Are you new to the world of fitness and bodybuilding?
Do you know that a high percentage of injuries occur when bodybuilders do not properly warm up before their training session or cooldown afterwards?
Indeed as a newbie you may be tempted to hit the gum and go straight to lifting weights, but this is the wrong way to go.
As a matter of fact, there are three distinct phases that you need to incorporate into your daily or every-other-day (EOD) training routine.
These phases are the activation phase, warm-up phase and cooldown phase. Each phase is just as crucial as your main workout routine with the activation and warm-up phases coming just before your main workout and the cooldown phase taking place after your main training routine.
In this article, you will learn why warm-ups and cooldowns are essential for injury prevention. What’s more, your activation, warm-up and cooldown phases will propare your body to be in the best possible shape to improve performance and promote quick recovery leading to muscle growth.
Best Activation Drills for Strength and Performance
Before you engage in an actual warm-up phase, you need to first activate specific muscle groups with a muscle activation routine. This pre-warm-up routine will make sure that the major muscles that would be actively engaged in your training session are properly warmed up and ready for the stress load that your training would bring.
By performing activation drills, you will prevent poor form as well as injuries by limiting your body’s dependence on a number of compensatory or secondary skeletal muscles.
With activation warm-up, you prepare specific primary muscle groups for the rigors of lifting heavy during your strength training sessions.
The Main Advantages of Activation Warm Up
#1. Engagement of More Primary Muscles
As mentioned already, activation warm-up will make sure that your primary muscle groups are well and truly prepared to withstand heavy loading brought about by lifting weights during weight training.
#2. Improved Mind-Muscle Connection
Activation warm-up will improve your mind-muscle connection to make you more aware of how your muscles move and contract.
#3. Less Risk of Injuries
Activation warm-up will limit your body’s use of secondary muscles during resistance training thereby preventing poor form and injuries.
The best activation warm-up phase should take between 5 to 10 minutes to complete before you move onto the warm-up part of your training program.
Some of the best activation drills for strength and performance include the following:
Activation Drills for the Lower Body
- 2 sets of 15 reps of Glute bridges.
- 2 sets of 10 steps for each side with Banded lateral walks.
- 2 sets of 12 reps of Single-leg Romanian deadlifts.
- 2 sets of 10 reps of Bodyweight squats.
Activation Drills for the Upper Body
- 2 sets of 12 reps of Scapular push-ups.
- 2 sets of 15 reps of Banded face pulls.
- 2 sets of 10 reps of Shoulder dislocations using resistance bands.
- 30 seconds for each of Shoulder rolls and Arm circles.
Activation Drills for Core and Stability Training
- 2 sets of 12 reps of Dead bugs.
- 3 sets of 30 seconds per set of Planks.
- 2 sets of 15 reps on each side of Pallof press.
How to Warm Up Properly Before Strength Training
Once you are done with the activation phase of your weight training program, you then need to move on to your warm-up phase.
Here’s how to warm-up properly before strength training:
First, spend between 10 to 15 minutes of your time engaged in the following warm-up drills;
- 3 to 5 minutes of general warm-up consisting of aerobic exercises, such as; jump rope, low intensity cycling, row machine and light jogging.
- 5 minutes of dynamic mobility exercises like arm circles, shoulder rolls, leg swings, cat-cow stretches and Thoracic rotations. These mobility exercises will enhance your hip mobility while also improving your upper back flexibility and spinal mobility.
By engaging in a proper warm-up routine, you will boost your blood flow and heart rate while improving your body’s mobility ensuring that you can transition with ease from a movement to a state of rest and vice-versa.
In addition to this, during a warm-up phase, you will activate your nervous system to ensure efficient, well-coordinated movements.
If you should ever skip your warm-up phase, you would most likely experience muscle stiffness which leads to poor form, training and a greater susceptibility to muscle-related injuries.
It is also important to note that before you begin lifting any weights, you should try out workout specific warm-ups for between 3 to 5 minutes.
By performing low intensity warm-ups that mimic strength training routines, you will prepare your body to adapt to the necessary form needed to perform the workout.
You can try out light weight, low intensity bodyweight squats prior to your weighted squats. If you are going to perform deadlifts with heavy barbell weights for example, you can prepare yourself for this workout by performing a kettlebell swing routine using light kettlebell weights.
Where part of your weight training session involves heavy pulling workouts, you can get yourself warmed up by engaging in a shoulder press exercise routine using an empty barbell. This is particularly useful for a weighted overhead press workout.
The Role of Cooldowns in Muscle Recovery and Flexibility
Once you are done with your weight training session or high-intensity interval training routine, your body tends to be suspended in a highly stressed state where your muscles are tensed and your breathing and heart rate are elevated.
It is at this point that you need to gradually bring down your body from the stressed state to a more normal state. This is when the cooldown phase should kick-off to help prevent post-workout stiffness while also significantly reducing skeletal muscle soreness.
As mentioned already, the cooldown phase will help to lower both your blood pressure and heart rate which prevents poor circulation, dizziness and fainting spells.
Also, the cooldown phase will drastically lower lactic acid accumulation by eliminating metabolic waste while promoting the relaxation and quick repair of damaged muscles.
This means that you are likely to experience less post-workout muscle cramping and tightness if you implement the cooldown phase.
In the long-run the cooldown phase will improve your body’s overall flexibility while greatly reducing stiffness overtime.
Your cooldown phase should last for between 5 to 10 minutes and you should engage in the following routines;
3 to 5 Minutes of Low Intensity Aerobic Exercises
- Deep breathing
- Low intensity cycling
- Walking
5 Minutes of Static Stretching
- Quad and hip flexor stretches, Seated twist and Child’s pose exercises can protect you from lower back pain as well as post-exercise stiffness.
- Chest and shoulder stretches will help in alleviating the stress and strain that are characteristic of pressing workouts.
- Hamstring stretching exercise will relieve you of any tightness or stiffness experienced in your hamstrings.
You can also include foam rolling in your cooldown phase to help relieve muscle knots in your calves, hamstrings and quads.
Conclusion
Now that you know why warm-ups and cooldowns are essential for injury prevention, you should never skip doing them, but rather make them an integral part of your workout program. If you want more information about activation, warm-up and cooldown phases, you can chat with an IFBB PRO for free coaching at Anabolic Coach today.
