{"id":19513,"date":"2020-05-29T18:51:12","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T18:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/?p=19513"},"modified":"2021-09-27T04:05:39","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T04:05:39","slug":"how-to-warm-up-before-a-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/how-to-warm-up-before-a-workout\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Warm Up Before a Workout to Avoid Injuries"},"content":{"rendered":"Learn how to warm up before a workout, and perhaps more importantly, why you should. Plus: a fitness instructor’s favorite warm-up exercises.<\/em>\n\nFor many, just the idea of working out takes some serious willpower. Tacking on a warm-up? As in a workout before the workout? Out of the question. It can seem time consuming, and maybe even pointless. However, I’m here to state a case to encourage pre-workout warm-ups.\n

Why Warm-Ups Are Important<\/h2>\nResearch in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation confirms that the warm-up is the most crucial part of any workout<\/a>. But why? The study states that it \u201cincreases muscle temperature and blood flow, which contributes to improved exercise performance and reduced risk of injuries to muscles and tendons.\u201d Stretching is also crucial, but you don\u2019t want to stretch \u201ccold\u201d muscles.\n\nSo how do you warm up cold muscles, especially if something as calm as stretching isn’t advised to begin with? While it may sound like a chicken-or-egg situation, Jasmine Al-Masri, Head Instructor of LA’s Motivate Studios<\/a>, has the perfect formula.\n\n\"How\n

Tips on How to Warm Up Before a Workout<\/h2>\n

Clear Your Space<\/h3>\nFirst things first, the physical body and the mental body aren’t entirely separate entities, but intricately interwoven. Jasmine says the first thing we should do before any purposeful movement is to declutter and get your space clear. When your workspace is clear, your mind can become clear, which creates the framework for a high-quality physical workout.\n

Connect with Your Breath<\/h3>\nYes, purposeful breathing<\/a> is a part of the warm-up. \u201cTake 10 deep breaths to disconnect from whatever you were just doing,\u201d Jasmine instructs. The mind-body connection can make all the difference in the efficacy of your workout. To maximize your time and effort, be present and in your body for the duration of your scheduled movement.\n

Move Freely<\/h3>\nAfter you\u2019ve centered yourself, get into some less-structured movement. Jasmine’s favorite way to warm up is \u201cto move the body or dance to a song of your choice that pumps you up and gets your mind right and out of\u2014once again\u2014whatever you were just doing.\u201d She reiterates that it\u2019s important to not just go through the motions, but to really get your head in the right space, congruent with your body and each muscle.\n

Stretch Dynamically<\/h3>\nFinally, it\u2019s time for stretching\u2014but it\u2019s not just about touching your toes or over-extending your muscles. The goal is to lubricate your joints and muscles so that they’re ready to take on heavier work. It\u2019s called dynamic stretching, and Jasmine refers to these moves as activators.\n\n\"Two\n

the Best Warm-Up Exercises<\/h2>\nYou can practice this warm-up sequence before heading out to work out, or at home before your favorite bodyweight routine. Do it before yoga to get a little more heat moving in the body, or simply complete this warm-up routine when you don\u2019t have time for a full workout.\n\nHere are five of the best warm-up exercises, as instructed by Jasmine:\n

1. Inchworm<\/h3>\n