Fitness

Warm-up exercises to do at home

Warming up is a part of training that should never be skipped. We show you how to do the muscle warm-up at home, especially useful for those who go for a run or bike.

Warm-up exercises before any sporting activity should never be skipped, whether you train at home or outside.

They are not always given the right importance, especially when we go running or cycling, or when we train at home with the help of an application or a video.

It is good to keep in mind that starting physical activity gradually is not enough. It can be useful for raising body temperature, but it is not enough to protect the muscles from injury.

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Ideal warm-up exercises to do at home

Joint mobility and dynamic stretching exercises are essential for getting the right warm-up, especially if you train outdoors or if it’s cold, but that’s not all.

They don’t take much time, but they prepare the body for physical activity; they help prevent injuries and take full advantage of muscular effort.

Joint mobility exercises

Joint mobility, in addition to lubricating the joints, makes the muscles more elastic. Prepares the body for intense efforts, stimulates the nervous system, muscles, and tendons in a very dynamic way.

They include rotation of the wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, spine, hips, knees, and ankles. Flexion-extension movements can be performed, especially if related to the exercises to be performed later. Among the movements that cannot be missed:

Raising the shoulders towards the ears and returning to the starting position.

Shoulder rotations forward and back.

Sweeping circles of the arms, first forward then backward.

Rotations of the hips clockwise and counterclockwise.

Swings of the legs forward and backward, from side to side.

Small circles with cross arms, first forward and then backward, keeping the arms parallel to the floor.

Walking jack: is the light version of the jumping jack. A side step is performed by raising the arms, first on one side, then on the other.

Dynamic stretching

Once the joint mobility exercises are finished, you can move on to dynamic stretching. To be effective, the whole body must be warmed up.

Dynamic mode allows the muscles to gradually give way as you continue to work on joint mobility. Some dynamic stretching exercises are:

Knees to Chest: Raise your knees alternately to your chest, encircling them with your arms to intensify the stretch.

Walkout: feet hip-width apart, arms along the body. Bend your torso forward, touch the floor with your hands, and slide your hands to the plank high position. Take a short break, then slide your hands back to your feet and stand up.

Lateral lunges: With legs apart and feet facing forward, bend one knee and drop slightly to the side, then shift your weight to the other side. Repeat several times.

Frankenstein walks: walking with your legs outstretched, lifting them as much as possible, and touching the foot with your hand.

Aerobic movements

Aerobic movements are warm-up exercises that you can do at home because they don’t require a lot of space. After performing joint mobility and dynamic stretching, you can choose one of the following exercises:

March in place: walking with a military step, raising the knees and moving the arms in a coordinated way, exaggerating the movements a little.

Gentle Jogging with Knees Raised: Same as above, but adds jogging intensity and slightly reduces knee lift.

High Knee Run In Place (skip): A good way to warm up before going for a run. It also helps to perfect the technique.

Jump rope: increases the intensity of the warm-up.

Warm-up exercises are essential

Warm-up exercises are essential to prepare the body for the next effort. Spending at least 10 minutes promotes better sports performance and helps prevent injuries.

Especially if physical activity is performed outdoors during the winter season. But also at home and in the gym, it is a preparatory phase that should not be overlooked.

Steve Jaimes