The bodybuilding warm-up serves to increase the temperature of the muscles and make the joints more flexible before strength training. Preparing the motor apparatus for bodybuilding exercises is particularly important because muscles and joints are subjected to heavy loads, and this entails an increased risk of injury. Check how to warm up before bodybuilding training.

Warming up before strength training( bodybuilding ) is of great importance for the effectiveness of exercise and obtaining satisfactory results. Unfortunately, many people who go to the gym do not pay attention to it, assuming that warming up takes only the time and energy needed to lift weights. And it is just the opposite! Thanks to the initial warm-up exercises, you can train longer, more intensively and more effectively - that's why anyone who dreams of having an extensive musculature should not skip them.

Bodybuilding warm-up - what are the benefits?

Warming up increases the body temperature to about 38-39 degrees - although such a body temperature at rest indicates inflammation, it is even desirable during exercise. The higher the temperature of the muscles, tendons and ligaments, the better their flexibility. This, in turn, makes them more resistant to injuries, overloads and strains, which happen very often during strength training.

What's more, warming up increases the exercise capacity of the muscles, and not - as some say - makes them tired. This is because as your body temperature increases, so does the speed at which nerve impulses are transmitted to the individual muscles. In addition, warming up speeds up blood circulation, which contributes to a better supply of oxygen to the muscle fibers. As a result, they react faster to stimuli, improve overall coordination and increase the dynamics of movements.

Bodybuilding warm-up - what should it look like and how long should it take?

Warming up before strength training should last no less than 10 minutes, optimally about 15 minutes. The general rule is that at the end of the warm-up, we should sweat a little and have an elevated heart rate - a sign that the body is ready for further exercise.

Cardio effort is a must-do in every warm-up, no matter whatwhich muscle group we want to train on a given day.

It is recommended that the first part of exercise should be aerobic in nature, i.e. heart rate increases. For this purpose, cardio training devices found in most gyms are perfect: treadmills, bikes, steppers, cross trainers, stairs. At the beginning, the warm-up should be about 50%, and then gradually increase to 80%.

The second part of the warm-up is static in place, with no additional weights - arm circles, squats, lunges, crunches, etc. May also include dynamic stretching. The usual order is from upper body to lower body.

It is worth remembering that the warm-up can (and even should) be modified depending on which part of the muscles you train on a given day. For example, if you are planning back and shoulder exercises, you need to focus more on exercises to increase the mobility of your upper body.

Sample bodybuilding warm-up (general development)

  1. 5 minutes of cardio exercises (e.g. riding a stationary bike or jogging on a treadmill with a pulse of approx. 140 beats per minute);
  2. jumping jacks (2 minutes);
  3. head circulation (10 reps);
  4. arm circles (approx. 10 repetitions forward and backward);
  5. circling the elbows in and out (approx. 10 repetitions);
  6. hip circulation (10 in each direction);
  7. swallow (bends forward with arms stretched out in front of you and one leg behind you, balance for 1-2 seconds; do 5 repetitions for each leg);
  8. crunches (20 reps);
  9. bicycle (crunches with elbow pulls to the opposite knee; 10 repetitions);
  10. backs (prone lying, lifting arms and legs up in a spring motion at the same time; 10 repetitions);
  11. burpees (10 reps);
  12. squats (descending low, like lifting a barbell; 20 repetitions);
  13. lunges with knees drawn to the chest (standing, pull the knee to the chest, and then with the same leg a large step forward, bend the knees, return to the starting position, tighten the other leg and repeat the entire sequence; do 10 repetitions for each leg);
  14. circulation of ankles and wrists.

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