“What’s the proper way to warm up before a weight training workout?”
– Should you stretch first?
– Should you do some cardio?
– Is a warm up really needed?
One of keys to having a successful workout is the mental and physical preparation that you do before you step on the gym floor.
But unfortunately most guys will either skip the warm up process altogether or just skim through a half assed warm up routine, almost as a formality, and then quickly jump right into their weight training.
Now while you maybe able to get away with this for a little while, it’s eventually going to catch up with you and you’re going to get injured. And depending on the degree of injury it could set you back several weeks or even several months in your workouts. It’s not worth the risk, so make sure to pay close attention to this!
A Proper Warm Up Serves 2 Purposes…
1) Injury prevention.
This is obvious because you are less likely to pull or tear a muscle, tendon or ligament if you are fully warmed up.
2) Mental focus.
By going through a proper warm up routine you can help get your mind and body in “The Training Zone”. It’s hard to just jump in cold and generate 100% intensity right off the bat. Most people either go to the gym first thing in the morning. Or they go to the gym right after they get off work / school in the afternoon. So trying to jump into a heavy workout when you are still half asleep or thinking about that project you’ve been working on isn’t the best way to start a workout.
By simply taking 10-15 minutes to prep yourself and warm up your body physically and clear your mind mentally, you’ll feel stronger and be more focused during your workout.
Check out the video clip below, this shows the full warm up exercise routine that I go through before each and every weight training workout. This will get the blood flowing, help you limber up, and prepare your body and mind for a successful workout.
Note: if you are reading this on an iPad, phone, or tablet and can’t see the embedded video above. Then you can watch the video right on my YouTube channel by CLICKING HERE
So make sure you don’t cut corners with your own training. Take the time to warm up properly before your workouts, the small investment in time will be worth it.
Give these warm up exercises shown here a try and let me know how they work for you.
And please feel free to share your comments & feedback below…
9 Comments
Alexander
I still feel proud every time you encourage Warm-ups and stretching since i have been doing it since the beginning 🙂
Will
Lee,
Thanks for the tips. I have worked out off and on for years. I am definitely wanting to make working out a permanent part of my life as getting older proves that you need to work out to maintain daily activities. Any who, thanks!
Tim
Great video…thanks…you talked a while ago the importance of warming up, so now I do a similar routine before every workout.
bodybuildingquest
Hey thanks for sharing nice information i found here. It is the good for new beginners who start there workout.
leehayward
Thanks for the comments guys, glad you enjoy the videos and training tips 🙂
JasonK9
Hey Lee, great post. You’re advice is AMAZING! 100% I’ve used the ergometer since I was six and I would definitely give it credit for making my back and shoulders the strong parts of my physique!
I have a question, but it’s a little off topic. I did your 21 Day Fast Mass Building Program, gained 10 pounds in a week and a half, yet I still have my abs and more vascular each day! Best Program Out There! Results are almost too good to be true!
Anyway, I was just wondering if the water weight and extra glycogen weight will come off when I switch to the Primer Phase for the 2nd cycle? Would like to keep all this added weight on. 🙂
Thanks for any input, Jason.
leehayward
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Glad to hear you are making good gains with the 21-Day Fast Mass Building Program. I suggest you re-read the program again, especially the part that explains the “Anabolic Amplifier Effect”.
The best way I can quickly explain how your gains will be with this program is it’s like taking 2 steps forward, and 1 step back. And you can keep repeating that for as long as you like.
Tom
Well, I wish I had read this years ago. I was one of those guys who did a miminal warm up for years – a few minutes of light jogging then some, big mistake, passive stretching. I think thos poor preparation let to both shoulder and groin injuries. I’m much better now and a big believer in active warm up and doing pretty well, but things never go back to completely normal after an injury. Thanks for putting this out there Lee. Let’s hope your audience pay attention
joseph kaufman
Lee You Are The Man Thanks For All The Tips.