General Warm-up - Five to ten minutes of warm-up is necessary to prepare the body for intense lifting. Light intensity movement activities are good for warm-up. Jogging, skipping rope, riding stationary bike, agility drills done at half speed are good activities to use for warm-up. Emphasis in warm-up should be on movement drills with limited static stretching. Remember, also to do two or more warm-up sets when lifting to ready the body for heavy weight.

Technique Warm-Up - Use technique moves before starting into the workout. An empty bar is all that is needed for technique work. This will get the body more warmed up and get the muscles moving through the proper pathway. Three to five minutes/per day is a must to insure continued technique improvement.

Warm-Up Sets – Two or more warm-up sets are necessary to prepare the body for lifting heavy weight. Lifts done early in a workout will require more warm-up sets than those done late in a workout. Major, total body lifts where very heavy weights are used will take more warm-up sets to allow the muscle to become accustomed to the heavy weights. Warm-up to within 20 to 40 pounds of your heaviest working set. Warm-up sets need not to be done for the full number of reps. These lifts are to prepare the body for the heaviest set, not to cause fatigue.

Cool-Down – Cooling down at the end of a workout has many benefits. This includes slowing the heart rate, redistributing blood throughout the body to flush waste products, and getting the recovery process started. Cool-down also helps prevent injuries through improved joint flexibility. After a workout, muscles are warm and fatigued, which make a good combination for improving flexibility. Static stretches for all major muscle groups should be included in the cool-down. The beginning of the cool-down is also a good time to do abdominal exercises.

Five to ten minutes or more is necessary for a thorough cool-down. By not utilizing a cool-down time, blood will pool in your muscles causing swelling and discomfort. The quality of a cool-down plays a big role in recovery, which determines your condition for the next workout. Take your time with a cool-down, concentrate on the stretching, and give your muscles a chance to relax. This is the easiest part of a workout, a very important part of a workout; don’t rush it.

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