Before you exercise you more than likely do a warm up, right? More often than not this is 5 minutes of “cardio”, some quick leg swings and a few reps on an empty barbell. There have been multiple times I have overheard people stating “The first set always feels heavy”. Wouldn’t it be great to go into your sets feeling primed and ready to go? Warming up has evolved and so should you.
Why Do We Warm Up?
One of the very first blogs I posted was about Warming Up Effectively The main takeaways were that a warm up can be done quickly and efficiently, leaving you plenty of time to smash your workout. Some of the benefits from warming up look a little like this:
- Increased muscle contraction speed
- Blood flow to the working muscles is increased
- Improved motor control
- Effective movement technique
- Improved mental concentration
- Better rate of force development.
All these and more mean you can produce more force, faster and more effectively.
Warming Up With the RAMP Protocol
Gone are the days of a few laps around the pitch. Warm ups are now highly researched, with the RAMP protocol being the latest and seemingly most effective method. Try the following steps next time you warm up.
- Raise – Increase body temperature, heart rate, breathing and joint viscosity.
- Activate – Wake up the key muscle and muscle groups you will be using in your session.
- Mobilise – Ensure your joints are warm and have the range of motion needed for exercises.
- Potentiate – Make sure you reach the intensity your working sets will be at.
An Example Warm Up For Full Body Training
As an Expert Personal Trainer in Twickenham, London, I use these protocols in every session that I do with my clients. They can be as generic or specific as you deem fit. Why not give the following warm up a go before your next session!
- Raise – 2 minutes Skipping. Try this sequence; 5 single leg skips each leg, 5 double leg skips, 5 double unders.
- Activate & Mobiliose – 2 rounds of the NK Fitness Hip Mobility Flow.
- Potentiate – 5 x 5 Deadlift, 5 Hang Cleans, 5 Back Squats. Build the weight each set.
Try it out and let us know what you think!
