183030.html

Warm-Up

The warm up portion of your exercise routine is very important and should not be bypassed. If you have ever jumped into a fitness class or into your workout and found the first couple of minutes of cardio or the first sets of resistance training made you feel out of breath you can appreciate the significance of the warm-up.

During the first few minutes of exercise your respiratory system is in a state of oxygen deficit and will fatigue quickly if not given an adequate opportunity to adjust to the workload. The warm up is necessary to gradually prepare the muscles, most importantly your heart, for the exercise ahead.

A proper warm-up can be as little as three minutes for an advanced athlete capable of understanding their body or can be ten minutes for beginners to ensure elevation of your heart rate by at least 40 beats per minute.

As an example, if your resting heart rate is 75 beats per minute your warm-up should bring it up to 115. This may seem high for some beginners who may find that their warm-up based on their resting heart rate will enter into their age predicted target cardio training zone. If this is the case you should seek professional guidance on preparing your workout.

The warm up can range from walking on a treadmill for new exercisers to more complex low intensity dynamic movements used as a rehearsal of the movements to be performed during your routine. For boxers and kickboxers, skipping and shadow boxing for a round or two is the perfect warm-up.

We all have good days and bad days, so too do we have high energy and low energy days. The warm-up gives us a chance to get our mental focus on the workout and some time to evaluate our energy level. If your energy feels high that day you may want to alter your workout to increase the intensity and if it’s at the lower end of the scale, decrease the intensity accordingly.

Other than the increased heart beats per minute, you can assess your warm-up’s effectiveness by observing physical changes to your body. Watch for your skin colour to get just a little reddish, your muscles should feel warmer, a little perspiration should appear and you should feel your breathing pattern increase slightly.

When you have warmed up successfully, decide whether you will stretch or continue into your cardio training zone. The deciding factor on that issue is: will stretching assist in the exercise I am about to do, such as kicking, or is it best to keep going and maintain the elevated heart rate? That is truly an individual decision as many fitness enthusiasts have done it both ways effectively.

Stretching 101

Stretching is probably one of the most neglected parts of fitness training and health in general.

Many people will take part in a fitness class, workout or work around the house and quickly move on to the next task because they are in a hurry to get going. By scurrying along you miss a very integral component of your overall fitness. Take five minutes prior to the activity to do some light cardio movement to slightly raise the body temperature before stretching.

Never stretch without a warm-up. Cold muscles are not pliable and you could cause slight tears to the muscles. Dynamic stretches (performed during a warm-up limiting the range of motion to about 75%) and mimicking the movements of the routine to be performed will allow the muscles to be more elastic in nature and prepared for the work ahead.

Whether it is aerobics, resistance/weight training, going for a walk or doing household chores you are repeatedly contracting the muscles. The heavier or more intense the activity the more contraction that is involved requiring not only the muscles, but also the connective tissue, tendons and ligaments to be shortened and stressed. Stretching restores the natural length to the muscles, tendons and ligaments and increases the range of motion to the joints. Greater range of motion reduces degeneration of the joints as well as the risk of injury due to tightness and inflexibility.

Intense physical activity causes a build up of lactic acid in the muscles that can result in soreness. Gradually stretching each body part worked for as little as 15-30 seconds is all it takes to relieve it.

As you stretch, never bounce or use a jerking motion. Slowly reach out elongating the muscles while exhaling and holding at a point of mild discomfort.

Most people associate stretching only with exercises, however, poor posture as a result of a sedentary lifestyle can be improved greatly with simple relaxation stretching at work or at home. Sitting for prolonged periods of time causes a shortening and tightening of the muscles in the legs, particularly the hamstrings and hips. Tightness in these areas can be directly linked to lower back pains.

Typical chores around the house like gardening, raking or the much-loved snow shoveling, should be accompanied by a short period of stretching before and after to thwart the onset of stiffness and soreness.

Stretch Your Quality of Life with Flexibility Training

There are many daily tasks that we take for granted like bending over to tie our shoes or reaching to the top shelf of the cupboard for our morning cereal. For some people this is difficult or impossible.

As we have a tendency to be a more sedentary population than past generations our bodies adapt to our lifestyle. All too often this results in poor posture and a significant reduction in our mobility. When you add in the inevitable aging process we have the increased likelihood of dependence due to self induced health problems.

Stretching and flexibility training can reverse the effects of the aging process and years of inactivity, therefore, improving your quality of life.

Some people have physical disabilities limiting their flexibility but for most it’s just a product of inactivity and failing to realize the consequences and alternatives.

Four to seven days a week of gentle reaching, bending and stretching activities will help keep your muscles relaxed and joints mobile.

Stretching is essential to everyone just to remain functional, as well as those involved in exercise from the home fitness enthusiast to the competitive athlete. Flexibility will help prevent injuries and enhance sports performance and agility. For those involved in resistance or weight training it will allow for muscle growth by restoring the natural length to the muscles after contraction and prevent the lack of mobility commonly referred to as being muscle bound.

There are two basic types of stretching or flexibility training.

Dynamic stretching, which is used as a warm up to other training, and static stretching which is performed with warm muscles at the end of the training session or physical activity.

Dynamic stretching takes the muscles through a moderate range of motion in a rehearsal type movement. Think of it as though you were going to play baseball.

You wouldn’t immediately try to throw the ball over the center field fence; you would play short toss and then increase the distance. This is the same principal as the dynamic stretch. Start slow and increase the speed to warm up the muscles around the joints.

Static stretching is done at the conclusion of the exercise and is a gradual lengthening of the muscles. Never stretch to your limit with cold muscles as they are not as pliable as they are when warmed up and strains and pulls can occur.

If you don’t plan to workout but want to stretch take five to ten minutes to warm up first. The warm-up can be a short walk or a few times up and down the stairs at home. Stretch each of the major muscle groups and joints. Slowly stretch while exhaling and hold the stretch from 10-30 seconds, release, take a deep breath and perform the same stretch remembering not to bounce or hold your breath. Bouncing movements actually cause a natural reflex to contract the muscle to prevent over-lengthening and reduce full range of motion.

An entire full body stretching routine can be accomplished in as little as seven minutes a day.