Sometimes it is hard to get time for working out. This is why you will always want to maximize each second in the weight room. If you are short of time, you may feel tempted to overlook the warm-up. However, warming up before your workout is essential for reducing the risk of injury and decreasing the strain put on your muscles. According to warm-up-exercises#benefits, warming up improves your range of motion, thus helps you move your joints fully.
Below is the best 10 minutes warm-up you should try before working out:
1. Squats
This a complete lower body movement that opens up your hip flexor muscles further and stretches the back of your legs. If you plan to do loaded squats during your workouts, bodyweight squats are an excellent warm-up. Since squats are a compound body movement, they not only get your central nervous system ready to work out but also help warm up multiple muscles across multiple joints at once.
How to do squats: with your toes pointing slightly outwards, stand with your feet hip-apart. While keeping your back straight, engage your core and slowly lower your hips to ensure that your thighs are parallel to the floor. Remember to put your hands in front of your body. Pause briefly with your knees over, and then stand back up. Repeat this process 10 to 15 times.
2. Planks.
Despite being a common exercise, the plank is far from essential. However, planks are an excellent warm-up to build core strength as well as improve stability and posture. By building your core strength, planks help reduce back pain and muscle tension in the other exercises. Planks also help build flexibility in your shoulder and hip muscles.
To do a plank: get into a push-up position, then keep your forearms and toes firmly planted on the ground. Straighten up your back and keep your core muscles tight. You can do the plank on your knees or forearms. However, don’t let your back and head sag downwards. Hold your plank continuously for 60 seconds.
3. Jogging.
Jogging is a full-body warm-up that elevates your heart rate with a higher intensity exercise similar to how you use your body to improve your endurance during the actual workout. By getting your heart pumping effectively, jogging enhances blood circulation throughout your body.
When jogging, it is crucial to put on a good pair of jogging shoes to minimize the risk of injuries. You can do indoor or outdoor jogging. You start by walking first, then gradually increase the pace of your walking to jogging. You can also use fitness and running apps to track your speed, distance and timing. You can jog for about 3 minutes.
4. Foot massage
A foot and leg massage before working out helps lessen muscle tension and stiffness. Moreover, the massage is the most effective tool for the success of your workout and helps boost recovery by restoring strength and flexibility. In addition, a foot massage reduces muscle soreness, improves blood flow and circulation throughout your legs and feet.
Nowadays, to get a foot and leg massage, you don’t have to visit a physical therapist due to the nationwide availability of electric massagers. The massagers work by mimicking the hands and fingers’ caressing movements of a real masseuse. These foot massagers have in-built wave patterns that gently knead, roll, compress, and caress your leg muscles and joints. At Zarifa, you get portable and sleek massagers for your foot health and pain relief.
Although many people are tempted to skip the warm-up exercises, they are essential before any workout routine. Your body requires some low-key activity to get your muscles ready for the actual workout. In addition, warming up helps boost your flexibility and reduces the risk of strain injuries on your muscles and joints.
