Movement prep before working out
What is movement prep
As the name implies the idea is to get you ready for movement. How ofter do you or someone you see at the gym just walk in and go right into lifting weights. Most common people will do some light cardio paired with some static stretching. While that’s definitely better than the person who just walked in cold off the street and threw some heavy weights on the bench press. Doing any of this is not ideal because it doesn’t properly get things warmed or primed for your main lift of the day. Not going through a proper movement prep can lead to injury and compensations.
The main objective with a movement prep is to increase the strength of neural pathways previously used. So what does that mean? If we want certain muscles groups to be used in a core lift (bench,squat,dead,overhead press) the chances of us using those muscles if we warm them up are higher, injury rate goes down and the performance of that lift going up. So for example is we were squatting we might do 1-3 sets of some movements that helps us activate or turn on muscles we plan to use in the lift. So we might do some light RDLs to warm up the hamstring strings and glutes, glute bridges, planks, anti rotational movements,ect. The goal would be to wake up these muscles, get blood flow to the area, and create a better muscle mind connection. I personally like to pick 3-5 movements before going into the core lift. 2 movements are usually abs/obliques, glutes, a movement similar to the one I’ll be doing and sometimes an explosive movement to recruit those fast twitch type 2 fibers.
So why is this all important?
Injuries or tight muscles is very common and we want to do everything we can do correct the issue and lift as safely as possible. A joint is where two bones meet and that joint is surrounded by muscles that produce movement and control. When muscles get tight, especially on one side more so than the other, this can create imbalances within the body thus leading to weakness on one side or compensation. Having these imbalances can lead to change in posture and your path of motion during movement leading to injuries. Having a movement prep plan before you start your workout can help reduce muscle tightness, restore joint motion and achieve optimal mobility before attempting those heavy core lifts.
Benefits of movement prep
Exercises based on movement patterns can enhance mobility while promoting stability.
Help improve how your central nervous system receives sensory input from the environment to help improve overall muscle activation
Better joint range of motion and mobility
Enhance elasticity and structural integrity of fascia and restore the ability of muscle tieesue
Get your body to be more energy efficient
Prevention of likely hood of injuries
Neural activation
