FitSugar

Gym 101: Strength-Training Warmup

Susi May — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:12:55 PST

A solid warmup sets you up for a solid workout. When it comes to prepping for strength training, an active warmup primes the joints and muscles, prepping them for the heavy lifting. Lauren, my Equinox trainer, introduced me to these moves, and after a little light cardio - for me, it's five minutes running on a treadmill at a 6 mph pace, but the elliptical or a little jump rope would work - Lauren has me do three out of these five moves. Mix and match the exercises however you please, or do them all for a very thorough warmup.

Rocking Lunge
Give an active stretch to both your hips and hamstrings with the rocking lunge. Start in a deep lunge with your right leg forward; you can even bring your left knee to the floor. Straighten your right knee to rock your weight back and onto your left foot to lengthen the hamstring. Flex your right toes as you rock into the hamstring stretch. Return back to your deep lunge and repeat for a total of 10 times on each side.

Toy Soldier
A walking kick, the toy soldier stretches out the back of the leg, both hamstrings and calves. Step forward on your right foot, and kick your left leg forward, bringing your left toes toward your right hand. Step onto your left foot and kick the right leg, bringing right foot toward left hand. Take 20 steps total.

Keep reading for three more moves.

Tennis Anyone? Warm Up Before You Hit the Court

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:38:15 PDT

If you find yourself all fired up to play tennis after watching Wimbledon, let me remind you to warm up before you rally. Watching elite athletes can be really deceptive. They lunge, jump, and volley with such ease, but this is one game that can be hard on your body. One way to prevent injuries is to warm up properly. Here are a few things I think you should do before jumping onto the court with your racquet.

First you want to prime your heart and lungs for all the running, bouncing, and sprinting you will be doing on the court. Jog for five to ten minutes to get your blood flowing. Your body should feel warm. I follow this with a minute or two of small jumps, like I'm working out with a fake jump rope. Then do a few grapevines the length of the court to prime your fancy footwork and wake up your coordination.

What else should you do? Find out when you

Walking lunges are a great way to prepare your legs for tennis. This move simultaneously lengthens and activates muscles in your legs, priming them for the court. Follow these with some side lunges too, to warm up your reach.
Twisting is the major action of the torso when hitting the ball. This standing twist stretch is easy to do against the fence of the court. Follow with some basic twisting from side to side to lubricate the joints in the back. You can try this with your racquet tucked under your arms, behind your back.
Warming up your shoulders is essential. To do this, move your arms as if you're doing the backstroke, circling your arms overhead slowly at first and building up speed for 20 repetitions. Follow this by clapping your hands in front and in back of your body. Then pick up your racquet and hit some forehands and backhands with the cover still on the racquet to create some resistance. I do about 10 to 15 of each stroke.

You should be primed and ready to play after completing this warm-up. Remember to get to the court early so you can prepare your body before you start to play. Don't forget to stretch afterward either. Game on!

Olympic-Sized Dynamic Warm Up

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:30:00 PDT

Adding a dynamic warm up to your running routine is a great idea. I am not the only one who thinks so. Check out how middle distance running superstar and Olympic hopeful Shalane Flanagan warms up.

Talk about some fancy moves. To see more of her workout, go here. Is it just me, or do you feel like going for a run now too?

Running Tip: Try a Dynamic Warmup

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:00:00 PDT

When warming up for a run you have more options than just walking briskly or jogging slowly; you can warm up dynamically. Doesn't that sound like fun! Here are a few moves that prime your body for running:

High-Knee Marching: Marching in place while bringing the knees up to at least 90 degrees alternating legs, or better yet even with your belly button, is a great warm up for your hip flexors. If you plan on sprinting, this is your must-do move. Do a total of 20.
Kicking Your Bum: Yes before you let your workout kick you in the bum, you should kick your own. Stand in place and alternate legs, bringing your heel to your booty, by bending your knee. This will warm up your quad and lubricate your knee joint. Kick yourself 20 times.
Skipping: Don't underestimate the joyful childhood movement of skipping. This warms up your entire leg and gets your ankle joint primed for impact. Skip for 30 seconds.

There are three more moves, so

Heel Walking: Take 20 steps walking on your heels. This move stretches the calves dynamically while prepping the front of the shin for impact.
Toe Walking: Take 20 steps walking on your toes. Doing so will warm up your feet and gently stretch the muscles around the shin.
Criss-Cross March: Lift your knee to your opposite elbow, without bending over. This is another great move for warming up your hip flexors while gently twisting your spine, which imitates how your spine will move while running. This will also gently stretch your outer thigh and glutes.

How do you warm up when you run? Share the details in the comment section below.

Be sure to check out our video of a dynamic warmup for runners.

Running 101: The Active Warmup

FitSugar — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:03:09 PDT

Stretching before a run has always been a little iffy in our playbook. It's hard to lengthen muscle fibers before they're warm and trying to do so can lead to injury. But warming up is still a good thing, so try an active warm-up.

A dynamic warm-up raises your heart rate a bit while priming your joints for action. We created this video of five moves to do before you hit the ground running. Check it out! And be sure to enter to win running shoes for a year from Asics to help jump-start your January.

5 Muscle Myths You Should Stop Believing

Leta Shy — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:39:18 PDT

Muscle building is an important component of any exercise routine, but are you strength training the right way? Here are five common myths about muscles, and why they aren't true.

Heavy weights make you bulk up: It's a common belief: lifting heavy weights will have you looking more bodybuilder than long and lean. But in reality, your muscles won't get Ms. Olympia-sized from lifting a 20-pound kettlebell; the size of your muscles is related to your genes and strength-training routine, not the size of your weights. Using heavier weights actually saves you time - studies show that you will get the same results when lifting heavier weights for fewer reps as you do with lifting lighter weights for longer. But no matter what size weight you use, make sure you choose one that is challenging your body the right way. The American Council on Exercise recommends that you choose a weight that fatigues your muscles within 90 seconds (aka makes you unable to perform another rep correctly), since that's within the limit of your muscles' supply of anaerobic energy.
Soreness comes from lactic acid buildup: It's an often-quoted principle that the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) you feel in the days after your workout is from lactic acid in your body. In fact, DOMS is a symptom of micro tears in the muscles that happen when you work out. Lactic acid does play a part in your workout, however, since it is the cause of that burning sensation you feel when working your muscles. It actually fuels muscles to help you work out longer, so pushing past that burning sensation will help you increase your strength and endurance.

Read on for three more muscle myths.

How to Warm Up For Every Type of Workout

Leta Shy — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:16:18 PDT

You know that you should warm up no matter what, but if you ever wondered what exactly you should be doing, here are specific warm-ups for different kinds of workouts.

Yoga: Think you don't need to warm up before yoga? Think again. Warming up before your class can help your performance and keep you from being sore the moment you stretch out into Downward Dog. Keep your wrists, shoulders, and back muscles loose with these four upper body warm-up ideas you should do before your next yoga class.

Running: Walking briskly or jogging is an easy way to warm up for your actual run. But if you want to warm up in a way that targets your muscles specifically, dynamic warm-ups are the way to go. These warm-ups raise your heart beat and loosen tight muscles while you perform the moves, making you primed to have a good run. Try this short dynamic warm-up before you go out for your run.

Find out more ways to warm up after the break.

The 3 Things You Should Never Do Before a Workout

Leta Shy — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:38:08 PST

You've got the enthusiasm, the time, and the cute workout gear, and now you're ready to hit the gym. Don't ruin your workout by doing these big preworkout no-nos.

Cold stretching: Yes, you're supposed to warm up before you work out, but stretching muscles when they're cold can lead to injuries and poor performance. Instead, warm up with five minutes of light cardio or start off slow for the first 10 minutes of your run, bike ride, or swim. Another option is dynamic stretching, which raises your heartbeat while loosening the muscles. Here are six dynamic warm-up moves to replace your usual preworkout hamstring stretches.

Keep reading for two more big preworkout don'ts after the break.

Warm Up Like Jennifer Lawrence With This Move

Self — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:34:38 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar! This week, they've got the scoop on how Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence warms up before tackling her killer workouts.

Jennifer Lawrence got in blockbuster shape for The Hunger Games. "We did high-energy moves, like backward running and walking lunges, to gain strength, agility, and balance," says on-set coach Joe Horrigan. Her warm-up: carioca, a dynamic stretch that preps you to kick ass without falling on yours.

Find out how to do the carioca after the break!

Strength Training No-Nos: What Not to Do When in Squats

Susi May — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:02:53 PST

No matter your fitness passion, from snowboarding to CrossFit, you likely do squats in your sweat sessions - they're a fitness staple. Sometimes, the more simple the move, the more careless we become when doing it, and before you know it you have sloppy squats. Here are four common mistakes that plague the standard squat. Next time you head to the gym, take a little time to get back to basics and run through this list. Not only will these corrections make the exercise more effective, but they prevent injuries too.

Mistake: Weight Too Far Forward
To take care of your knees and really engage your glutes, keep your weight in your heels. You should be able to freely wiggle your toes as you sit back into your squat. Weighting your heels also keeps the knees from moving beyond your toes, which can seriously strain that joint.
The Fix:
Practice squatting with a stable chair or weight bench behind you, and aim to lower your booty onto the front third of the seat - quietly and with control, no plopping down. This will help you shift your weight far enough back to truly challenge your glutes.

Mistake: Leaning Forward
When squatting, you want to keep your torso fairly upright, but tight hips can pull the upper body forward, straining the knees and the low back. Leaning forward also interferes with your ability to go deep in the squat, decreasing the amount of work for your backside.
The Fix:
Before a strength training session, do a dynamic warmup to open the front of the hips. Walking lunges work well as an active stretch for the tight hip flexors. To keep your torso upright, use an exercise ball at the wall for your squats and single leg squats too. Here are details on how to set yourself up for ball squats at the wall - just make sure you're going deep enough into the squat so your thighs are parallel to the ground.

Keep on reading for more about squats after the break.