The importance of warming up in bodybuilding

Warming up for athletes is a concept everyone knows. If you played sports in middle school or high school, your physical education teacher will have reminded you of the importance of warming up. before any serious sporting activity. However, it is in reality an exercise that is all too often neglected by bodybuilding beginners or endurance sports. Let's add that even the most experienced athletes sometimes forget the virtues of a good warm-up. However, this principle is not simplistic in itself, even if it remains simple to carry out. Warming up well will allow you to achieve excellent performances, gain strength and muscle mass or endurance. And for it to be effective, let's say that the warm-up should have three parts: cardiovascular, joint and muscular warm-up.

1: Cardiovascular warm-up, the first step towards safe exercise practice

As you know, if we talk to you about warming up so insistently, it is because practicing sports can carry risks in itself. These risks are those of premature exhaustion and a lack of performance but above all, an increased risk of injuries. Both are important and to avoid the lack of serious sporting performances, cardiovascular warm-up represents the first step that will allow you to achieve good performances in muscle strength during your strength training or Cross training. However, the cardiovascular warm-up should not be very intense. On the contrary, it can be done with a low intensity but consistently and for a few minutes, or even 10 to 15 minutes if necessary...

Indeed, this type of training doesn't necessarily have to be very long since it's mainly about conditioning for physical exercise. 5 to 15 minutes of static cycling, rowing, or cardio training equipment will be enough to warm up properly. Similarly, if you're walking or cycling to the gym, try to maintain a good pace during the journey. This will ensure you get a good cardiovascular warm-up.

2: Joint warm-up, a safety preamble for your joints before exercise

Most athletes are aware that their joints must be properly warmed up before performing exercises with a certain intensity. Naturally, it is always best to avoid strains or tendonitis. For safety reasons, warming up joints and ligaments beforehand will greatly reduce the risk of joint injuries . Certain muscle groups, especially the shoulders and quadriceps, require a good warm-up, whether it's the joints and ligaments surrounding the rotator cuff or the delicate and complex knee joint. There are many shoulder warm-up exercises ( empty can exercise or full can…) as well as for the knee joints.

Naturally, it is unnecessary to recall to what extent the joints Shoulders and knees can be susceptible to injury... After the joint warm-up, more specific strength training will allow you to warm up effectively, preparing your exercise session in the best possible way...

3: Specific muscle warm-up will prevent strains and various injuries.

Sports training, and bodybuilding in particular, can never be complete without a properly performed warm-up. For example, if you are training your chest muscles, the simplest warm-up will always aim to start your first exercise with a light weight and perform a high number of repetitions. However, if you are performing a basic exercise like the bench press For example, you will also have the option of starting with an isolation exercise. This will involve using the pre-fatigue technique. Take for example the exercise of Crossover (facing pulleys) or the lying fly. This type of exercise allows you to isolate the pectorals in order to stimulate muscle pump by performing a high number of repetitions. However, there is no obligation to adopt this type of training with pre-fatigue, especially if you are new to bodybuilding. In any case, you should remember that a specific bodybuilding warm-up should be performed with light weights. Respect the execution technique, just as if you were doing your exercise sets.

4: Gain intensity from your first set of exercise (initial load)

Once you're properly warmed up, you have all the tools you need to perform an excellent workout. Your first set of exercises should be fluid and executed correctly, respecting technique. Don't rush, even if you feel very motivated after the warm-up. Instead, try to estimate the effectiveness of your workout over its entire duration, based on each exercise. This will help you avoid injuring yourself by trying to go too fast. Then, try to gradually increase the intensity as you complete each exercise. Also, remember to manage your energy reserves well, so that you maintain maximum effectiveness, even for your last set of exercises.

5: How to find a calm rhythm suitable for post-exercise recovery?

Cooling down after training also requires a bit of gradualness, just as it does with warming up. To do this, give your body and cardiovascular system a little time to settle back into a relaxed rhythm. after exercise . While your heart will return to its average rate of 60 beats/minute very quickly, this does not in any way imply that your caloric, carbohydrate and nerve energy reserves are not depleted. Quite the contrary, this is when post-exercise recovery really begins. This recovery period can sometimes last 48 to 72 hours, depending on the intensity of your training. A process little known to athletes and called EPOC For Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption can also occur after high-intensity workouts. As the name suggests, this phenomenon can occur immediately after or some time after exercise with higher oxygen consumption. Heart rate will also be faster, with energy consumption also increasing. In other words, the more intense your workouts, the higher the calorie consumption will be, even several hours after exercise.

Above all, we hope that this article has made you realize that a good weight training, cross training or other high-intensity physical activity can only really benefit you if the warm-up before exercise has been carried out correctly.