Are you aware of how important the warm up is in every training session? If not, watch this video as Craig Ballantyne shows you how to warm up for a strenuous activity. In this case, the 30 minute challenge.
Doing a proper warm up and cool down routine before you start working out is essential, especially as we age. The muscles are generally tight and not very limber or loose prior to lifting heavy weights. This means that the range of motion necessary to get a good rep rage is not maximized.
So when you exert force upon and put stress upon a muscle with heavy weight, it might tear, rip, pop or even break causing sustained injury. The idea is to loosen up the muscle and get it nice and warm so the range of motion can be fully explored while lifting heavy weight. Because you’re able to extend the normal range of motion, you exposed new muscle fibers to being torn during any exercise you engage in.
Now it is important to mention that a rigorous workout is no child’s play as not only you need to have your wits against you but also the interest and determination to give it the very best each day so as to achieve the target quickly but most importantly, you need to have a calm and peaceful mind for which practicing yoga through yoga burn reviews online is a must as that would become a double whammy in the game.
The more muscle fiber that gets broken down, the more build up there will be. That translates into more muscle growth, more healthy hormones released like testosterone and human growth hormone as well as a boost to your metabolism and fat loss. This simply means more muscle, less fat and you’ll looked ripped and shredded faster.
Now can you see why you need to warm up before you start pumping iron?
Have you tried Craig Ballantyne’s Bodyweight challenge where you’re going to do a certain number of sets? Doing everything in the shortest time means better results. When using body weight exercises it’s important to remember to warm up. In fact it’s possible to increase the chances of injury when doing body weight workout routines.
Why you ask?
Well it’s simply a matter of mindset. When you’re lifting many pounds of weight (especially free weights like barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells) you tend to concentrate on using proper form and body alignment. Your physiology is correct. You make sure you’re not extending your extremities in awkward positions and putting them into comprising situations. Namely, you’re concentration and awareness or zeroed in on the task at hand.
When we perform strictly body weight exercises, we tend to think that it’s okay if we don’t have correct posture or our feet are too far apart. We think it’s easy so we let our minds wander a bit. And bam it hits. We feel a twinge in a joint, a pulling of a muscle or a tear of a ligament.
That’s when injuries can set you back months in rehab. Not only will you have missed out on potential gains but it might take you another six months just to get back to where you were. This puts you a year behind, simply because you didn’t do the warm ups before your exercise routine.
In the case of the 30 minute challenge, you’ll be doing as much as you can within the 30 minute time frame. However, you can’t just jump into that routine without warming up.
Warming up also allows for the body to prepare for the work that’s ahead of it by circulating blood, releasing endorphin, carrying oxygen and nutrients to the proper cells and more.
The goal of this warmup routine is to prepare your body for the intense 30 minutes you’ll be doing. As you progress, you will realize that your fitness level increases because you’ll be increasing the number of repetitions you’re able to do in time.
Trust me you’ll love this warm up. But don’t forget to do the cool downs after your training sessions either.
All of the warm up exercises here will only make use of your bodyweight primarily. However, in the actual 30 minute challenge, you’ll be needing the bar for the rows, but that’s about it as far as equipment goes.
I suggest buying a few pieces of equipment for your home gym that you can use any time you’re in a pinch for workout time.
Start with a bodyweight warmup, the prisoner sumo squat. Your hands are up behind your head, your stance is wider than usual. This way, you push your hips a little bit more and you’ll be able to stretch your groin a little bit more. If you’re not too flexible, don’t get your feet so far wide because it’s going to be a lot stressful on your groin.
It all depends on how limber your lower body muscles are. Try doing one exercise slowly to see where your range of motion lies.
Follow up with offset pushups. This only has a slight variation with normal pushups wherein one hand is pushed farther forward than the other. Switch over and do the same number with the other hand forward. Trust me on this one, you’ll be worn out and exhausted when you’re done with these.
Next is the stickup. To do this, stand 6 inches against a wall, with your elbows, shoulder blades and wrists touching the wall as well as the back of your head. Slide your arms up as far as you can while keeping them in contact with the wall. Then slowly tuck them back in. If you have a poor posture, you’ll find this exercise to be challenging.
The more difficult it is, the more you must push through and complete it. You have to create your own barriers and have the mental toughness and awareness to move beyond them. Only you know what those are for you.
Move into the next exercise which is the cross-crawl. Starting with your hands raised, raise your knee in order to touch the opposite elbow. Do the same with the other leg and elbow.
I like to do this on a rebounder but that’s just me. The cross crawl is good for your lungs, heart and blood. It’s also an aerobic/cardiovascular exercise second to none.
Next is the reverse lunge where you step back with one leg and drop your hips. This stretches the front of your back leg nicely. You can do about 5 repetitions for each side. This will help extend and elongate your current range of motion.
This is the end of the warmup routine. What you need to do after this is rest for a minute and go over the routine again.
Do this entire routine at least 2 times if not 3 so that you can be able to get the maximum benefit from your workouts each day.
Warming up your body is important in order to avoid injuries, so don’t forget the warm up.
