Warm-up before training for Girls

 Why do girls need to warm up before training?

Any physical activity is stress for the body. Otherwise, it would simply not make sense: the whole point is to first “shake up” the body properly, and then let it recover and become stronger, so that next time it can resist stress more effectively. This is how we become more resilient, more flexible, more agile, and can lift ever greater weights.

Not only muscles, but also ligaments, joints, cardiovascular and nervous systems are subject to training stress. And they need not only rest, but also good preparation for the load. Warm-up performs a number of functions:

activates the nervous system, helping to invigorate and concentrate on work;

promotes blood flow to the muscles, preparing them for stress;

stimulates the production of synovial fluid, protecting joints from injury;

warms up the ligaments, making them more elastic;

helps to enter the required pulse mode;

promotes oxygen saturation of cells.

Whether you work out at home or in the gym, you always need to warm up. Before strength training, jogging , aerobics, HIIT, a warm-up is a must. But its type and duration are very individual.

How long and how exactly should you warm up?

The greatest attention should be paid to warming up before strength training - especially if you are working with fairly large weights (and for beginner girls, 10 kg is already a decent burden). However, the opinions of fitness experts on this issue differ somewhat - some argue that it is necessary to warm up "until the first sweat", so that the warm-up itself causes slight fatigue. Others believe that before strength training you should save your strength and energy, so you should not get carried away with preparatory manipulations.

It is impossible to say for sure which of the experts is right – both points of view have a right to exist. Over time, you will choose the most acceptable option for yourself. There may be many individual factors – the characteristics of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, the intensity of the workout, your current state of health, and even the air temperature.

For example, in winter, when most gyms are quite cool, warming up should take longer. In summer, when the heat itself is a serious strain on the body, it is recommended to reduce the intensity of training, and make the warm-up light.

Even the phase of the menstrual cycle is important. For example, shortly before menstruation, women increase the production of the hormone progesterone, which affects the structure of connective tissues (this effect is associated with potential childbirth). Joints become hypermobile, and ligaments are more susceptible to stretching. Therefore, warm-up should be given special attention.

Whatever the case, you should warm up for at least 7-10 minutes. Preparation for training should consist of light cardio, which will invigorate the entire body and saturate the tissues with oxygen, which is necessary for both muscle work and fat burning.

Warm-up for girls: cardio

A few years ago, there were heated debates in the fitness community about when to do cardio for weight loss – before or after strength training. And, despite the fact that the second option turned out to be correct, many girls still exhaust themselves with long cardio sessions, after which they also force themselves to work out with iron.

Save your muscle glycogen and energy for strength exercises. Cardio warm-up should not last more than 10-15 minutes, and many athletes, even professional ones, need only 5-7 to feel “on top”. Choose a medium, gentle pace. If you have the opportunity to monitor your pulse, try to keep it at 65% of the maximum.

Choose the type of exercise that you like. Most gyms have a whole set of cardio machines - a treadmill, elliptical, exercise bike, stepper, etc. At home, you can jump rope, do "jumping jacks" or do good old-fashioned jogging in place.

Joint warm-up exercises

Before training, it is necessary to warm up the main joints that will be involved in the exercises, as well as the spine. In this way, you will also activate the blood flow to the muscles, due to which they will become more elastic, responsive and sensitive. Most of the exercises from joint gymnastics are familiar to us from school physical education lessons. These include:

Rotational movements of the arms. Stand up straight, straighten your arms and rotate your shoulder joints – 10-15 times backwards, then the same number forwards.

Raising your arms through the sides. Starting position: standing, body straight, arms down at the sides. As you inhale, raise your straight arms above your head, as you exhale, smoothly lower them down.

Rotational movements in the elbows. With your arms out to the sides, rotate your forearms first from the inside out, then the other way around.

Body bends. Bend your body back, forward, left and right one by one. Do this slowly, without sudden jerks. Always make sure to clean your exercise mat before storing it.

Smooth rotational movements of the head. Relax your shoulders as much as possible and rotate your head – first clockwise, then counterclockwise.

Leg lifts. Trying to keep your legs straight (for convenience, you can bend them slightly at the knees), lift them in front of you one by one. Move slowly and in a controlled manner.

Rotational movements in the knee joint. Standing straight, lift one leg so that the thigh is parallel to the floor. Rotate the shin - first in one direction, then in the other. Repeat for the other leg. For convenience, you can hold on to the support with your hand.

Torso rotations. Standing straight, clasp your hands together on your chest and rotate your torso alternately to the right and left. You don’t need to do this abruptly, trying to achieve a crunch in your spine – all movements are done carefully.

Rotational movements of the pelvis. Stand up straight, place your hands on your hips. Feet are shoulder-width apart. Rotate your pelvis - first in one direction, then in the other. Try to move your pelvis forward and backward as much as possible at the extreme points of the trajectory.

Squats. Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Turn your toes slightly out to the sides. Slowly squat down without lifting your heels off the floor. Make sure your knees don't go past your toes. You can stretch your arms out in front of you for balance.

Leg abduction. Stand up straight, grab the support with your right hand. Move your left leg to the side, lifting it as high as you can. Repeat the same for the other leg.

Spreading your arms out to the sides in front of you. Starting position: standing, body straight, arms in front of you. Then spread your arms out to the sides, trying to move them as far as you can.

Exercises for the shoulder joints can be done with a gymnastic stick or even a regular towel, stretching it in your hands. It's simple: raise your arms with the "projectile" above your head and lower them alternately forward and backward. Some movements can also be done with small dumbbells of 0.5-1 kg, although a beginner girl can do without them.

It is recommended to do at least 20-30 repetitions in all movements. Many girls also do stretching before training, but this is not the best idea. Yes, your muscles should be flexible and elastic enough, but at the same time maintain sufficient rigidity. After stretching, both muscles and ligaments become more vulnerable, and strength indicators can decrease. Therefore, it is better to stretch after training - this will help reduce muscle pain after it and make the muscles even stronger for the next session.

Final Words

As observations in gyms show, warm-up is often neglected by men, who immediately start to press a hundred-kilogram barbell. Women, as creatures with a more developed instinct for self-preservation, regularly warm up before each workout. Keep up the good work! We hope that after reading this article, you will make your warm-up more correct and effective.