stare at the whiteboard…not so great.
The best use of your time before the workout is warming up your system and addressing your personal mobility needs. Yes, we start each session with group mobility, but this is really the bare minimum, and the more you can do, the better. This is especially true for you morning people who have just gotten out of bed.
Everyone at our gym should know what their personal mobility needs are. This could be based on feedback from your initial assessment or simply an awareness of what mobility exercises are most challenging to you (if you struggle with a mobility movement, that means you need to work on it).
A thorough warm-up prepares your body by gradually amping up your cardiovascular system, raising your core temperature, and increasing blood flow to your muscles. The mobility work further primes you for what you are about to do in the session. This can help reduce muscle soreness and lessen your risk of injury.
Got a few extra minutes? At a minimum, you should spend some time on an air bike and do some foam rolling. If you have a little more time, hit the mobility movements specific to you - even if we are doing these movements in the group warm-up.
Warming-up and mobility aren’t necessarily the fun or sexy stuff, but they are key to helping you to achieve proper positions, which in turn can help you perform better and stronger. The reward is huge!
It’s a goal of us, as coaches, to make our members independent. Knowing how to warm up is a big part of that.
Still not quite sure what to do? Just ask!
