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Sunday, December 26, 2010

Stay Warm

     Happy Boxing Day everyone. Yes, Christmas is over... so now it's time to move on to the next holiday/excuse for gifts. It's also time for another worth-while and informative ramble. And who better to bring that to you... than this guy!

There's always that guy... but not the person I'm talking about

     So the big holiday is over, and now thoughts of sugar plums and presents are being replaced by bumper plates and kettlebells... but I see that as a good thing. Today (and keeping with the temperature) we're going to talk about you warm-up. No, I'm not going to tell you what you should do; rather, why we do it.

     Many times you may be jumping at the chance to lift something heavy or just destroy a WOD, but it's best to be prepared before we do either. It's very important that our bodies are prepared for the physical rigors of the approaching workout. So, why do we do what we do?

  • Increased body/muscle temp - this improves muscle elasticity, and muscles will contract and relax quicker (less stiffness). The risk of overstretching is decreased.
  • Blood vessles dialate - this reduces the restriction of blood flow and stress to the heart.
  • Effective cooling - during the warm-up our body will start to regulate temperature by sweating, needed to prevent overheating.
  • Proper Range of Motion - many times our warm-up will contain movements designed to mimick our workout. Doing this beforehand will ensure that we are moving our bodies to proper range and depth before we ever start.
  • Mental focus - I'm always preaching how much of a mental game CrossFit can be, and getting your body warm and with a few practice moves/lifts under your belt can get your mind right pre-WOD.

Not the warm-up I was talking about

     The warm-up is designed to help and enhance your WOD/Lift. If you ever find yourself doing more harm that good (for all you solo CrossFitters)... then change it up. The warm-up can be just like CrossFit (constantly varied). We don't need to do the same thing every day, and it can be WOD specific. If you're about to do 100 pullups for time, I probably won't have you warm-up with pullups. I may warm-up those specific muscle groups to perform that challenging WOD... but piece by piece.

     Well fitness friends, that's the message today. Stay warm... and if you can't stay warm all the time, at least be warm before your workout. Believe me, it will pay off. Happy Boxing Day Everyone!



CrossFit Advantage Trailer - December from Samer Abou-Zaki on Vimeo.

3,2,1 GO!
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Yesterday's WOD

Rest Day

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