Warm up and Length of the Workout

[Adnan Adil]

Everywhere on the internet is written that the warm ups are very important. I wouldn't be surprised if someone claims that warm up is more important than the actual training...
This is one of those phenomens that everybody talks about. but in fact few are actually doing. Most of my friends' training includes few arm circles or at best 5 minutes of cardio and they are ready to break records.
Considering it as a mistake, the fact that I was warming up in the way, mentioned above, in recent time I've started to warm up a little better, but... Then I've realized that I am not obeying to the second "golden ruler" of the internet masterminds- "Don't train for too long!". Let me give you an example- one of my most recent workouts was exactly 1 hour. It consisted barbell hack squats, sumo deadlifts and military press. I performed every exercise for 3 sets, consisting of 6 reps. The same number of sets and reps was my warm up for each exercise. I had 5 minutes on the assault bike to make my heart pump a little harder and I have stretched 15 minutes in the end of the workout for cool down. I performed my working sets fot all the exercises for 20 minutes (even 19) , so my actual trainig is only one third of the workout!
Do you have the same problem, guys? And this is just one small training session with just three exercises. It is true that the longer the workout is, less warm up is needed as the workouts progresses, but still. Imagine full body workout with those detailed warm up protocols, most of the time we are going to warm up and stretch.

 

[JimRussel]

I wouldn't be surprised if someone claims that warm up is more important than the actual training...

It kind of is, though.

I had 5 minutes on the assault bike to make my heart pump a little harder

I achieve this by looking at myself in the mirror after I get a pump on. Takes way less than 5 mins.

 

[Adnan Adil]

It kind of is, though.

Yes, avoiding injuries is more important.

I achieve this by looking at myself in the mirror after I get a pump on. Takes way less than 5 mins.

It looks like that your achievements are much greater than mine.

 

[JimRussel]

It looks like that your achievements are much greater than mine.

I’ve benched 275 before, yes.

 

[vision1]

Warm-up as long as you need to in order to A) perform at your best during the workout and B) not get injured.

Most of my training days look like this now:

30 minutes of jogging/static stretching/dynamic stretching/build-up sprints/skips/etc.
45 minutes of sprints + plyos and/or med ball throws
60 minutes of lifting (3-4 exercises, usually squats, bench, rows, and some hamstring work)

 

[Adnan Adil]

I’ve benched 275 before, yes.

That is enough said, I understand you now.

Warm-up as long as you need to in order to A) perform at your best during the workout and B) not get injured.

Most of my training days look like this now:

30 minutes of jogging/static stretching/dynamic stretching/build-up sprints/skips/etc.
45 minutes of sprints + plyos and/or med ball throws
60 minutes of lifting (3-4 exercises, usually squats, bench, rows, and some hamstring work)

Man, you have good endurance. Training like this is going to decrease (if not take away) my ability to lift. And about the goals- "A" is not my goal, but the second point is very important for me, and I believe for most guys.
My workouts' gravity is also around bench press, squat, different rows and deadlift, but I add the OHP and chin and pull ups.

 

[vision1]

That is enough said, I understand you now.



Man, you have good endurance. Training like this is going to decrease (if not take away) my ability to lift. And about the goals- "A" is not my goal, but the second point is very important for me, and I believe for most guys.
My workouts' gravity is also around bench press, squat, different rows and deadlift, but I add the OHP and chin and pull ups.

The warmup is the only tiring part of my workout. The speed and strength work is all with long rest periods, which is why it takes so long.

 

[Ian Coe]

I used to be able to get my training in to under a hour.
Then it naturally creeped to 2 ish hours.
Then dived back when I focused on core lifts and limited CV work for the warm up and assistance work.

It's probably at the 90 minute area again now. But I cycle to and from the gym (3 miles each way, a sedate 16 minutes- no included in time in the gym) and stretch while there which = 5 or so minutes.

I spend a good 45 minutes on the core lift, being deadlift or squat. The other whatever is left goes towards OHP or bench, GHR and assistance work otherwise.

 

[TeTe]

I'm 41 years old. So yes, warmup is important... stretching.

I don't do cardio to warm up but I'll at least do two to three short sets at a much lower weight than my actual sets.

 

[gspieler]

Paragraphs, dude.

 

[gspieler]

Last I checked, the issue of warm-ups is still being debated. Minimalists would tell you all you need is a few sets of dynamic stretches.

My own personal routine is 5-10 or so minutes of LISS cardio, and some basic mobility drills. If I’m especially tight, might throw in some foam rolling.

I would recommend just experimenting and finding what works for you. When in doubt, I would default to some light aerobics and dynamic stretching.

 

[wufabufa]

I do a couple minutes of jump rope to generally get a sweat going.....I'd love to have an airdyne but I have no space for one right now. I've found the best warmup for me is making sure my warmup is relevant/specific to the lift I'm about to perform. 3-4 warmup sets before I get into my working sets seems to be enough. Doing all kinds of random mobility drills and dynamic stretching before I squat has never made a huge difference. Squatting before I really squat works fine.

 

[boingyman]

With so little time to train and after reassessing the need/benefits of what I use to do before, my warmups pretty much consist of the empty bar and progressively going up in weight until I hit my working sets. I may do some form of stretching a little with squatting and sumo deads, but it's nothing intensive. This is for lifting weights, mainly squat, bench and deadlift.

 

[gspieler]

I do a couple minutes of jump rope to generally get a sweat going.....I'd love to have an airdyne but I have no space for one right now. I've found the best warmup for me is making sure my warmup is relevant/specific to the lift I'm about to perform. 3-4 warmup sets before I get into my working sets seems to be enough. Doing all kinds of random mobility drills and dynamic stretching before I squat has never made a huge difference. Squatting before I really squat works fine.

Same for me, regarding squats. I’ve found no better warmup than just doing bw squats. Although butt kicks and high knees seem to help too.

 

[TerryMCLOOPS]

Warm up
Range of motion
Blood flow
Heart rate
Temperature
Get things going so the intensity doesnt come as a shock and lead to injury or burnout

Cool down
Range of motion
Stretching
Relaxation
Relax and stretch so the stress doesnt lead to tightness and poor allingment eventually injury

Both are times to pay attention and check in with everything pre flight and pre landing checklist

 

[Adnan Adil]

The warmup is the only tiring part of my workout. The speed and strength work is all with long rest periods, which is why it takes so long.

The long workouts, even though you have long rest periods could be quite tiring. When I train for longer periods, I feel tired, not specifically, but generally, it might be connected with those CNT stuff, I don't know.

I used to be able to get my training in to under a hour.
Then it naturally creeped to 2 ish hours.
Then dived back when I focused on core lifts and limited CV work for the warm up and assistance work.

It's probably at the 90 minute area again now. But I cycle to and from the gym (3 miles each way, a sedate 16 minutes- no included in time in the gym) and stretch while there which = 5 or so minutes.

I spend a good 45 minutes on the core lift, being deadlift or squat. The other whatever is left goes towards OHP or bench, GHR and assistance work otherwise.

Yes, with the increase of performance, the workout time is increasing, too.

I'm 41 years old. So yes, warmup is important... stretching.

I don't do cardio to warm up but I'll at least do two to three short sets at a much lower weight than my actual sets.

For instance most teenagers don't warm up and they don't have problems. With the age we need the warm ups more and more, until they are the only thing which we could do.

Last I checked, the issue of warm-ups is still being debated. Minimalists would tell you all you need is a few sets of dynamic stretches.

My own personal routine is 5-10 or so minutes of LISS cardio, and some basic mobility drills. If I’m especially tight, might throw in some foam rolling.

I would recommend just experimenting and finding what works for you. When in doubt, I would default to some light aerobics and dynamic stretching.

The slow shadowboxing is helping a lot, but it requires more time, especially for the kicks. If you start to kick from the very beginning, it might lead to bad result for the legs or the groin.

I do a couple minutes of jump rope to generally get a sweat going.....I'd love to have an airdyne but I have no space for one right now. I've found the best warmup for me is making sure my warmup is relevant/specific to the lift I'm about to perform. 3-4 warmup sets before I get into my working sets seems to be enough. Doing all kinds of random mobility drills and dynamic stretching before I squat has never made a huge difference. Squatting before I really squat works fine.

Specific warm ups are the key, IMO. The problem with them is that in the beginning, without general warm up you might be out of breath. Also if you have many exercises on the list for the day, this type of warm up might be too time demanding.

 

[KnightTemplar]

With so little time to train and after reassessing the need/benefits of what I use to do before, my warmups pretty much consist of the empty bar and progressively going up in weight until I hit my working sets. I may do some form of stretching a little with squatting and sumo deads, but it's nothing intensive. This is for lifting weights, mainly squat, bench and deadlift.

This. We're limited to one hour in the gym, and that has to include cleaning the bars and plates after we've finished using them. So I'll start with the empty bar, then do another 2 - 3 sets with progressively heavier weight until I reach my working weight for the day.

 

[monkeyrhythm]

Warm-up as long as you need to in order to A) perform at your best during the workout and B) not get injured.

Most of my training days look like this now:

30 minutes of jogging/static stretching/dynamic stretching/build-up sprints/skips/etc.
45 minutes of sprints + plyos and/or med ball throws
60 minutes of lifting (3-4 exercises, usually squats, bench, rows, and some hamstring work)

If I did this I would A) NOT be able to perform at my best during the workout and B) Likely get injured.

 

[vision1]

If I did this I would A) NOT be able to perform at my best during the workout and B) Likely get injured.

You mean the 30 minute warmup?
That depends on you and your workout.
Warming up for max effort sprints is different than for lifting.

 

[JimRussel]

If I did this I would A) NOT be able to perform at my best during the workout and B) Likely get injured.

Yeah, that’s definitely a workout, not a warm up.