First, just want to tell those of you who have either subscribed or read my blog posts each week ‘thank you’ and again, hope they are all reaching your inbox, and has been helpful information for you to use in your workout programs. I also would like to reiterate to all my readers that all of the information that I provide to you has either been researched and found to be scientifically accurate with exercise, and/or based on my own experiences as a personal trainer and strength coach. So even though things relevant to exercise, strength, and fitness that I discuss in my blogs, can certainly be more relative than absolute to the “rule”, the information I provide will always originate from credible sources and be conducive to my own personal experiences that have been known to yield the best results possible. So once again, hope all is well and thanks for tuning in every week!
With that being said, I would like to discuss what a complete workout routine should look like for those of you who may not be sure of how to organize your daily workouts. I’ve had conversations with and witnessed several individuals who go the gym and go straight into their workouts without properly “informing” the body that you want it to do work. I refer to it as “informing” the body because this general rule implies that in order for the body to respond to exercise and training in a positive way, it must first be prepared properly in order to do so. This is the primary purpose (among other things) of the “Warm-up” before any exercise, fitness, and/or strength workout begins.
So when I’m implementing my workouts with either clients or myself, I will usually break down my workouts into 3 to 4 segments: The Warm-up, Pre-Exercise (if necessary or applicable), Workout, and Post-Workout Stretching. I do this for all my clients no matter what they might be training for. The Warm-up should consist of 10 to 15 minutes of light to moderate activity, proceeded by light stretching in order to prepare the body for work and prevent or minimize any risk of injury to any muscles and/or joints during your workout. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Pre-exercise portion of a workout– this is only applicable to individuals who may be performing bigger movements later in the “workout” portion that consist of total body effort, such as Squats, Dead Lifts, Plyometric Training, and any Olympic style lifts that might be performed by athletes training for sport. These are exercises that require multiple joint and muscle effort in order to perform, and where pre-exercise work would become necessary. The Workout portion is the main event and the part of virtually every workout where we aspire to accomplish our goal and ultimately obtain the results we’re all looking for. I also refer to this portion of the workout where the most errors and mistakes are made because there is so many variables and factors involved that are often overlooked and therefore can dramatically influence results. (I go into further detail about some of those factors in the “Keys To A Successful Workout Program” blog.) This is obviously the most important part of one’s daily workout regimen and begins with a good warm-up. Finally, the Post- Workout, or cool down segment of a daily workout is probably the most neglected portion of any workout simply because no one ever does it, right?! I have even detoured this portion of some workouts because like most you, I’m either ready to be done or don’t account for the extra time to sit or lie down and relax before departing the workout. However, there is a bit of significance and importance to post-workout stretching and therefore I make it a point to do so with my clients: post-stretching (cool down) is not only relaxing, but brings the body back into a state of equilibrium (homeostasis), thereby restoring the body to its normal state. How many of you (exercisers, weight lifters, runners, etc.) ever left a hard workout feeling a little nauseous or light headed? We use to say back in high school that it was the sign of a good workout if you experienced that feeling shortly after strength workouts. Over time, I’ve learned that it was actually the body’s reaction to being out of equilibrium without a proper transition out of the gym by seated stretching and cooling down. Lastly, stretching after every workout promotes good flexibility and range of motion in muscles and joints (especially after resistance training), and prevents blood in the muscles from pooling there and causing unnecessary strain and tightness the next day.
Once again, God Bless and Happy Workouts!
