Do This for Maximum Performance and Minimum Injury Risk

By Elliot Newman

Can you guess what the one BIG thing is that you really must do before any kind of intense physical activity (especially once you get past 40)?

It’s not a trick question…

And it’s actually very obvious.

But in my experience over the years – doing a variety of sports including boxing, powerlifting, mountain biking, golf, tennis and climbing – most people fail to do this 1 thing (or they do it very badly)…

Of course, I’m talking about WARMING UP.

I know, I know…

It’s boring.

It’s not sexy.

But…

Done correctly, a proper warm up:

• Primes your body for MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE (so you can kick your buddy’s ass)
• Reduces your Injury Risk dramatically
• Improves your Longevity (because it reduces general wear and tear on your body, and reduces injury risk)

When you consider those 3 points, all of a sudden a 10-20 minute warm up before you get intense doesn’t seem so boring, does it?

Ultimately, a proper warm up is an easy way to gain a massive advantage over the other 90% of folks who are IDIOTS (because they don’t warm up!).

How to Warm Up Correctly…

Look, it’s not easy to prescribe one warm up for all sports…

What you do before you play tennis should be a bit different to what you do before you play golf!

How about before a heavy squat workout? Well, again, that’s going to differ from what you’d do before tennis or golf.

However…

There are some principles that you can use to build a pretty effective warm up, regardless of the physical activity or sport that you’re about to engage in.

Warm Up Principle #1: Dress Appropriately!

In his fantastic book Dinosaur Training, American Bench Press Champion Brooks Kubik talks about this and says it’s really important – especially as you get older – to dress appropriately when exercising.

Basically:

• If it’s hot and sunny, by all means wear a vest and a pair of shorts. But…
• If it’s cold, cover up, and only start to remove layers when you get warm. Finally…
• If you have cranky elbows or knees, invest in a good pair of knee sleeves, and wear them while you workout or play tennis, golf etc

Warm Up Principle #2: Get Warm!

The easiest way to do this is with a little “cardio.”

Remember though, you’re NOT trying to tire yourself out. So keep it easy.

5 minutes max.

Walking is perfect. So is dragging a weighted sled.

Easy jogging, cycling or rowing are usually okay too.

Warm Up Principle #3: Do 2-3 Exercises to Get Your Entire Body Moving Well, with Some Force!

If you’re in the gym, this is easy…

Do a LOWER BODY exercise, an UPPER BODY PULLING exercise, and a UPPER BODY PUSHING exercise.

For instance:

Walking Lunges, Machine Rows and Press Ups. 10-15 x 2 sets each is perfect. Nothing too hard. Just get the muscles working and ready for the intensity to come.

What if you’re not in the gym?

Well, you can still do something similar…

If you’re about to play tennis or golf, you can do a couple sets of easy bodyweight squats or lunges, and a couple sets of press ups.

Warm Up Principle #4: Do 2 Exercises that Are Very Specific to What You’re About to Do…

If you’re in the gym, and you’re about to do a lot of pressing, then you may include some Tricep Pushdowns and Rear Delt Raises in your warm up.

Why?

The Pushdowns warm up the triceps and elbows, both of which work really hard on all pressing exercises.

The Rear Delt Raises work the head of the deltoid that doesn’t get worked very much when you press (so including a couple sets in your warm up is a good idea, to ensure the “Posterior Deltoids” don’t get neglected completely during your pressing workout).

How about if you’re not in the gym?

Well, if you’re about to play a sport, think of 2 exercises you could do that will help you perform better in the sport.

If it’s golf or tennis, tricep extensions would be a great idea – to thoroughly warm up the elbows before playing.

If you have dicky knees, do a couple easy sets of an exercise that you know makes your knees feel good before you play.

Tennis involves a lot of lateral movement – so some lateral lunges might be a good idea.

Golf involves a lot of rotation, so something that involves rotation would work well

You need to think about these 2 exercises carefully, then do 2 easy sets of 10-15 reps.

Warm Up Principle #5: Do Something Explosive…

Whatever sport you’re about to play, being FASTER will help.

So the next part of a great warm up is to do an exercise or two to fire up the Central Nervous System.

You do this by moving quickly…

For the lower body, you do it by jumping.

For the upper body you do it by throwing.

3 sets of 3 reps is fine. 1 jumping exercise. 1 throwing exercise.

In the gym you could do Box Jumps and Medicine Ball Slams.

On the Tennis Court you could do Broad Jumps over the tram lines, and Tennis Ball Throws from the Service Line over the Net.

This ain’t rocket science. Just requires a little thought and creativity ?

Finally:

Warm Up Principle #6: Start the Activity…

If you’re in the gym, and exercise 1 is the Bench Press, do a few sets with just the empty Barbell to warm up.

Then do 90 lbs for a couple sets of 5, and 135 lbs for a couple sets of 3.

By this point you should be ready to pile some weight on and get lifting!

If you’re playing tennis, don’t jump straight into trying to hit 125mph serves like peak Pete Sampras.

Instead, warm up with your playing partner in the service boxes, hitting slow and steady for a few minutes, dialing in your technique, before going back to the baseline.

If you’re getting ready to play golf, don’t start with the driver! Start on the chipping green. Hit a few chips, then a few pitch shots. Then go to the range and work your way through your irons, hybrid, fairway woods and finally… The Driver.

Closing Thoughts on Warming Up…

Most people aren’t very good at the sport they play.

In gyms you see plenty of people in PAIN, but few lifting anything impressive. They’d be in less pain, and lift more impressively if they warmed up.

The first tee on most golf courses is like something from a horror movie. Most golfers – having not warmed up – often hit it into the trees, sand or water… everywhere but the one place they want to hit it…

300 yards straight down the middle.

They’d stand more chance of finding the short grass if they warmed up.

How about tennis?

Same thing…

The first few games most amateurs play are AWFUL… double faults, endless unforced errors, lots of shots going into the net or out of the court.

If they warmed up, they’d play better tennis – they’d hit the ball over the net and into the opponent’s side of the court more consistently.

So please, the next time you think of doing intense physical activity without warming up, remember the following points…

A Good Warm Up:

• Increases Athletic Performance
• Reduces Injury Risk
• Improves Longevity
• Makes the whole thing more Enjoyable!

Thanks for reading. Have a great day, and I’ll talk to you soon,

Elliot Newman

P.S. I’d be really grateful if you’d…

1. Leave your comments/questions in the comments section below
2. Share this article with anyone you know who may benefit from it
3. Let me know what you’d like to see covered in future articles on physical training