So, it took me to get 2 serious injuries to value, appreciate and become militant with my warmups before training. As I have mentioned before, the 2 injuries I had after competing in 2019 was a rotator cuff injury and a small hip tear. Going from feeling like Superman to then becoming Superman on kryptonite, really took its toll on me mentally and certainly physically. If you’ve had injuries, you know what I’m talking about. Knowing you are more capable than your body is telling you is even more frustrating. Yet, you are torn between just pushing through and prolonging that pain and recovery OR accepting it, changing up your training, rehabbing and warming up more effectively. Fact: warmups prevent injury. Especially with weight training, you want to feel fully warmed up and mobilised before you even attempt to deadlift or squat. If you are someone who either rushes a warmup or doesn’t warm up at all, then this post is certainly for you! Trust me, don’t wait to have an injury before you realise its importance. Want to know how I begin every training session? Then read on…
FOAM ROLLING
Foam rolling is probably the next best thing after a massage-maybe not as relaxing! Foam rolling was incredibly painful at the start and it took a long time before the pain subsided. Not only does the foam roller get into your muscles, but loosens you up and rids you of any tightnesses.
I usually follow the same order; foam rolling my back, quads, IT bands, hamstrings and then calves. IT bands tend to be the most painful, but my back too if it’s already feeling sore. Avoid rushing foam rolling, take your time and hold pressure on any areas that are particularly tight. If you are new to using the foam roller and the pain is unbearable, rather than rolling, just hold onto tight spots.
THE BALL
For traps and glutes, the ball gets into those smaller areas that the foam roller can’t quite get into. For getting into your glutes one at a time sit one glute on the ball and cross the same side leg over your other leg. This will hurt, but persevere. To get into your traps, lean the ball up against the roll and push one shoulder blade on it, rolling it around at a slight angle. Just be careful though that the ball may bounce away from the wall, that’s happened to me too many times.
MOBILISATION AND BANDS
My mobilisation mostly depends on what training day I have (lower or upper). For example, if I’m training legs I do: leg swings, forward alternating lunges, glute bridges, good mornings. With the glute band I may do banded bodyweight squats and some band walks (lateral or monster). For upper body days I will use the thin mobilisation band and do band openers and banded pullaparts.
When doing these, ensure your arms are kept dead straight. Therefore, when doing the band openers only bring your arms as far as they go down the back without bending your arms. For both upper and lower body days I like to lay flat on the floor, rotating me knees (kept glued to each other) side to side to stretch the glutes and lower back. Putting your heels to the floor keeping your knees together stretches off the lower back.
STRETCHES
I usually end on a few stretches before I begin my training. For lower body days, I will hold a squat 2-3 times for about 25 seconds. Ensure your heels stay on the floor, that your stance is hip width apart and that you aren’t leaning over. If you’re struggling, hold onto a bench or a pole to help get you down. The glute stretch is great. Put your knee on a bench and stretch your back leg, staying on your toes.
Your chest must stay up. Hold each one for 20-30seconds. Another great glute stretch is lying flat on the floor with one leg down and using your opposite hand to push your opposite knee to the floor. For upper body days, getting in between the squat rack and holding each rack palm facing forward and leaning forward really stretches the arms, shoulders and back. Another great stretch is holding yourself from the pullup bar, keeping your arms straight.
THE MUSCLE GUN
Admittedly, I’ve only started using this toy in the last year or so and boy has it been a real game changer. Especially if I’m feeling pain or tightness on the odd occasion during the session, getting this bad boy out and feeling its wild vibrations permeate my whole body is great! Usually I feel most of my tightnesses in my traps and glutes so I will do this in my rest periods. Because I am lazy when it comes to stretching and foam rolling on rest days, getting this out while I’m laying on the sofa watching TV is very low maintenance and another great away to avoid injuries. Prices really range from £50-£200 or so on these! Look on Amazon if you’re interested, it is definitely worth purchasing one.
If you are just jumping straight into your workout, like I said at the start, you are more prone to injuries and to maximise performance, you want your muscles to be warmed up enough so you make the most out of your first set. From pain, to losing strength, to rehabbing, I’ve certainly learnt form my mistakes. In fact, I even do warm up sets on certain big compounds just to keep them at bay. So think smart before you train!
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