I confess that warming-up has never been something I’ve really enjoyed. I like doing the work I’ve planned and checking those items off as I go. Warming up has always been an obstacle for me… to the point that I’ve nearly missed workouts because I procrastinated so much on getting started with my warm-up. So, when summer rolls around, it’s not just the Vitamin D that accounts for the big surges in performance that tend to result from my training.
One of my favorite things about summer is how easy it is to get warm for my workouts. Throughout the summer the hot and humid climate makes “warming-up” sometimes as simple as doing a few jumping jacks. Body temperature gets elevated, you break a sweat, the joints feel nice and loose and you’re good to go.
When I stepped out my door for a run this morning I noticed it was quite a bit cooler out than last week and it took me a few extra minutes to achieve the same degree of “limberness” I usually look for before I start to push the pace in my runs. So, I felt inspired to share some of the warm-up “cheats” I’ve learned over the years.
First, let me state that it is EXTREMELY important that you get WARM during your WARM-up. There’s a lot of research that shows the importance of that, but this isn’t that kind of “article”. If you want that kind of stuff, hit PubMed and look up “warm-up” and “injury” and you’re off to a good start. Your first prerogative when you get rolling at Sublime is to break a sweat. Usually this is done on the rower or AirDyne or with a jumping rope… but you could go for a run, do paced burpees, or even an intensive joint mobility routine. My favorite thing to do – provided there is space to do it, is to do 1 minute at a different station for 6-12 minutes, depending on the day… switching up the stations keeps it somewhat interesting and allows me to push a better pace which elevates my heart rate, body temperature and gets me sweating quicker.
To further expedite the process of getting warm on a cool dry day, wear layers. Start your warm-up with a toque, hoodie and sweat pants, and get yourself nice and sweaty before you start pulling layers off…. or don’t pull the layers off and keep training that way – particularly if the workout starts with a strength piece with long rest periods.
If you have wrists or knees that tend to get stiffer in the winter, wrist wraps and knee sleeves can go a long way toward keeping those joints warm throughout your workout. Wrist wraps also tend to make your pressing exercises more comfortable and keep sweat from getting onto your palms from your forearms. Knee sleeves can create a bit more comfort at the bottom of the squat as they provide a bit more compression – but their most important role is to keep the joint warm and encourage circulation.
Once you’ve got off the rower or airdyne or have finished your circuit, I’d encourage you to mix in some simple calisthenics in and amongst your mobility. For example, doing some hollow rocks in between cat/camel or leg swings… arch rocks in between hip circles or kneeling hip flexor stretch… push-ups or paced burpees in between pec stretching, etc… mess around with stuff… you’re not “doing work” here, but aiming to keep warm while you take your joints through ROM… I’ve seen and experienced it several times where that light sweat I broke on a 3 or 4 minute row at the beginning is gone by the time I finish joint mobility… I’m more limber than I was when I got to the gym – but I’m not “warm” anymore… and that’s a problem if I want to get the most out of my workout and reduce chances of injury.
Questions? Fire them off to brendan@sublimesc.com.