Warming-Up Before Training
“Specific warm up or General”

There are a number of things a person usually wonders as they walk into the gym. “What should I train on today?” “How long should a training session be?” however, while those are all good questions, the most important question a person should ask themselves is “Why and how should I warm-up?”

Why warm up? There are a number of reasons but most importantly it gets the body ready for exercise by increasing blood flow to the working muscles, can help in proper motor unit recruitment so the exercise can be done safer and more effectively and decreases the likely hood of injury during training.

How should I warm-up? There are two camps on the idea. The two camps are: General and Specific.

The first idea is a general warm-up. A general warm-up means that there are little or no specific resistance exercise movements involved in the warm-up. For instance, riding the stationary bike for 5 to 10 minutes before exercise is an example of a general warm-up. A good general warm-up will get blood flowing, raises core temperature, and lubricate joints.

The second idea is a specific warm-up. A specific warm-up means that there are very specific exercises used in the warm-up. For instance, before exercising at a working weight one does 3-4 sets of a warm up weight before starting in on their actual working weight. A good specific warm-up allows for proper form to be conducted, allows for specific joints to become lubricated. However; it gets the working body parts ready for the correct exercise.

They are both valid ways of warming-up however, which one works best? Of course the answer is that doing them both in succession is the best method. Warming up with an aerobic exercise of your choice and then warming up with a specific exercise before starting resistance training will bring the best results for preventing injury and getting the most out of the exercise.

The most important thing to remember during the warm-up is that it is a warm-up and should consist of familiar exercises and should not be tiring at the end of the warm-up one should feel ready and able to get on with their workout.

- Consistency is key
Robert J. Pearce