Warm, Ready, Willing and Able
There are some basic things that every warm up should cover. Obviously the details will vary with your workout, but here are the 3 main components in order you need in your workout prep plan. Do these in the order listed.
1. Holds and Single Joint Prep
Why? - Odds are you are either coming from your bed, work or some other relatively inactive environment to your workout. You've been lying, standing or sitting for long periods of time. Hopefully with a little Ready State action or mobility worked in. Core, joints and tendons may not be ready to jump right into runs, jump rope, or any type of full range of motion multi joint movements. You nervous system is still sleeping a little even though you are alert.
Starting with core holds and single joint prep focused on your spine, hips and shoulder will prepare your entire system to do what you are about to ask of it. Remember! We consider the spine a joint. Mobilizing your spine into full flexion and extension with free the body up to do work. These holds and spine mobilization will also wake up your CNS (central nervous system) and help your body realize its time to go to work. Core holds will also get them breathing through the low part of their diaphragm and prep that for work.
How? - Get the trunk and back stabilizers activated, this will also start to align the pelvis by using planks; hollow body holds; bar hangs; ball, pipe or KB smashing
Next open up your shoulders and hips Single joint hips with bands; buddy stretching; pvc's; wall or ground work focused on hip or shoulder
2. Multi Joint Movement
Why? Multi Joint Movement - Once the core is hot we can worry about shoulder-elbow-wrist, hip-knee-ankle combo movements. Movements that involve more than one joint. Those joints in concert are still not ready to reach their full range of motion or move under the stress of plyo or explosive loaded movement. This stage is pretty wide open as long as the movement is deliberate and controlled and gives you a chance to work on sticky spots in hips and shoulders. A sticky spot is that spot that causes you to make a face, like Brody here, when you are working on. Its that spot that you know you could hit yesterday but for some reason is tight today.
How? Perform at full range of motion for 5-8 reps all the movements programed for the day. Stop at the end range and hold it while forcing optimal position for the movement. e.g. the best looking squat you put together. These should look like complete exercises or movements as opposed to focusing on one joint. Bars, Bands, or holding onto other rigging maybe necessary. Other examples are squats; lunges; pushups; pullups; crawls; sit ups; muscle snatch; beat swings, etc. No dynamic or explosive movement or change of direction should be incorporated...yet.
3. Get your heart rate up
Why? - Get the heart rate up - now is the time to get moving, running, jumping or performing full movements of the WOD under slightly increasing load. Make sure you are breathing heavy / sweating for a period of time. You should push yourself here through the first few moments of discomfort. Get to that point where you want to stop and go just a little further. You don't want 3...2...1... GO to be the first time of the day that you start breathing quickly and sweating.
How? Duration of this segment depends on the conditioning ahead. Short conditioning that is ultra intense, something like Fran, requires some longer high heart rate preparation. Approximately ~3-4 min of very active movement. Conversely longer conditioning 15 minutes plus performed at a pace requires less. Something like 1-2 mins of very active movement. Plyometrics and or runs should be used at this point, but not before. Exercises include runs; any type of jumping; burpees; 5 reps of each movement in the WOD performed at prescribed or 80% weight.
