Before starting your weight training session at the gym, it's essential to prepare your body for the effort. Spending 5 to 15 minutes warming up is ideal, as it raises your body temperature, improves circulation, and activates your muscles without depleting the energy you need for your main workout. Here's a simple way to achieve this.
Aerobic warm-up
Start with low-intensity aerobic movements to get your body moving:
Walking on the treadmill: A brisk walk is ideal for starting out and gradually raising your body temperature.
Stationary bike or ergometer: They are excellent for activating circulation, warming up your legs and burning some extra calories.
The idea is to raise your heart rate gradually, without exhausting yourself. Ideally, you should increase it between 30 and 50 beats per minute above your resting heart rate. For example, if your resting heart rate is 80 beats per minute, you should reach between 105 and 120 beats per minute during your warm-up. This way, you'll activate your body without wasting extra energy before a hard workout.
This stage will help you activate your cardiovascular system and raise your body temperature.
Dynamic warm-up
After the aerobic portion, perform movements that specifically prepare the muscles and joints you'll be using in your weight training. This part of the warm-up should be active and focused.
Some useful examples are:
Joint mobility: Move the major joints involved in your exercises in circles, such as your shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. This helps lubricate them and improve their range of motion.
Dynamic stretches: Perform controlled movements that stretch your muscles without holding them at the end of the range of motion. For example, if you're working your lower body, you can do long walking lunges or swing your legs back and forth.
Exercise-specific movement: If you're new to chest pressing, do one or two sets with light weights and a wide range of motion, focusing on technique and control. This type of warm-up prepares your muscles and joints for the loads they'll face, improves performance, and reduces the risk of injury.
Avoid static stretching
Before your workout, don't do prolonged static stretches. These stretches are best done at the end of your session, when your muscles are already warmed up. Instead, a dynamic warm-up better prepares your muscles for the intense activity ahead.
Simplifying warm-up
Time: 5 to 15 minutes.
Aerobic phase: Walking, cycling, ergometer, or anything that gets your heart rate up.
Note: If you walk 300-400 meters to the gym, or if you can take the stairs instead of the elevator (if the gym is on a high floor), take advantage of that to cover this part of the warm-up and save time.
Activate muscles: Joint movements, dynamic stretching and specific activation exercises.
Note: Although it is not ideal, if you have little time you can save minutes Going straight into activation, you can do one or two sets of the first exercise with a light weight. This will help prepare your muscles and reduce the risk of injury without the need for a longer warm-up.
By following these basic steps, you'll optimize your performance in the gym and reduce your risk of injury, allowing you to enjoy a safe and effective workout.