Dynamic Warm Up Keeps You Safer and More Prepared

Gone are the days of a static stretching before a workout. Whether you are out for a run, on the court for a pick up game of basketball, or cycling your butt off, you will need your body to be ready for whatever you throw at it. When you start with static stretching, tiny tears are created in the muscle fibers which can increase the risk of injury. If you are an elite athlete, you really do not want to be sidelined for any of your events. A small tear from static stretching for a sprinter in the hamstring can lead to that pulled hamstring during a race. The same holds true for that pick up game of basketball. Don't perform a static stretch on your calf as it may lead to something serious when you explosively take off from the ground for a rebound or lay-up. A mountain biker needs a lot of power to crank up steep inclines, so static stretching should be avoided prior to shredding the trails.

Before exercise, one should perform a dynamic warmup targeting areas of the body that will need to be ready for what ever exercise or activity you are going to perform. Even still, involving the full body will ensure the best warm up. A proper dynamic warm up increases blood flow to those areas of the body that need it as well as increases muscle fiber recruitment. In other words, it wakes things up so that they are ready for action. Getting more muscle fibers to join the party will increase your performance.

Let's look at a power lifter. Power lifting is a very explosive sport and it is highly important to have the body ready or the risk of injury if high. Pretend we are at a competition and we have two athletes. They are getting ready for their big all out lift on the bench. Assume the two athletes are the same size, with the same bench max, and wearing the same clothing. Let's take Power lifter A, who does nothing to get ready for the lift. He lays on the bench, he has not invited all the muscle fibers to the party, he does not have the blood flow to safely perform this ultra explosive move and fails. Power lifter B, warm ups on a stationary bike. He also does his normal lunges, twists, arm swings, and gets on a warm up bench to lift a light weight, and works his way up to a good weight for muscle fiber recruitment. He does not fail but succeeds and do to the adrenaline and mind-set actually is able to lift more than was expected.

Make sure that you are including a dynamic warm up in your routine, you can see how beneficial it can be. See the video linked here to walk through some great dynamic exercises so that you are ready for your next bout of exercise!

Robert Jay Martin is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and TRX certified. Improve your level of fitness and/or level of cycling with his success, knowledge, experience, & 4 year degree. Visit his website https://martinrj26.wixsite.com/robmartin or his blog at https://urbikelife.com/news/

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Exercises and Workouts - Are You Looking To Make The Jump To A Higher Power Training Program?

One of the more popular workout programs you might want to consider adding to your workout routine is the push/pull/legs workout. This particular one is great because it allows you to divide the upper body, so you get to work each muscle group with a higher volume. Doing so will help you to see superior results. Once you are beyond the beginner stage, it can be trying to get enough total work for each muscle group by doing an upper/lower split, so this is the next route to go. Curious how this ends up looking?

You will perform... 

• all push exercises - chest, shoulders, triceps - on the push day, and 
• all pulling exercises - back and biceps - on the pull day. Then you have legs, which gets its specific day. 

Let us take a look at a sample program you can use. You can either do this... 

• once a week or
• on three days, then one day off, three days, then one day off and continue in that manner. 

Push... 

• Bench Press - four sets of eight repetitions
• Shoulder Press - three sets of ten reps
• Chest Fly - two sets of twelve reps 
• Lateral Raise - two sets of twelve reps
• Overhead Tricep Extension - three sets of fifteen reps 

Pull... 

• Bent Over Rows - four sets of eight repetitions
• Lat Pull-Downs - four sets of eight reps
• Close Grip Pull-Ups - three sets of ten reps 
• Single Arm Cable Row - three sets of ten reps 
• Dumbbell Curl - two sets of ten reps
• EZ Bar Curl - two sets of fifteen reps

Legs... 

• Squats - four sets of six repetitions
• Deadlifts - four sets of eight reps
• Walking Lunges - three sets of ten reps 
• Leg Extension - three sets of twelve reps
• Hamstring Curl - three sets of twelve reps
• Calf Raises - two sets of fifteen reps 

Give this workout a try when you are ready to make the jump to a higher frequency; a higher power training program. It can help you take your progress to the next stage.

Remember to start each workout session with a five-minute warm-up and finish with a decent cool-down as well. And do this each time. If you are going to add cardio training to your workout plan, you can do so by either adding it after the session is over or on your off days from strength training. With that in mind, do note you do need to have at least one day each week off from all forms of exercise. Having a rest day is relevant and necessary to promote optimal recovery and ensure you are keeping an ideal degree of balance in your life.

Although managing Type 2 diabetes can be very challenging, it is not a condition you must just live with. Make simple changes to your daily routine - include exercise to help lower both your blood sugar levels and your weight.

For nearly 25 years, Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.

The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

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