How To Warm Up For Crossfit
How to warm up for Crossfit workouts
Everyone seems to know that it is important to warm up but not many seem to know why or how to do it properly. Your warm up should be specific to you so you can loosen areas that are tight and develop weaknesses in your body.
This article is going to cover
Why is warming up important
How to warm up to prevent injury and improve performance
Warm up example for a Weightlifting session
Warm up example for a Gymnastics session
Warm up example for a Cardio session
Warm up example for a Crossfit workout
Why is warming up important
Warming up is crucial for injury prevention and your long term development. You only need 10 minutes to get your body ready for an upcoming workout, yet people skip the warm up knowing that sooner or later it will lead to an injury.
The goal of a warm up is to increase your heart rate, get the blood circulating your body, loosen joints and prepare your muscles for the movements they are about to perform.
How to warm up to prevent injury and improve performance
Most of us have imbalances, weak areas and/or mobility issues in certain areas of our bodies. We have all led different lives and done different jobs/activities that have made us to who we are today. When warming up if you Include exercises that will help improve these issues slowly over time you will start to see improvement.
If you know you have weak glutes then you could be incorporating glute strength and activation exercises in your warm up, not only to prepare you for the upcoming session but to slowly strengthen and balance out the muscles. Lacking overhead mobility? Including overhead mobility and stability drills in your warm ups is going to help fix the issue.
Should you static stretch before training? Well, It depends…
Static stretching can result in a decrease in potential strength and performance gains. This is why it is better to warm up with dynamic movements as it primes your central nervous system, improves blood circulation and increases muscle and joint flexibility.
If you have a serious mobility issue that is preventing you from performing a movement safely then static stretching would be a good idea to help get you closer to performing that movement.
Different warm up focuses
Get blood circulating in your body
Mobilise joints
Create midline strength and stability
Imbalance work
Ease muscles into the movements they are about to perform
Slowly elevate heart rate
Get blood circulating in your body
Just moving your body will help with this. 2-5minutes on any machine or running will do the trick, very low intensity.
Mobilise Joints
Take your joints through their full range of motion without any added weight or a light external load. Ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and wrists.
Create midline stability
Probably the most important aspect of warming up for a weightlifting session is creating midline stability. If you have ever injured your back or know someone who has you know how debilitating it can be. Creating midline stability will help prepare you to lift weights correctly and prevent back injuries.
Watch this video by Dr Aaron Horschig - 3 Core exercises you should do every day
Imbalance Work
The goal with imbalance work is to even up your body. For example, if you have a weak left glute then including single-leg Glute Bridges with 3 sets on your left side and 2 sets on your right side will slowly help your left side catch up with your right.
Ease muscles into the movements they are about to perform
This can be done by performing the movements that are planned for your session with a light load and at a lower intensity for multiple reps.
Slowly elevate heart rate
If you are doing a workout that will have your heart rate up at around 85-90% of your max heart rate then it’s a good idea to try and warm up into that heart rate zone just like you would a normal muscle.
Warm up example for a Weightlifting session
All warm ups are important, but warming up for a weightlifting session is even more so. Adding external weight to your body and performing exercises puts you at more risk than any other form of exercise, a proper warm up is crucial. People who don’t warm up properly will maybe get away with it for a while but sooner or later it will catch up with them.
2 Minutes Assault Bike
10 Goblet Squats with a 5-second pause at the bottom
3 Rounds
12 Bottoms up KB Press (for shoulder imbalances
3 Hang Power Snatch (empty bar 1st round. Light load 2nd and 3rd round)
5 Explosive Box Jumps
Warm up example for a Gymnastics session
Warming up for gymnastic movements isn’t too dissimilar to warming up for weightlifting, you need to increase blood flow, mobilise joints and prepare your body for the movements you are about to perform but instead of trying to create midline stability you want to be switching on your core muscles and trying to develop your hollow and arch positions.
2 Minutes Row
50 Dowel pass-throughs
3 Rounds
8 Scap pull-ups
8 Scap push-ups
15 second hollow hold
15 second arch hold
Warm up example for a Cardio session
Below is an example warm up for a running sprint session.
5 minutes steady state Run
2 Rounds
30 seconds Moderate pace
30 seconds jog
15 seconds fast pace
45 seconds jog
Warm up example for a crossfit workout
Lets use the CrossFit workout fran as an example and lets say you have mobility issues overhead.
Fran
21-15-9
Thrusters
Pull-Ups
Warm Up
2 Minutes steady pace on the rower
8-6-4-2
Goblet Squats
Scap Pull-Ups
Dowel Pass Throughs
Dead Bugs9-6-3
Thrusters (Build in weight)
Pull-Ups
Rest 1 minute between rounds
All warm ups should have similarities but be different to suit the athlete’s needs. Use them as an opportunity to mobilise tight areas and strengthen weak areas in your body.