Movement Prep: The Key to Injury-free Workouts
Prep: The most important circuit of your workout
We understand that people are busy. You want to run into the gym and get to work. You might be able to shave off a couple of minutes of your workout by showing up late or leaving a few minutes early and skipping your Warm-Up.
But the Warm-Up (we'll refer to it as Movement Prep) is that window of time when you can physically and mentally prepare for the work you're about to do. It helps you get more out of your workout and can be your best defense against injury in the gym.
Physical Preparation
Movement Prep literally warms you up. You're increasing your body’s temperature, which enhances muscle elasticity. Your muscles and joints are better prepared to handle the range of motion and tension you will place on them through upcoming strength, power, and stability exercises.
This is important in the morning to wake up your muscles and also if you’re training after work. If you’ve been sitting for hours before your workout, your joints need to find their optimal alignment before placing stress on them.
Movement Prep also revs up your cardiovascular system, getting your heart pumping and blood flowing to the muscles that are about to work hard. Think of it as giving your muscles a heads-up, like, "Hey, we're about to lift some heavy stuff, get ready!" Failing to do this can increase your risk of muscle strains.
At bStrong, our Movement Prep is designed around the heavy compound movement (think squat, bench press, and deadlift) you're about to perform. We're working through movements to promote mobility and stability through joints like the ankle, hips, shoulders, and thoracic spine (upper back). These prepare your body to handle the demands of the upcoming workout.
Mental Preparation
Mentally, Movement Prep is a time to get out of your head and into your body. We spend much of our day distracted by work and life and rarely take a moment to engage with ourselves and how we feel.
Here's your chance to focus on yourself. If you run from a work meeting to your workout and start squatting heavy weights, you haven't given yourself any transition into your workout. You'll be stressed and distracted while trying to move heavy objects—not the best way to make progress and avoid injury.
We want to be present for our workouts. As a bonus, it can give our minds a break from stressing about work.
Bottom Line
Overall, a good Warm-Up or Movement Prep helps to reduce the risk of injury. A warm body is a happy body when it comes to training, and happy bodies don't get hurt as easily. By gradually increasing the intensity of your warm-up, you're giving your body and mind a chance to adapt to the stress it's about to undergo rather than shocking it into submission.
So, next time you're gearing up for strength training, remember that an active warm-up is your first, and arguably most important, set of the day. It sets the stage for a successful workout, and your body will thank you. Happy lifting!
Let’s keep making progress!
Your bStrong Team