It is natural to want to skip warm-up when you are short on time or too restless to start slow. However, jumping right into a workout can significantly increase the risk of injury and cause your muscles to strain.
Thus, whether you are getting ready for a cardio workout, team sport, or strength training, it is advised to take a couple of minutes. This allows your muscles to ease themselves into exercise mode.
Below are some warm-up exercises that can energize you before you kick your workout into high gear.
1. Squats
Squats offer a number of benefits, one of which is the fact that it targets a number of important muscles in your body. These include hamstrings, glutes, quads, and overall lower body.
To start off easy, you can go only halfway down for the first few squats. As you get warmed up, you can increase the difficulty level and carry out full squats.
Here is how you can do a squat:
- Keep your feet hip-width apart, and make sure to stand straight.
- Turn your toes slightly toward the side.
- With your back completely straight, engage your core.
- Slowly lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
- Pause for a bit while your knees are over your toes.
- Exhale slowly and stand back up.
2. Planks
If you want to build back and core strength as you warm up, planks are an excellent choice. They can also improve posture and balance. Moreover, after warming up, you can also challenge yourself by trying variations of this exercise, such as side plank and forearm plank.
Here is how you can do a plank:
- Get down in a pushup position.
- If this is your first time doing a plank, you can do it on your knees.
- For a more advanced version of the plank, use your forearms to do it.
- You can also do a plank with your arms fully extended for your ease.
- Keep your toes and palms firmly on the ground.
- Make sure your back is straight, and your core muscles are tight.
- Do not allow your back or head to sag downwards.
- Hold the plank for 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Side Lunges
Side lunges can help you work your lower body and tighten your hips, glutes, and legs. You can make the first couple of lunges easier for yourself by only going halfway down. Then, you can slowly and gradually progress to the complete exercise.
Below are steps to do a side lunge:
- Place your feet hip-width apart.
- Press into your left foot as you step your right one over to the right side.
- Then, squat downward and bend the right leg while ensuring that the left leg is straight.
- Stay in this position for a couple of seconds with your right knee over, but do not bend beyond your toes.
- Lift your hips and go back to the starting position.
- Perform the lunge on the left side as well.
With these three exercises, you can now warm up with ease and prepare your body for the upcoming energetic workout.
