By Scott Quill, Men's Health
A cheetah doesn't need much of a warmup. A leg stretch, a back arch, a yawn. Then it's time to scare up some dinner—not a problem when your top speed is nearly 70 miles an hour.
We humans can't get away with that. We need a warmup before exerting ourselves. So what do we do before a gym workout? We jog, we swing our arms in little circles, and we declare ourselves ready.
It's time to evolve. If you lift hard, play hard, or want to boost your training to a new level, start with your warmup.
What follows is a preworkout routine inspired by nature's beasts. Mark Verstegen, C.S.C.S., calls this an "active and dynamic warmup, meaning it does everything you need for a strong workout. Verstegen is the author of Core Performanceand owner of Athletes' Performance in Tempe, Arizona, and Carson, California. So he's seen his share of arm circles—which are okay; they're just not enough.
This warmup will elevate your heart rate and your core temperature—basics that too many men ignore. More important, it will activate the muscle groups you'll need in your lifting and will increase bloodflow to them.
The best part: This warmup will make you strong. That's because you'll be applying stress to your muscles in stretched positions, and you'll be moving in several directions. It will also create great long-term flexibility in just 2 weeks by actively elongating and contracting your muscles through new ranges of motion.
What's the investment? About 7 to 10 minutes in addition to any traditional static stretches (stretch and hold) and foam-roll exercises you do. The benefit? A stronger, more athletic, more injury-resistant body.
This list draws from animals ranging from the lowly inchworm to the mighty, uh, donkey. Not that we can't learn from cheetahs. They have semiretractable claws for traction—we could stand to change our running shoes every 300 to 500 miles or so. We can't match a cheetah's 20-foot stride, but we can lengthen ours by running uphill, and increase the frequency of our strides by running downhill.
You can still do your arm circles. But from now on, think outside the cage, and get warm.
The Inchworm
The inchworm is stable on any surface. This exercise, also known as the hand walk, stretches your hamstrings, calves, glutes, and lower back—"crucial for you to build a stable platform to operate on," says Robert Dos Remedios, C.S.C.S., director of speed, strength, and conditioning at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California.
Stand with your legs straight and your hands on the floor. (You'll probably need to begin with your hands a couple of feet in front of you.) Keeping your legs straight, walk your hands forward as far as possible. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Then take tiny steps to walk your feet back to your hands. Hold again for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat for a set of five.
The Scorpion
This nasty arthropod has eight legs, a 12-pack, and poison. Get your edge by stretching your hip flexors, quadriceps, and abs, says Jon Crosby, C.S.C.S., performance director at Velocity Sports Performance in Baltimore.
Lie on your stomach with your arms straight out at your sides and your legs straight, so your body forms a T. Keeping your arms still, thrust your left heel toward your right hand by squeezing your glutes (your butt) and bending your knee. Bring your leg back to the starting position, then try to touch your right heel to your left hand. Do five reps with each leg.
The Cobra
A cobra has a cool expandable neck hood to intimidate enemies. This Swiss-ball cobra stretches your intimidation muscles—pecs, biceps, and front deltoids. It also strengthens your rhomboids, rear deltoids, lower trapezius, and triceps.
Lie facedown on a Swiss ball with your abs drawn in and your arms hanging down, holding light dumbbells. Raise your arms straight back until they're in line with your body and pull your shoulder blades down and together. Hold the stretch for 2 to 3 seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat 10 times.
The Frog
Jump squats are a way of life for amphibians. For you to build powerful legs, it's crucial to loosen the joints of your lower body—especially your hips. Tight hips hinder your ability to squat, says Crosby. What's more, when the piriformis—a muscle that attaches to your hip—gets tight, it yanks on your lower back, causing back pain, Crosby says. The frog thrust stretches and strengthens the hips, lower back, and groin muscles.
Assume the pushup position. With your hands under your shoulders and your abs drawn in, punch your knees to your chest so that your feet land in between your elbows, then push your legs back to the starting position. When you're comfortable with this, punch your knees forward so that they land by your hands and outside your elbows. (This is the frog thrust.) Then kick your legs back to the starting position. Do one set of five repetitions.
The Donkey
Any jackass can handle this move, which strengthens your hamstrings, hips, and glutes, according to Dos Remedios. Get down on your hands and knees and kick your left leg back and up as high as you can. Keep your knee bent at a 90-degree angle and your back flat. (Don't hyperextend your back.) Finish by pulling your knee to your chest to stretch your glutes and lower back. Do a set of 10 to 15 reps, then repeat on the other side.
From Yahoo health
We humans can't get away with that. We need a warmup before exerting ourselves. So what do we do before a gym workout? We jog, we swing our arms in little circles, and we declare ourselves ready.
It's time to evolve. If you lift hard, play hard, or want to boost your training to a new level, start with your warmup.
What follows is a preworkout routine inspired by nature's beasts. Mark Verstegen, C.S.C.S., calls this an "active and dynamic warmup, meaning it does everything you need for a strong workout. Verstegen is the author of Core Performanceand owner of Athletes' Performance in Tempe, Arizona, and Carson, California. So he's seen his share of arm circles—which are okay; they're just not enough.
This warmup will elevate your heart rate and your core temperature—basics that too many men ignore. More important, it will activate the muscle groups you'll need in your lifting and will increase bloodflow to them.
The best part: This warmup will make you strong. That's because you'll be applying stress to your muscles in stretched positions, and you'll be moving in several directions. It will also create great long-term flexibility in just 2 weeks by actively elongating and contracting your muscles through new ranges of motion.
What's the investment? About 7 to 10 minutes in addition to any traditional static stretches (stretch and hold) and foam-roll exercises you do. The benefit? A stronger, more athletic, more injury-resistant body.
This list draws from animals ranging from the lowly inchworm to the mighty, uh, donkey. Not that we can't learn from cheetahs. They have semiretractable claws for traction—we could stand to change our running shoes every 300 to 500 miles or so. We can't match a cheetah's 20-foot stride, but we can lengthen ours by running uphill, and increase the frequency of our strides by running downhill.
You can still do your arm circles. But from now on, think outside the cage, and get warm.
The Inchworm
The inchworm is stable on any surface. This exercise, also known as the hand walk, stretches your hamstrings, calves, glutes, and lower back—"crucial for you to build a stable platform to operate on," says Robert Dos Remedios, C.S.C.S., director of speed, strength, and conditioning at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California.
Stand with your legs straight and your hands on the floor. (You'll probably need to begin with your hands a couple of feet in front of you.) Keeping your legs straight, walk your hands forward as far as possible. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Then take tiny steps to walk your feet back to your hands. Hold again for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat for a set of five.
The Scorpion
This nasty arthropod has eight legs, a 12-pack, and poison. Get your edge by stretching your hip flexors, quadriceps, and abs, says Jon Crosby, C.S.C.S., performance director at Velocity Sports Performance in Baltimore.
Lie on your stomach with your arms straight out at your sides and your legs straight, so your body forms a T. Keeping your arms still, thrust your left heel toward your right hand by squeezing your glutes (your butt) and bending your knee. Bring your leg back to the starting position, then try to touch your right heel to your left hand. Do five reps with each leg.
The Cobra
A cobra has a cool expandable neck hood to intimidate enemies. This Swiss-ball cobra stretches your intimidation muscles—pecs, biceps, and front deltoids. It also strengthens your rhomboids, rear deltoids, lower trapezius, and triceps.
Lie facedown on a Swiss ball with your abs drawn in and your arms hanging down, holding light dumbbells. Raise your arms straight back until they're in line with your body and pull your shoulder blades down and together. Hold the stretch for 2 to 3 seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat 10 times.
The Frog
Jump squats are a way of life for amphibians. For you to build powerful legs, it's crucial to loosen the joints of your lower body—especially your hips. Tight hips hinder your ability to squat, says Crosby. What's more, when the piriformis—a muscle that attaches to your hip—gets tight, it yanks on your lower back, causing back pain, Crosby says. The frog thrust stretches and strengthens the hips, lower back, and groin muscles.
Assume the pushup position. With your hands under your shoulders and your abs drawn in, punch your knees to your chest so that your feet land in between your elbows, then push your legs back to the starting position. When you're comfortable with this, punch your knees forward so that they land by your hands and outside your elbows. (This is the frog thrust.) Then kick your legs back to the starting position. Do one set of five repetitions.
The Donkey
Any jackass can handle this move, which strengthens your hamstrings, hips, and glutes, according to Dos Remedios. Get down on your hands and knees and kick your left leg back and up as high as you can. Keep your knee bent at a 90-degree angle and your back flat. (Don't hyperextend your back.) Finish by pulling your knee to your chest to stretch your glutes and lower back. Do a set of 10 to 15 reps, then repeat on the other side.
From Yahoo health
Posted in: