Warming up is a pre-workout preparation of muscles to “warm-up” those muscles for the workout ahead. Warm-ups are used by many and ignored by many as well. There are a few different ways to warm up. Some use stretching or different forms of cardio.
Warming up is something that we may not have used in our personal workouts. Should you warm-up? And if so should you stretch or use cardio. In this article, I’m going to answer these questions
Should You Use Cardio To Warm Up?
Cardio is essential for burning fat. Whether attempting to lose weight in general or getting shredded for the summer you are going to use it to shred off all of that fat. But should you use cardio to warm up before lifting?
Cardio warm-ups are not recommended because they can reduce your energy for your weight session. weight lifting takes a ton of energy and if your energy is depleted before you lift you aren’t going to be able to go as hard during your lifting session.
Cardio is actually recommended for post-workout. The writers at Body building.com say “When you weight-train, you typically use glycogen as fuel. By doing weight-training first, you can burn the majority of your glycogen stores. Knocking out your cardio after you crush the weights will burn more fat!” read more here.
So should you use cardio before lifting weight? The answer is simply no. but it is amazing for post-workout. Especially if you are looking to lose weight or to get ripped. Cardio is an amazing thing to utilize in your workouts, Just not right before lifting weights
Should You Use Stretching To Warm Up?
Is stretching really beneficial as a warm-up? The answer varies depending on what kind of stretches are being performed. Dynamic stretches are said to be great prior to weightlifting. Whereas Static stretching is not beneficial before lifting.
Static stretches should not be used prior to working out. According to the writers at livestrong.com “Static stretches before weightlifting reduce your muscles’ ability to perform optimally” read more here. Static stretches should not be used because when lifting weights you want your performance to always be at the best it can be.
Instead of static stretches, you should use dynamic stretches. “Dynamic stretching involves running a muscle through its range of motion“, read more here. If you use dynamic stretching it helps reduce the chances of getting hurt while working out while also increasing your range of motion read more here.
Conclusion
So Should you warm up before lifting weights? Absolutely! But you must use the right methods. Cardio before lifting weights Is probably not the best idea because it takes away your energy. Instead, use dynamic stretching, It will warm up those muscles for a heavy lifting session and it will also help your range of motion. the reason you want to warm up is to assist your lifting and also to prevent injury.
Warming up through dynamic stretching is something that everyone should implement. I personally have utilized a warm-up before lifting but after researching I will start using dynamic stretching from now on.
