Warm-up before strength training
- Thread starter kali1
- Start date
Kali,
Fifteen minutes is plenty for strength training, in fact 5-10 would probably suffice unless you're feeling particularly stiff. The purpose of the warmup is to get the blood flowing to the muscles and gradually prepare them for what comes next, be it strength training or cardio. The resulting increase in body temperature also helps the synovial fluid which cushions your joints to become more functional as well. Cardio warmups are a little longer because you want to gradually bring the heart rate up, but if you warm up for too long before strength training you begin to dip into your glycogen stores which you will need in order to perform your strength training at your max ability. This is why many people advocate doing weights before cardio on days you plan to do both, but it all depends on your individual goals. If 5-10 minutes of cardio doesn't seem like enough to you, try doing a warmup set of each strength training exercise using very light weight to further prepare your muscles for the work at hand.
FitnessRN
Fifteen minutes is plenty for strength training, in fact 5-10 would probably suffice unless you're feeling particularly stiff. The purpose of the warmup is to get the blood flowing to the muscles and gradually prepare them for what comes next, be it strength training or cardio. The resulting increase in body temperature also helps the synovial fluid which cushions your joints to become more functional as well. Cardio warmups are a little longer because you want to gradually bring the heart rate up, but if you warm up for too long before strength training you begin to dip into your glycogen stores which you will need in order to perform your strength training at your max ability. This is why many people advocate doing weights before cardio on days you plan to do both, but it all depends on your individual goals. If 5-10 minutes of cardio doesn't seem like enough to you, try doing a warmup set of each strength training exercise using very light weight to further prepare your muscles for the work at hand.
FitnessRN
