Warmups, Cool Downs and Stretching thread...

[JoeWoah]

Do you guys warmup? Do cool downs after a workout? Stretch? What do you do?

I'm thinking I'm not warming up enough (I didn't use to at all, I must be getting old) and my stretching routine hasn't changed since college. I could use some new ideas here.

 

[bawlin]

My warmup is 5 minutes on the treadmill. Enough to break a sweat and get the blood flowing, but nothing crazy.

In terms of stretching, I make sure to do fascia stretching at the end of my workout:

http://www.muscletech.com/resources/..._program.shtml
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/extr...stretching.htm

 

[laxaj]

Originally Posted by bawlin

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/extr...stretching.htm

Thanks for this. Interesting to see how many of these I had just picked up during my time at the gym.

 

[Scrumhalf]

Dynamic warmups with low weights before workout, some static stretching after workout.

 

[Chris2289]

With weights I do Pyramids so i find that acts as a warm up.

I ensure that all key muscles are stretched before and after a warm up and exercise, especially when playing a competitive sport. In terms of a warm down I am usually to spent after a work out to do any extended warm downs.

 

[turbozed]

If I'm squatting say 195 lbs, I will warm up to my work sets like this: 45 x 5 (just the bar) 85 x 5 115 x 3 145 x 2 then do 3 work sets of 195 x 5 I do this for all my big lifts (deads, bench, squats, overhead press, cleans) I'm assuming you're doing a lot of upper body exercises so here's a good quick shoulder warmup I always do:
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[thekunk07]

i just do a first set of every intended exercise at 25% of my 1rm.

do 30 mins steady state cardio, 3.5 speed, 8.5 incline after lifting.

 

[JoeWoah]

My main issue seems to be my shoulders. My traditional warmup has consisted of 3 sets of low weight building up more each set but not exceeding 50% of my first real set, then a set of 3-4 reps at 80% of my first set weight. My first set weight is usually my highest weight, like 85% of my 1-rep max (depending on what I'm doing) and then I scale down on the subsequent reps if I need to.

This has worked fine for me but these days it's just painful on my shoulders when I'm doing upper body movements.

A. My shoulder development is lagging somehow (injury maybe).

B. I need more warming up, like 5 mins on an elliptical with some arm movement.

C. Something else...

What do you think?

 

[jaydc7]

I do a lot of pass throughs with a dowel and a few sets of overhead squats with the bar as part of my warmup, and it seems to help my shoulders.