Bands Before Barbells: The Keys to an Effective Warm-Up

We all (hopefully) know that we should take the time to warm up before a workout.

Let’s take a minute to ask ourselves a few questions about our warm-up routine…

1. Do you include a warm-up before each workout?

2. Are you warming-up properly?

3. Are you warming up efficiently?

If you answered “no” or “unsure” to any of these questions continue reading below for some tips and tricks for a more effective and efficient warm-up.

In a nutshell, a warm-up should (a) raise your heart rate, (b) activate target muscles, (c) mobilize joints and (d) mimic motor patterns you will use in your workout. Here is a great article that outlines a detailed warm-up protocol. 

Part of my role at The Barbell Academy is designing a 5-10 minute warm-up specific to each WOD (workout of the day). I would first highlight the major movements of the workout. For example:

Part A:

5x5 Deadlifts

-require hip flexion (loosen/stretch the hamstrings)

-require hip extension (activate the glutes)

From there I would select dynamic stretches that save time by accomplishing (a)-(d) at once. For this workout I would include ‘walking heel swoops’ to loosen the hamstrings, banded walks to activate the glutes, and banded good mornings to stretch the hamstrings, activate the glutes and mimic the movement pattern of the deadlift.

Part B:

50 Box Jumps

40 Burpees

30 Deadlifts

I would use additional dynamic stretches to target the burpees and box jumps like:

•        5 air squats and a broad jump
•        inch worms with a push up
•        step-ups on a box (with full hip extension at the top)

When designing a specific workout, dynamic stretches, resistance/strength bands, YouTube, and Google are your best friends!

Let me know if this helped & share your tips below!

JJulia

Word Count: 297