Strength training warm-up method

There is no unified formula for the optimal warm-up for strength training. The core logic is a three-layer combination of "universal body arousal + specific activation of target parts + neural rehearsal of force mode". It must be flexibly adjusted according to the training content of the day, environmental temperature, own joint mobility and training goals. It usually takes 5 to 15 minutes. There is no need to copy the fixed process online.

The biggest pitfall I encountered when I first entered the gym was that I believed the saying that "you must run 5 kilometers to warm up." I would run on the treadmill for 20 minutes before each leg workout, and only set up the barbell when my legs were soft. As a result, I couldn't stand steadily during the first 60kg set. Later, I learned with the veteran powerlifters in the gym that my warm-up was not a warm-up, and that I had used up all the strength in my legs in advance.

There are actually quite a lot of disagreements in the circle about general arousal. Most powerlifting players think that in a normal temperature environment, ordinary trainers do not need to do long-term steady-state aerobics. They swing their arms back and forth in two sets, walk 20 meters in a lunge, and then rotate their shoulders, hips and ankles twice. As long as the body is slightly warm and the joints are not stiff, it is enough. Isn’t it nice to save strength for the main event? However, CrossFit and physical training systems require 3-5 minutes of high-intensity dynamic activation first, such as high leg raises, small steps, and quick box jumps to increase the heart rate to about 60% of the maximum heart rate. After all, their training itself is a mixed metabolism mode, and the warm-up must keep up with the rhythm. There is nothing wrong with either statement. If you are training in an unheated underground garage in the winter, it is definitely safer to cycle for 5 minutes to warm up your frozen muscles than to do deadlifts directly. If the air-conditioning in the gym is turned on just right in the summer, there is no problem in saving those few minutes of aerobic exercise.

It’s not enough to heat up the whole body. Targeted part activation is the key to widening the training gap. For example, your main event today is the bench press. Even if you run for 10 minutes, the rotator cuff is not activated and the chest muscles are not awakened. When you press, your shoulders will be stuck and hurt, or you will be using your arms and your chest muscles will not feel anything. There is also an interesting controversy here: It used to be said that you should not do static stretching during warm-up, as it will reduce strength. I believed this for several years before, until I saw the latest research from NSCA last year, which said that if the target muscles have tight tension problems, short-term (30-60 seconds) static stretching can increase the range of motion and will not affect the maximum power output. I tried it several times on my own. For example, the day before I stayed up late at work and my rounded shoulders were very serious. Before bench pressing, I stretched my pectoralis minor against the wall for 30 seconds, and then did 15 times of shoulder external rotation with elastic bands. When I pressed with an empty bar, the stuck feeling in my shoulders was gone, and the stroke was much smoother than before. If you are practicing squats that day, move your hips more and do a few sets of glute bridges to activate your lower gluteus maximus muscles to avoid waist compensation when squatting; if your knees themselves are not good, do two sets of silent squats in advance to feel the force, which can also reduce the pressure of subsequent training.

Many people think that the warm-up is over at this step, but in fact, the most critical step is still missing - to "remind" your nerves. Don't think that once the joints move, it's all over. If you hit the limit weight directly after finishing the empty bar, there is a high probability that your movements will be deformed or your waist will slip directly. A student I coached before had just practiced deadlifting for 3 months. He always felt that he was young and strong. After warming up, he went straight to 120kg. As a result, his waist collapsed halfway through the lift. It took him less than half a month to recover. To put it bluntly, neurological rehearsal is to give your body a shot, and use progressive weights to go through the power generation mode several times in advance. For example, if your deadlift limit is 140kg, you can pull 10 times on the empty bar, 8 times on the 60kg, 5 times on the 80kg, 2 times on the 100kg, and 1 time on the 120kg. This process is not to train your muscles, but to familiarize your nerves and muscles with the feeling of exerting force. By the time you put on a heavy weight, your body will already have a memory, so it will naturally not be easy to make mistakes. The methods for different training goals here are also different. When warming up, bodybuilding players will deliberately slow down the speed in the light weight group, squeeze the target muscles, and find the pumping feeling in advance. The muscles will feel better when they do the formal group; powerlifting players will do fewer and fewer warm-up groups and try to conserve their energy. After all, the goal is to hit the maximum weight, so there is no need to expend too much energy when doing light weights.

Oh, by the way, there is another point that is easily overlooked: if you find a tingling or stuck feeling in a certain part during the warm-up, don't insist on practicing. You always feel that "it will be fine if you warm it up." Last month I was doing lunges before squatting, and I had a dull pain on the inside of my knee. I originally thought that it would be fine if I squatted for two sets, but when I added 80kg, the pain made me unable to stand still. Later, when I checked, I found out that the tendon of the anserine tendon was inflamed due to too much walking in those two days. I directly changed the training to the upper body that day and rested for two days. If I insist on squatting, I don’t know how long it will take.

In fact, to put it bluntly, there is really no standard answer to warm-up. Just take a look at the "5 must-do warm-up exercises" on the Internet. Everyone's joint mobility, training level, and training goals are different, and other people's procedures can only be used as a reference. I don’t even look at the watch when I warm up now. If I’m doing heavy deadlifts that day, I’ll spend an extra two minutes opening my hips to activate the posterior chain. If I’m doing a light-volume set of arms that day, I can just swing my arms and do two sets of light-weight curls and start the practice. The best way to warm up is to do something that suits me and allows you to practice without pain and to exert force smoothly.