A productive weightlifting program will challenge you enough to increase or maintain lean body mass (muscle). In order to keep or build muscle, you must lift heavy--you should not be able to complete more than eight to 15 repetitions of each exercise, depending on your individual fitness goals. When lifting heavy, a proper warm-up is necessary to prevent injury.
Step 1
Hit the track, a treadmill, a stationary bike, a rowing machine, or any other cardio equipment in the building and work at a level six out of 10, where 10 is your maximum effort. Work at a level six for five to 10 minutes, or until you break a light sweat. You should feel a significant temperature rise throughout your body.
If you do not enjoy warming up on cardio machines, you may do full body, body-weight exercises such as jogging in place, jumping rope, jumping jacks, or lunges across a gym floor. Anything that gets you moving and gets you sweating will work.
Step 2
Now that your body is warm, lightly stretch the muscle groups you plan to be working. If you plan to do a full body workout, a full-body stretch would incorporate shoulders, back, chest, biceps, triceps, core, hip flexors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. Spend at least 30 seconds sinking deeply and slowly (not bouncing) into each stretch. Exhale before you stretch farther. If you feel a sharp pain, stop and hold the stretch at the farthest point before the pain occurred. Stretching should be a "comfortable uncomfortable" feeling, but never a sharp pain.
Step 3
Perform weightless repetitions of each exercise in your workout once or twice through. If you normally squat 100 lbs., do a set of squats with no weight, or with just the bar used to hold the weights. Focus on form as you complete 15 or 20 repetitions. Your body should be better prepared to perform the movements in your workout than it would have been if you had simply walked into the weight room and began working out.
Summary
Your body will thank you for being warmed up by being able to lift more weight without unnecessary pain or injury. You are more likely to recover from your workout and be back in the gym after one day of complete rest, with minimal soreness. Warming up with a quick cardio blast, followed by stretches, followed by exercise movements without weight, will increase your flexibility and safeguard your bones and joints from injury.
Warnings
Keep track of your progress in the gym and increase weight only when you are sure that your body is ready. Always increase weight by increments of 5 lbs. instead of making large jumps in weight. It is also important to remember that a plateau may simply be the product of habit--never be afraid to slowly and carefully take a step forward in your weight routine. As always, warming up will support and protect you in your efforts to build muscle and stay healthy.
Tags: your workout, build muscle, each exercise, full body, increase weight, repetitions each, repetitions each exercise