8/31/11

Warming up....Effectively

The days of just half assing it on a treadmill or an elliptical and calling that a "warm up" are over. In fact they have been over for a good period of time now. And that also includes just doing a couple seconds of hamstring stretches and a few arm circles. Instead, we now know an effective warm up will raise your core temperature, excite your nervous system a bit and target dynamic flexibility and joint mobility. Sounds like a lot, but it can be accomplished in anywhere from 5-10 minutes with as little as five exercises and may be as many as eight.

When putting together an effective warm up there are a couple things I'm usually focusing on:

  1. Ankle mobility

  2. Hip Mobility

  3. Hip Stability

  4. Thoracic Mobility

  5. Scapular Stability

The following is a short video of a warm up that really anyone can use. It does not require a ton of space, consists of eight exercises and should take you no more than 8-10 minutes once you get the hang of each exercise. Just do me a favor. If this warm up is to be effective, really focus on each exercise. Remember the days of half assing it are over.










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