What is a warm up and why should I do one?
A warm up is some time set aside to get the body ready for activity. It is always a good idea to have an adequate warm up before training! For the young it might not be seen as important but it is a really important habit to get into. Especially as bodies get older it becomes a vital component of a training routine.
Benefits of warming up before training or playing on ninja obstacles, or on anything are:
- Increased focus for activity! Maybe you have had a rough day, or week, or month and your mind is loaded with the drudgery of it all, a warm up will help you put all that aside for just a little while so you can focus on you and your needs.
- Decreased chance of injury! No one needs an injury do they?! the muscles into a ready state, the fluids between the joints moving and increases their range of motion (ROM) to allow the body to be ready for activity.
This is a tutorial on how to get a great start for your work out or training session. Read on or join us on our youtube channel Ninja Australia for the Inside Ninja Virtual Demo library series on Warm up!
How do I warm up?
Lets break up warm up into two parts.
5 minutes of cardio activity.
5 minutes of dynamic stretching.
Cardio activities suggested in this video are jogging on the spot, skipping, cycling and rowing, but you can also do a bunch of other things like light shadow boxing, jogging outside, on crash mats or around the gym (avoiding obstacles and other people!), star jumps, aerobic box steps, burpies, inchworms, and many more.
A cardio activity is designed to raise your heart rate which increases oxygen flow to your muscles, which is required for activity. It is also designed to move the joints around, get blood flow going, and start applying light pressure or stresses to the joints.
It does not have to be boring either, it can be a game of tag or tiggy, off ground tiggy, floor is lava, brandy, octopus, captains coming, anything that gets you moving!
The next component is dynamic stretching. That is opposed to static stretching where you hold a stretch. Static stretching is saved for the end of your work out in the cool down phase, while dynamic stretching emphases movement. For example circling your arms, elbows, wrists, hips and ankles. Stretching dynamically is to move your joints to reach and increase your range of motion (ROM). It may involve movements such as lunges, switching back and forth between two opposing stretches, such as seal stretch and downward dog or standing tall, reaching up and bending forward to touch the ground in a standing pike or straddle. It could involve rolling on your rounded back. It should maintain your heart rate up, keep and increase your body warmth.
The two parts above, cardio warm up and dynamic stretching should take about 10 minutes, you should be moving the whole time basically. Then you are ready for the main part of your work out!
If you know which parts of your body are going to be working harder in your main workout or activity, you can dedicate more or additional time to those during the warm up.
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