WEEK THIRTY-TWO :: How Important Is Warming Up?

**Ifrit** · 07-13-2005, 10:57 AM

Do you guys have jobs,lol.

**Semtex** · 07-13-2005, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by sword chucks

Word document

And the winner, by knock out. Weighing in at 24,000 characters...

**sword chucks** · 07-13-2005, 01:41 PM

lol

quality over quantity...

**tHeLiNe000** · 07-13-2005, 01:53 PM

Lets keep this short. I do believe warming up is important but you just need to know how. In spite of popular belief that pre-workout stretching is benificial there is actually very little evidence to support it. To my knowledge and belief it actually causes decrease in performance and muscle fatigue. The best time to use stretching is actually after your training when your muscles are warm and performance is not an issue. The best way to warm up is by doing a light weight range of motion exercise that is specific to movemnets you will be performing in your sport of workout.

**TheMind** · 07-13-2005, 02:58 PM

Picture this:

You wake up the dreadful sound of your alarm clock, �Ugh, is it 7:00AM already?� Groggy, you wipe the sleep from your eyes and climb from bed. Your feet feel like lead slabs as they hit the floor below you. Without missing a step you walk over to your bedside power rack and squat 400lbs for 8 reps. It�s now 7:02AM, time to start the day.

Sound like your morning? Doubtful. You may be a monster in the gym, but few men could perform such a feat directly out of bed. I love stating the obvious. But whilst this may seem common sense that you wouldn�t perform your best straight from a period of rest, it is a fact far too often overlooked in the gym.

It happens every day: Joe Schmoe gets off of work, drives to the gym, walks from the his car to the locker room, puts on a pair of shorts and thinks he�s ready to have an intense, muscle popping workout. He may as well have just climbed out of bed, that�s about how ready his body right now for his workout. By neglecting a proper warm-up, he�s already shot himself in the foot�.and chances are you do it too. Houston, we have a problem.

Why warm up?

You want the obvious? Yeah, I can do obvious. You see the obvious answer all the time: Mr. So-n-so�s complaining about how agonizing this pain in his back is: he hurt it lifting a case of pop out of his wife�s trunk after getting groceries. What?!? A Case Of Pop!

Injury prevention is the number one reason to warm up. How�s that for obvious. But yet injury happens all the time: people hurting their backs via such evil means as boxes, groceries, and even, unfortunately, weights. The lower back is especially vulnerable due to its common use in extended and weak positions, sure, but why are there so many sad injuries that have occurred to most at some point or another?

�Lift with your legs, not your back�

Oh, you know you�ve heard that before, so called �words of wisdom� to prevent injury to your back. So why�s it so dangerous to use you back to lift a laundry basket, but later that day it may prove to be perfectly safe for you to straight-leg deadlift 300lbs for 8 reps? That�s the power of a warm up.

The main goal of your warm up is to get the juices flowing. That�s right, crack open that Tropicana and let loose, safely. Warming up increases your heart rate and gets blood flowing more freely to otherwise �cold� muscles that are weaker and more prone to injury. It�s called a �warm up� for a reason: you will consciously notice an increase in temperature and limberness. Your muscles will experience an increase in blood, and essentially oxygen, availability and will not only become lengthened and more relaxed, but also will increase their ability to contract to its fullest extent.

The automobile in the gym

You don�t have to be an automotive engineer to know that your car gets better gas mileage once the engine has been run for a while and heated up. It�s a widely known fact that after warming up your car�s engine becomes more efficient. It�ll run cleaner, spark hotter, and show greater horsepower and gas mileage. Your body is exactly the same; after a proper warm-up you�ll run more efficiently: effectively preventing injuries, maximizing your strength, and getting the most from your body�s fuel. The question is, are you Built Ford Tough?

You�ll see a warm-up in nearly every sport that man plays, and with good reason. Hockey players skate gently across the ice warming up their leg muscles; Baseball pitchers have their own area of the stadium where they can gradually progress from playing soft-toss catch to pitching 100mph fastballs before taking the mound during the game; Tennis players start by volleying and gradually working their way up to full speed; Boxers will hit punching bags and jump rope just moments before entering the ring; Basketball players will shoot hoops and rebound before a game; Football players will�..well, what won�t football players do to get themselves warmed up and psyched; Hold �em players will, well, stare blankly into space with no emotion. Get the point yet?

�So you�re saying I should stare into space before my workouts?

No, but I think we�ve helped to demonstrate a very important factor of a warm-up which addresses one of the main reason people will state for not warming up. Your warm up will burn up some energy, that�s all there is to it. When asked why they don�t warm-up, most people will respond that they don�t want to waste their energy: They�re �saving it� for their full strength lift. Here�s some news: if you�re not warming up, you�re not performing your full strength lift. Spend a little energy to get warmed up, and it will release more energy within you than you�ve spent. Put in a penny, and get back a nickel. To all you non-Finance Majors out there, that�s a good investment.

You want the most from your workouts? That wasn�t actually a question, but a statement. So why risk injury and rob yourself of your full potential by skipping a proper warm-up? Bodybuilding is a Man-vs-Self scenario, there�s no room for excuses, so don�t make them. If you are even mildly serious about the time you spend in the gym, you will be sure to always warm-up properly. If you can�t prepare yourself for a real workout by warming-up first, you may as well go home with a tub of Ben & Jerry�s: At least you won�t hurt yourself lifting your spoon, as you may have done in the gym without warming-up.

So how do I warm up then?

However suits you best. Experiment: try a variety of different stretches and exercises and find what gets your engine ticking. There are so many different ways to prepare for your workout that it�s impossible to list a �perfect� way to warm up for your workout. Instead, however, we can examine the most common �tried and true� ways to get your juices flowing. A proper warm up will always do two things: get your blood moving, and stretch your muscles.

�Said the Heart to the Blood. �Ye shall move! I command thee!��

Back to the obvious: It�s a warm-up because your body temperature will actually rise when your warm-up properly. More obviousness? Sure! This rise in temperature is due to the increased blood flow to the muscles of your body. When you use a muscle, it requires oxygen and requests that the heart provide the necessary blood to accommodate this increased oxygen requirement. So if you want to get the blood flowing, you�ve got to use a muscle first. I know, it�s like rocket surgery or something.

Let�s face it, if your quads are not your biggest muscles then you need to reconsider the way you�re sculpting your body there, Michelangelo. I cannot think of a more effective way of warming up the entire body than running, and would challenge someone to give me a comparable warm-up exercise. Running requires the heavy use of your quads and other leg muscles which will quickly promote increased blood flow throughout the body. Running also uses (to a much smaller extent) a LOT of other muscles in the body: Shoulders and arms, abdominals/obliques/back; nearly all muscles in the body are stimulated to some degree by running, thus it quickly stimulates the blood flow we�re looking to achieve.

There are other alternatives, of course. Everything from walking up an incline, using a stair stepper, riding a bike, etc. It is a personal choice; find what suits you best.

So how long do you need to warm-up? Again, personal comfort is the dominating factor here. You should be able to tell when you are properly warmed-up. You�ll normally be sweating to a more or lesser extent, feel an increased body temperature, and most importantly feel loose and energized. I normally run for about 10 minutes on an indoor track before proceeding with my warm-up and workout.

�Be Strong. Be Flexible. Be Immortal.�

^Image used without permission or consent from http://www.jumpforsts.com^

We�ve all heard about the �stereotypical� bodybuilder. Or even worse, perhaps even recited those dreadful words ourselves:

�Oh, bodybuilders are just these huge guys that don�t do anything but lift weights all day. They wear fanny packs and spandex, and really enjoy grunting and getting sweaty with other guy�s crotches in their face on the bench-press. They�re so big and bulky they can�t even wipe their own butts.�

Ouch. And what hurts most is that you know you�ve heard those very words before. And hey, there�s absolutely nothing wrong with a fanny pack and spandex! If that�s your thing then go for it. But there�s one thing in there we must all be able to prove wrong: a Real bodybuilder has the flexibility to wipe his or her own backside without difficulty. In fact, it is nearly always true that bodybuilders do (as they should) have more flexibility than the average person. This excludes gymnast and dedicated yoga enthusiasts, of course

However, building muscles will not make you more flexible. But lucky for us, being more flexible may help us build muscle

Increasing your flexibility will benefit your workouts in several ways. With flexibility comes more tolerance to a broader range of motion that may be effectively utilized in your workouts to more precisely target your desired muscle, as well as allowing you to more easily keep perfect form with most exercises.

Stretching greatly helps to reduce the chance of excess strain or injury, and is a quintessential part of a proper warm up. It helps to relax and lengthen the muscles being stretched, allowing more essential blood flow and preparing the muscle for use.

CONTINUED...

**TheMind** · 07-13-2005, 02:59 PM

Over-Stretching

Something most people do not consider is the concept of over-stretching. When you stretch lightly, tendons and muscles are pulled and may relax to �give� a little, improving the range of motion slightly. However, if you try to stretch too much, too far, or too hard you will actually cause small rips and tears in the muscles and tendons that you are stretching. These tears are rarely permanent, however they will leave the muscle or tendon to be a little weaker than it would have been without the stretching. Our goal here is not to hurt ourselves, but to put our body into a system where it must gradually adapt to the stresses of stretching by increasing our range of motion. It is not uncommon for people to immediately try to stretch farther than they should be trying, and hurt themselves. Please keep in mind that the pyramids were not built in a day, patience and work over time will provide your greatest success.

In other words: Don�t push your stretches to the point of pain, ever. There�s a huge difference between stretching to the point of pain(over-stretching) and stretching to gentle limits of your current range of motion. Tension is good, pain is bad. Don�t overdo it.

How do I stretch?

This could be debated to death if someone truly cared that much about it. Many swear by Static stretches, others by Dynamic stretches, and every once and a while someone even encourages Ballistic stretches. What�s best? I believe a combination of Static and Dynamic stretches to be the most beneficial and safest. Ballistic stretches, on the other hand, should be avoided like the plague.

Ballistic Stretching

As the name implies ballistic stretches are those that involve actively forcing a muscle past its natural limits by means of �bouncing� and other forms of momentum. This is most commonly seen in someone who is either sitting on the floor or standing up attempting to touch their toes/floor and literally bounce in and out of the limits of their range of motion, using momentum to force further than they could ever hope to hold statically. This can be very dangerous and should, in my humble opinion at least, never be done under any circumstances. Some might argue otherwise, but I am not one of them.

Static Stretches

Static stretches are stretches that can be held, hence the term static. Examples of these exercises are touching of toes, holding a split in your furthest limits of motion, reaching for the sky, etc. These styles of stretches should be included in everyone�s warm ups and are both safe and effective.

Dynamic Stretches

Dynamic stretches are just that: stretches in motion. These are not, however, the same as Ballistic stretches. These are always controlled movements that never cross the pain threshold. Great examples of these stretches are trunk rotations, kicks, rolling of neck/shoulders/ankles, etc.

So you�re ready to start? You�re still warm from your run, right? I personally recommend that to get the best of your stretching you should always have blood flowing and be feeling warm before starting your stretches. The reason is for nearly the same as why you should always warm up before your workout: More blood is healthy, allows for a greater range of motion, and a smaller chance of injury. Even with stretching. Find a combination of Static and Dynamic stretches that suits you, and try and stretch your entire body. I personally like to perform most dynamic stretches than Static, but I still always perform static toe-touches and my furthest attempts at the splits.

The Author�s Stretching

I personally do not have a direct �system� for stretching. I go by how I feel, and advise that everyone should do the same. If I�m already feeling real loose before I begin my warm-up stretches, I may only do a few stretches and skip ahead. Likewise, if I�m particularly stiff on a day, I will dedicate more time to becoming more limber before continuing with my workout. I don�t count seconds, I don�t count �reps�, I go purely by feel. You can tell when you feel loose and when you feel as though you should stick with a particular stretch for another 30 seconds, just trust your body. I prefer and recommend stretching every day, even non-workout days. On non-workout days, I still feel it�s important and beneficial to still warm up before stretching, however I may do it in a different way such as by dancing, jumping on a trampoline, or shooting hoops in the driveway for a while. After being warm, I commonly use the following stretches:

Trunk Rotations, Shoulder/Neck Rolls, Behind-the-Head Tricep Stretch, Toe-Touches with a wide stance: Right/Middle/Left, Back Arch, Forward and Side Kicks, Ankle Rolls, Splits in deepest range.

I usually spend about 5-10 minutes stretching for warm up on workout days, and 15-20 minutes stretching on non-workout days to further increase my flexibility.

The Cool Down: Reverse Warm-Up?

We�ve established that it�s not particularly easy (or healthy, for that matter) to go from a relative state of rest to a stressful, hardcore workout. It is more prone to injury and won�t perform at its maximum potential without gradually working into the work. With that in mind, consider the possibility that your body may also need to ease it�s way out of work, or rather, into an efficient state of rest.

During a taxing workout, your muscles will accumulate minute amounts of Lactic Acid, Carbon Dioxide, Calcium, and other counter-productive agents. By properly cooling down, you allow the heightened blood flow to continue flushing these elements out of your system, while gradually reaching a state of homeostasis (equilibrium or balance) where it can quickly begin healing and repairing the tissue damage. A proper cool down is like a much less strenuous warm-up.

A good cool down usually consists of nothing more complicated than several minutes of walking or riding a stationary bike at a relatively slow pace. Whilst doing the activity your breathing should be able to return to a relaxed pattern and your heart rate should slow. Normally during the cool down you should be going so gently that before you�re done you should no longer be sweating. A good time to reach is 6-10 minutes of light cool down, followed by another round of stretching similar to what you did during your warm up. This should help reduce instances of DOMS and also to help expedite the recovery process.

What else can help me make the best of my workouts?

Let�s face it, recovery is as big a part of the bodybuilding game as the actual workout is. The problem is that many novices fail to acknowledge this and put forth the effort Outside the gym that they do Inside. If you want to make the most of the recovery portion of your lifting ventures, you need the right supplementation to help you on your way.

Whey Protein
Tried and true, Whey Protein is an essential part of any serious lifter�s schedule. This fast acting protein quickly becomes available for use in repairs and growth to muscle tissue. Muscle is protein, if you want to build muscle you�ll need the building blocks of those proteins. Whey will help, especially when taken with a high GI, simple carb drink that will spike insulin levels, driving the protein into your muscles where it can more quickly be utilized to rebuild.

L-Glutamine
Glutamine is naturally found throughout the body and is used by the immune system for fuel. After workout out, Glutamine levels are severely lower than normal, and as a result the body may break down muscle tissue to replenish Glutamine levels. Since your muscles are (hopefully) already torn, you run the risk of having these muscles used to replenish your natural Glutamine levels. By supplementing post-workout with L-Glutamine, you can help reduce the risk of muscle catabolism.

ZMA
Taken before bed, ZMA has been shown to naturally increase anabolic hormone levels, and improve the quality of sleep. Both of these things are very beneficial to aid in your recovery, and are of great benefit to any bodybuilder. The only drawback is that the Calcium in milk and most proteins can dampen the effect of ZMA, so it should not be taken with anything containing Calcium.

Conclusion

If you want to get the most out of your workout, you have to realize that it is not only the time under a bar or inside a power rack that matters. Both preparing for a workout, and preparing for your recuperation post-workout are crucial steps that can lead to greater gains, better health, and less chance of injury/soreness. So often neglected, a proper stretching regimen, and both warm-up and cool-down routines can be the key to unlocking your full potential. Don�t short-change yourself, start making the most of your workouts today!

**Semtex** · 07-13-2005, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Ifrit

Do you guys have jobs,lol.

If I had a job I wouldnt have to do this. Im living off supplement samples right now :X.

**ravadongon** · 07-13-2005, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Ifrit

Do you guys have jobs,lol.

still at school, and it's school holidays...

**sword chucks** · 07-13-2005, 06:16 PM

TheMind has a cool writing style

**XtremeBody510** · 07-13-2005, 06:51 PM

No cramping

**TheMind** · 07-13-2005, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by Ifrit

Do you guys have jobs, lol.

I work 58 hours a week at a plastic piping shop, and another 4-12 hours a week at a local convenience store....In fact, I had to wrap up my response/article earlier and faster than I wanted to because it was already past my 3PM bed time.

At the same time, however, I am very poor, lol. I bought a car this summer, and will just barely be able to pay that off, and get some of my college debts(I'm a Sophmore) whittled down. I'm working my way through school, and nearly all my paychecks go toward it right now.

I too have no money for supplements, lol, which is why I am so excited about TOTW, I think it's a great way to put a little whey in your pocket...Literally

As well as learn more about interesting topics, which is a great plus

Makes for a busy summer "vacation" though, lol.

**Semtex** · 07-13-2005, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by TheMind

I work 58 hours a week at a plastic piping shop, and another 4-12 hours a week at a local convenience store....In fact, I had to wrap up my response/article earlier and faster than I wanted to because it was already past my 3PM bed time.

At the same time, however, I am very poor, lol. I bought a car this summer, and will just barely be able to pay that off, and get some of my college debts(I'm a Sophmore) whittled down. I'm working my way through school, and nearly all my paychecks go toward it right now.

I too have no money for supplements, lol, which is why I am so excited about TOTW, I think it's a great way to put a little whey in your pocket...Literally

As well as learn more about interesting topics, which is a great plus

Makes for a busy summer "vacation" though, lol.

I am in a very similar situation to you. But I cant even get a job right now since I am underage. I work as much as I can doing odd jobs but its hard. I just found this section and it looks like it will help alot. And even if I dont place, the information I learned will still benefit me in the long run

.

**Wazzup973** · 07-13-2005, 09:39 PM

How Important is Warming Up?

Introduction � When doing any activity whether it is going for a light walk or maxing out in the gym warming up, stretching, cooling down, and even some supplements can improve your performance, help your gains, and most importantly help prevent against injuries. While doing these things correctly can help you out warming up, cooling down, and stretching can also have negative effects on your gains if done incorrectly. In this article you will learn what works, and what will make you susceptible to injuries, also you will gain knowledge of how to do these exercises properly and really feel confident about what you�re doing and how you�re doing it.

How Important is Warming up Before Exercise? � Warming up is extremely important and easy there is no reason why you should not warm up and the benefits received from it may greatly improve your performance and recovery. More importantly it allows you to train at your maximum level with a much lower chance of injury. Not warming up before you work out is like standing in the middle of the highway you are basically begging to get hurt. Here are the benefits to warming up

1. Improved Range of Motion � improving your range of motion will allow to move further without injuring yourself.

2. Hormonal Changes � Your body increases production of various hormones that are responsible for adjusting energy production. Warming up will allow more carbohydrates and fatty acids available for energy production.

3. Increase in Body Temperature � Improving your muscles elasticity, which decreases your chances of straining or pulling a muscle.

4. Blood Vessels Dilate � This reduces the resistance to blood flow and lowers the stress on the heart.

5. Increase Muscle Temperature � A warm muscle is a happy muscle it contracts more forcefully and relaxes more quickly. So both strength and performance can be enhanced, and the possibility of overstretching a muscle and causing injury is far less.

6. Increase Blood Temperature � This makes more oxygen available to working muscles enhancing endurance and performance.

These are just some reasons why you should add a warm up to your workout. Now there are some steps to warming up.

First you should do a light aerobic activity for about 10-15 minutes just enough to break a light sweat.

Next you should do some stretching. Stretch the whole body because if you are working out you are using compound movements that use most if not all the body some working and some stabilizing.

Lastly you should begin doing the excercise in your first set with a lighter weight. Now there is no perfect way to do this, as all bodies are different so you will need to find what works best for you. It also depends on how many sets and how heavy and hard you are training. Here is a good starting point that you can improve upon. NOTE: This is for bench press for 3 sets and 4-6 reps (high intensity).

First set � 50% of your 1 rep max for 12 reps
Second set � 50% of your 1 rep max for 10 reps
Third set � 65% of your 1 rep max for 6 reps
Fourth set � 80% of your 1 rep max for 3 reps
Fifth set � 90% of your 1 rep max for 1 rep (last set)

Your work set should be 5% - 10% more then your 1 rep max after this warm up.

Do not warm up to much as it will decrease performance. If you are doing lighter weight with higher reps do less warm up sets and if your are doing heavier weight with less reps do more warm up sets.

Does stretching help prevent injury and soreness? � One of the greatest benefits of stretching is that you�re able to increase the length of both your muscles and tendons. This leads to an increased range of movement, which means your limbs and joints can move further before an injury occurs.

Here is an example. If the muscles in your neck are tight and stiff this limits your ability to look behind or turn your head around. If for some reason your head is turned backward, past its normal range of movement, in a football scrum or tackle for example, this could result in a muscle tear or strain. You can help prevent this from happening by increasing the flexibility, and the range of movement, of the muscles and tendons in your neck.

And what about your hamstrings they are put under a huge strain when doing any sort of sport that involves running and especially for sports which require kicking. Short, tight hamstring muscles can spell disaster for many sports people. By ensuring these muscles are loose and flexible, you�ll cut your chance of a hamstring injury dramatically. So yes stretching can help prevent injury.

Soreness on the other hand is a different story. Soreness is the result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibers the amount of tearing and soreness depends on the activity and intensity. It is not the result of having a short tight muscle so while stretching helps prevent injury it does not help prevent soreness.

Ballistic stretching - Ballistic stretching uses the momentum of a moving body or a limb in an attempt to force it beyond its normal range of motion. This is stretching, or "warming up", by bouncing into (or out of) a stretched position, using the stretched muscles as a spring, which pulls you out of the stretched position. (e.g. bouncing down repeatedly to touch your toes.) This type of stretching is not considered useful and can lead to injury. It does not allow your muscles to adjust to, and relax in, the stretched position. It may instead cause them to tighten up by repeatedly activating the stretch reflex

Dynamic stretching � dynamic stretching involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both. Do not confuse dynamic stretching with ballistic stretching! Dynamic stretching consists of controlled leg and arm swings that take you (gently!) to the limits of your range of motion. Ballistic stretches involve trying to force a part of the body beyond its range of motion. In dynamic stretches, there are no bounces or "jerky" movements. An example of dynamic stretching would be slow, controlled leg swings, arm swings, or torso twists.
Dynamic stretching improves dynamic flexibility and is quite useful as part of your warm-up for an active or aerobic workout (such as a dance or martial-arts class).

Dynamic stretching exercises should be performed in sets of 8-12 repetitions:
Perform your exercises (leg raises, arm swings) in sets of eight to twelve repetitions. If after a few sets you feel tired -- stop. Tired muscles are less elastic, which causes a decrease in the amplitude of your movements. Do only the number of repetitions that you can do without decreasing your range of motion. More repetitions will only set the nervous regulation of the muscles' length at the level of these less than best repetitions and may cause you to lose some of your flexibility. What you repeat more times or with a greater effort will leave a deeper trace in your [kinesthetic] memory! After reaching the maximal range of motion in a joint in any direction of movement, you should not do many more repetitions of this movement in a given workout. Even if you can maintain a maximal range of motion over many repetitions, you will set an unnecessarily solid memory of the range of these movements. You will then have to overcome these memories in order to make further progress.

Active Stretching - Active stretching is also referred to as static-active stretching. An active stretch is one where you assume a position and then hold it there with no assistance other than using the strength of your agonist muscles. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there without anything (other than your leg muscles themselves) to keep the leg in that extended position. The tension of the agonists in an active stretch helps to relax the muscles being stretched (the antagonists) by reciprocal inhibition

Active stretching increases active flexibility and strengthens the agonistic muscles. Active stretches are usually quite difficult to hold and maintain for more than 10 seconds and rarely need to be held any longer than 15 seconds.
Many of the movements (or stretches) found in various forms of yoga are active stretches.

Passive Stretching - Passive stretching is also referred to as relaxed stretching, and as static-passive stretching. A passive stretch is one where you assume a position and hold it with some other part of your body, or with the assistance of a partner or some other apparatus. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there with your hand. The split is an example of a passive stretch (in this case the floor is the "apparatus" that you use to maintain your extended position).
Slow, relaxed stretching is useful in relieving spasms in muscles that are healing after an injury. Obviously, you should check with your doctor first to see if it is okay to attempt to stretch the injured muscles.
Relaxed stretching is also very good for "cooling down" after a workout and helps reduce post-workout muscle fatigue.
Static Stretching - Many people use the term passive stretching and static stretching interchangeably. However, there are a number of people who make a distinction between the two.

Static stretching involves holding a position. That is, you stretch to the farthest point and hold the stretch

Passive stretching is a technique in which you are relaxed and make no contribution to the range of motion. Instead, an outside agent creates an external force, either manually or mechanically.

**Twin** · 07-13-2005, 09:41 PM

Hot

or

Not?

How important is warming up? This is a very controversal topic in the world of training.The truth is a warm up session can flaunt you or haunt you. Warming up is not only benefitcial to your proneness to injury, it can also affect other aspects of your training. So the question is, Are you Hot or Not?
What can the warm up do for me?
Warming up will increase your chances of staying injury free. Cold muscles are more prone to tear or pull then warm muscles. When you warm up your body is pumping more blood to the muscles your going to use. Not only will this make your muscles more mobile, but it will rid you muscles of the waste and bring more oxygen and nutrients to you body. Muscles are also faster and can contract with more force when warm, and a warm body can also increase nerve impulse transmission. Another benefit of warming up is the body releases synovial fluid during light activity.This fluid lubricates the joints which gives you more range of mobility and less chance for injury. Warming up will also allow your heart to get ready for excercise.

So should I only warm the muscles I'm going to use?
This will depend on your training. A bodybuilder usually has a training regimin of working certain muscles certain days. If its upper body day warming up the legs in not nessecary. But this can differ for a powerlifter or sprinter. The excercises for these sports require more muscles at once and one would benefit from warming the whole body. A light jog on a treadmill for 2-5 minutes is a great way to warm the whole body.Warming up will give you time to get in touch with your body and focus on what your up to doso it benefits physically and mentally.

Should I add strecthing into my warm up session?
Streching is not warming up because it doesnt increse body tempature but it is just as important as warming up. Streching brings more blood and awareness to the muscles, but it also focuses more on ligaments and tendons. Ligaments and tendons dont receive as much blood as muscles during a warm up so this is why it is crucial to also include stretching into your session.

Warming up
Okay, so you know you should warm up but do you know what your doing? If you dont warm up enough your in more danger for obvious reasons, but if you warm up too much it could effect your performance therefore effecting your results. The most apparent way to warm up is doing the same excercise with lighter weight or less intensity. Reps for a warm up set should be between 5 to 12. This still applies even if your doing low reps. The percentage of the weight you warm up with can be from 25% to 50%. This is enough weight to get your blood flowing and your body warm but not enough to affect your performance. So if you can squat 400 for one rep, an ideal warm up would be a set of 8 at 135. You dont have to use weight for every warm up. You can do pushups or bodyweight squats. For runners a good warm up is a light jog for 2-5 minutes followed by a stretching session. There are many other ways to warm up such as using dumbells. you can come up with you own warm up methods or easily find one on an internet search engine

Stretching
The two types of stretching we want to use are static and dynamic.

Static stretching* This is the standard stretch and hold method. hold for between 8 and 20 seconds

dynamic stretching* This is using momentum for stretch.this should feel natural. dont force the stretch. this type of stretching should always follow static stretching for dynamic stretching alone can damage muscles.

one thing we dont want to do during stretching is over stretch.it is possible to pull muscles during stretching, and part of the benefit of stretching is preventing injury so keep this in mind.heres what my pre workout stretch routine looks like

lying reach- reach for toes and hold (also stretches back)

v stretch- legs to a v and hold

butterfly-bring feet close to crotch as possible. try to push your knees down with your elbows.

glute stretch- one leg straight, witht he foot of the other leg cross your body and place as close to your hip as possible. now turn neck in direction of your crossed leg.

quad stretch- standing, bring your foot up to your butt and hold with hand. lean foward and feel your quad stretch

calf stretch- get on your hands with butt in the air and cross your legs .put pressure on stretching out your claves

tricep stretch- put your hand behind your head and with the other hand pul back on your elbow

bicep/chest- place hand on something such a a pole or wall and twist body the direction of your free hand

shoulders- hang from something such as a pullup bar and feel shoulder and back stretch

toe touches-toe your toes 10 times

arm circles-self explanitory

there are plenty of other stretches you can read about in the article section of "Bodybuilding.com"

Cool Down
A Cool Down is the process of slowing your heart rate and allowing your body to realize its done training. It usually consist of walking and stretching. The cool down is benefitcial but it is usually forgotten or warded off. the cool downs main function is preventing soreness. Older people are more aware of the cool down because they expierience more pain and soreness after a workout. Other benefits of the cool down are the aid in disposing waste such as lactic acid in your muscles and removing adrenaline from the blood. This allows the muscles to relax and start the recovery process. This being said, Yes it can add to your muscle recovery.
an example of a cool down would be walking for about a minute or two followed by static stretching.

Supplements
There are supplements that are made just for pre workout or post workout. Its hard to know what works because of all the products on the market. here are some that work.

No2- pre workout. One of the fastest growing supplements on the market. It pumps more blood to the muscle. you can see it working

Caffeine- pre-workout. mental and physical alertness

Taurine-pre-workout. You can find this in most energy drinks.thats because its a great source of energy

BCAA- pre-workout. Has been on the market for a long time. These help in the recovery and function of your muscles and are taken before, during and after a workout.

Glutamine- post-workout. Glutamine helps in recovery of the muscles and aids in protein delivery.

Conclusion
If you show up to the gym workout ten minutes late, shame on you, but dont skip your Warm Up. 10 minutes of lost time is not as bad as spending months in rehab.You'll thank yourself for warming up when your older. And when your older you might finally start cooling down. The question still stands though. Are you Hot or Not

**Semtex** · 07-13-2005, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Wazzup973

How Important is Warming Up?

Ballistic stretching - Ballistic stretching uses the momentum of a moving body or a limb in an attempt to force it beyond its normal range of motion. This is stretching, or "warming up", by bouncing into (or out of) a stretched position, using the stretched muscles as a spring, which pulls you out of the stretched position. (e.g. bouncing down repeatedly to touch your toes.) This type of stretching is not considered useful and can lead to injury. It does not allow your muscles to adjust to, and relax in, the stretched position. It may instead cause them to tighten up by repeatedly activating the stretch reflex

Dynamic stretching � dynamic stretching involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both. Do not confuse dynamic stretching with ballistic stretching! Dynamic stretching consists of controlled leg and arm swings that take you (gently!) to the limits of your range of motion. Ballistic stretches involve trying to force a part of the body beyond its range of motion. In dynamic stretches, there are no bounces or "jerky" movements. An example of dynamic stretching would be slow, controlled leg swings, arm swings, or torso twists.
Dynamic stretching improves dynamic flexibility and is quite useful as part of your warm-up for an active or aerobic workout (such as a dance or martial-arts class).

Dynamic stretching exercises should be performed in sets of 8-12 repetitions:
Perform your exercises (leg raises, arm swings) in sets of eight to twelve repetitions. If after a few sets you feel tired -- stop. Tired muscles are less elastic, which causes a decrease in the amplitude of your movements. Do only the number of repetitions that you can do without decreasing your range of motion. More repetitions will only set the nervous regulation of the muscles' length at the level of these less than best repetitions and may cause you to lose some of your flexibility. What you repeat more times or with a greater effort will leave a deeper trace in your [kinesthetic] memory! After reaching the maximal range of motion in a joint in any direction of movement, you should not do many more repetitions of this movement in a given workout. Even if you can maintain a maximal range of motion over many repetitions, you will set an unnecessarily solid memory of the range of these movements. You will then have to overcome these memories in order to make further progress.

Active Stretching - Active stretching is also referred to as static-active stretching. An active stretch is one where you assume a position and then hold it there with no assistance other than using the strength of your agonist muscles. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there without anything (other than your leg muscles themselves) to keep the leg in that extended position. The tension of the agonists in an active stretch helps to relax the muscles being stretched (the antagonists) by reciprocal inhibition

Active stretching increases active flexibility and strengthens the agonistic muscles. Active stretches are usually quite difficult to hold and maintain for more than 10 seconds and rarely need to be held any longer than 15 seconds.
Many of the movements (or stretches) found in various forms of yoga are active stretches.

Passive Stretching - Passive stretching is also referred to as relaxed stretching, and as static-passive stretching. A passive stretch is one where you assume a position and hold it with some other part of your body, or with the assistance of a partner or some other apparatus. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there with your hand. The split is an example of a passive stretch (in this case the floor is the "apparatus" that you use to maintain your extended position).
Slow, relaxed stretching is useful in relieving spasms in muscles that are healing after an injury. Obviously, you should check with your doctor first to see if it is okay to attempt to stretch the injured muscles.
Relaxed stretching is also very good for "cooling down" after a workout and helps reduce post-workout muscle fatigue.
Static Stretching - Many people use the term passive stretching and static stretching interchangeably. However, there are a number of people who make a distinction between the two.

Static stretching involves holding a position. That is, you stretch to the farthest point and hold the stretch

Passive stretching is a technique in which you are relaxed and make no contribution to the range of motion. Instead, an outside agent creates an external force, either manually or mechanically.

Ballistic Stretching
Ballistic stretching uses the momentum of a moving body or a limb in an attempt to force it beyond its normal range of motion. This is stretching, or "warming up", by bouncing into (or out of) a stretched position, using the stretched muscles as a spring which pulls you out of the stretched position. (e.g. bouncing down repeatedly to touch your toes.) This type of stretching is not considered useful and can lead to injury. It does not allow your muscles to adjust to, and relax in, the stretched position. It may instead cause them to tighten up by repeatedly activating the stretch reflex.
Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretching, according to Kurz, "involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both." Do not confuse dynamic stretching with ballistic stretching! Dynamic stretching consists of controlled leg and arm swings that take you (gently!) to the limits of your range of motion. Ballistic stretches involve trying to force a part of the body beyond its range of motion. In dynamic stretches, there are no bounces or "jerky" movements. An example of dynamic stretching would be slow, controlled leg swings, arm swings, or torso twists.

Dynamic stretching improves dynamic flexibility and is quite useful as part of your warm-up for an active or aerobic workout (such as a dance or martial-arts class). According to Kurz, dynamic stretching exercises should be performed in sets of 8-12 repetitions:

Perform your exercises (leg raises, arm swings) in sets of eight to twelve repetitions. If after a few sets you feel tired -- stop. Tired muscles are less elastic, which causes a decrease in the amplitude of your movements. Do only the number of repetitions that you can do without decreasing your range of motion. More repetitions will only set the nervous regulation of the muscles' length at the level of these less than best repetitions and may cause you to lose some of your flexibility. What you repeat more times or with a greater effort will leave a deeper trace in your [kinesthetic] memory! After reaching the maximal range of motion in a joint in any direction of movement, you should not do many more repetitions of this movement in a given workout. Even if you can maintain a maximal range of motion over many repetitions, you will set an unnecessarily solid memory of the range of these movements. You will then have to overcome these memories in order to make further progress.

Active Stretching
Active stretching is also referred to as static-active stretching. An active stretch is one where you assume a position and then hold it there with no assistance other than using the strength of your agonist muscles. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there without anything (other than your leg muscles themselves) to keep the leg in that extended position. The tension of the agonists in an active stretch helps to relax the muscles being stretched (the antagonists) by reciprocal inhibition.
Active stretching increases active flexibility and strengthens the agonistic muscles. Active stretches are usually quite difficult to hold and maintain for more than 10 seconds and rarely need to be held any longer than 15 seconds.

Many of the movements (or stretches) found in various forms of yoga are active stretches.

Passive Stretching
Passive stretching is also referred to as relaxed stretching, and as static-passive stretching. A passive stretch is one where you assume a position and hold it with some other part of your body, or with the assistance of a partner or some other apparatus. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there with your hand. The splits is an example of a passive stretch (in this case the floor is the "apparatus" that you use to maintain your extended position).
Slow, relaxed stretching is useful in relieving spasms in muscles that are healing after an injury. Obviously, you should check with your doctor first to see if it is okay to attempt to stretch the injured muscles.

Sorry I dont mean to be a downer but...this is called plagiarizing! This was the website that I got my info from too and you copy it WORD FOR WORD. I mean come on, some of us spent countless hours and hours writing these, like bigcalves and rava. I even handwrote ALOT of my article, and I am willing to scan them to prove I wrote mine. But when you copy and paste whole articles, it just sickens me.
http://www.elenpilates.com/Science%2...Stretching.htm

**Semtex** · 07-13-2005, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by Wazzup973

How Important is Warming Up?

Here is an example. If the muscles in your neck are tight and stiff this limits your ability to look behind or turn your head around. If for some reason your head is turned backward, past its normal range of movement, in a football scrum or tackle for example, this could result in a muscle tear or strain. You can help prevent this from happening by increasing the flexibility, and the range of movement, of the muscles and tendons in your neck.

And what about your hamstrings they are put under a huge strain when doing any sort of sport that involves running and especially for sports which require kicking. Short, tight hamstring muscles can spell disaster for many sports people. By ensuring these muscles are loose and flexible, you�ll cut your chance of a hamstring injury dramatically. So yes stretching can help prevent injury.

Soreness on the other hand is a different story. Soreness is the result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibers the amount of tearing and soreness depends on the activity and intensity. It is not the result of having a short tight muscle so while stretching helps prevent injury it does not help prevent soreness.

Ballistic stretching - Ballistic stretching uses the momentum of a moving body or a limb in an attempt to force it beyond its normal range of motion. This is stretching, or "warming up", by bouncing into (or out of) a stretched position, using the stretched muscles as a spring, which pulls you out of the stretched position. (e.g. bouncing down repeatedly to touch your toes.) This type of stretching is not considered useful and can lead to injury. It does not allow your muscles to adjust to, and relax in, the stretched position. It may instead cause them to tighten up by repeatedly activating the stretch reflex

Dynamic stretching � dynamic stretching involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both. Do not confuse dynamic stretching with ballistic stretching! Dynamic stretching consists of controlled leg and arm swings that take you (gently!) to the limits of your range of motion. Ballistic stretches involve trying to force a part of the body beyond its range of motion. In dynamic stretches, there are no bounces or "jerky" movements. An example of dynamic stretching would be slow, controlled leg swings, arm swings, or torso twists.
Dynamic stretching improves dynamic flexibility and is quite useful as part of your warm-up for an active or aerobic workout (such as a dance or martial-arts class).

Dynamic stretching exercises should be performed in sets of 8-12 repetitions:
Perform your exercises (leg raises, arm swings) in sets of eight to twelve repetitions. If after a few sets you feel tired -- stop. Tired muscles are less elastic, which causes a decrease in the amplitude of your movements. Do only the number of repetitions that you can do without decreasing your range of motion. More repetitions will only set the nervous regulation of the muscles' length at the level of these less than best repetitions and may cause you to lose some of your flexibility. What you repeat more times or with a greater effort will leave a deeper trace in your [kinesthetic] memory! After reaching the maximal range of motion in a joint in any direction of movement, you should not do many more repetitions of this movement in a given workout. Even if you can maintain a maximal range of motion over many repetitions, you will set an unnecessarily solid memory of the range of these movements. You will then have to overcome these memories in order to make further progress.

Active Stretching - Active stretching is also referred to as static-active stretching. An active stretch is one where you assume a position and then hold it there with no assistance other than using the strength of your agonist muscles. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there without anything (other than your leg muscles themselves) to keep the leg in that extended position. The tension of the agonists in an active stretch helps to relax the muscles being stretched (the antagonists) by reciprocal inhibition

Active stretching increases active flexibility and strengthens the agonistic muscles. Active stretches are usually quite difficult to hold and maintain for more than 10 seconds and rarely need to be held any longer than 15 seconds.
Many of the movements (or stretches) found in various forms of yoga are active stretches.

Passive Stretching - Passive stretching is also referred to as relaxed stretching, and as static-passive stretching. A passive stretch is one where you assume a position and hold it with some other part of your body, or with the assistance of a partner or some other apparatus. For example, bringing your leg up high and then holding it there with your hand. The split is an example of a passive stretch (in this case the floor is the "apparatus" that you use to maintain your extended position).
Slow, relaxed stretching is useful in relieving spasms in muscles that are healing after an injury. Obviously, you should check with your doctor first to see if it is okay to attempt to stretch the injured muscles.
Relaxed stretching is also very good for "cooling down" after a workout and helps reduce post-workout muscle fatigue.
Static Stretching - Many people use the term passive stretching and static stretching interchangeably. However, there are a number of people who make a distinction between the two.

Static stretching involves holding a position. That is, you stretch to the farthest point and hold the stretch

Passive stretching is a technique in which you are relaxed and make no contribution to the range of motion. Instead, an outside agent creates an external force, either manually or mechanically.

If the muscles in your neck are tight and stiff this limits your ability to look behind or turn your head around. If for some reason your head is turned backwards, past its' normal range of movement, in a football scrum or tackle for example, this could result in a muscle tear or strain. You can help to prevent this from happening by increasing the flexibility, and the range of movement, of the muscles and tendons in your neck.

And what about the muscles in the back of your legs? The Hamstring muscles. These muscles are put under a huge strain when doing any sort of sport that involves running and especially for sports that require kicking. Short, tight hamstring muscles can spell disaster for many sports people. By ensuring these muscles are loose and flexible, you'll cut your chance of a hamstring injury dramatically.

How else can stretching help? While injuries can occur at any time, they are more likely to occur if the muscles are fatigued, tight and depleted of energy. Fatigued, tight muscles are also less capable of performing the skills required for your particular sport or activity. Stretching can help to prevent an injury by promoting recovery and decreasing soreness.

Stretching ensures that your muscles and tendons are in good working order. The more conditioned your muscles and tendons are, the better they can handle the rigors of sport and exercise, and the less likely that they'll become injured.

So as you can see, there's more to stretching than most people think. Stretching is a simple and effective activity that will help you to enhance your athletic performance, decrease your likelihood of sports injury and minimise muscle soreness. If you'd like to know more about stretching and how it can help you, order a copy of The Stretching Handbook today.

The Stretching Handbook has gained a reputation as one of the most user-friendly publications on sports injury prevention, improving athletic ability and general stretching on the market today. This back-pocket handbook has already been hailed as a "must have" for anybody in the health and fitness industry. The Stretching Handbook has helped thousand of people to improve their athletic ability, prevent sports injury, put a stop to annoying back pain and just get a whole lot more out of their chosen sport or pastime.

The type of information in this publication comes from hard-learnt practical experience, not from textbooks or long-winded academic references. Also included are over 100 photographs (not diagrams) of sports related stretches for every major muscle group in your body. Don't be left out in the cold! If your health & fitness is important to you, you can't afford not to have a copy of The Stretching Handbook. Order Now!

OR, YOU CAN JUST ASK RICH FOR SOME HELP...HE EVEN HAS STRETCHING ILLUSTRATIONS FOR YOU!!!

================================================== ==============================

Article by Brad Walker. Brad is a leading stretching andsports injury consultant with over 15 years experience inthe health and fitness industry. To contact Brad simply email him at admin@thestretchinghandbook.com. For more articles on the prevention & treatment of sports injury, subscribe to The Stretching & Sports Injury Newsletter at http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/.

================================================== ==============================

CITE your sources please. This
http://www.myhealthstop.net/html/fit_tips_i.html

**Wazzup973** · 07-13-2005, 11:15 PM

Continued

Isometric stretching - is a type of static stretching (meaning it does not use motion) which involves the resistance of muscle groups through isometric contractions (tensing) of the stretched muscles. The use of isometric stretching is one of the fastest ways to develop increased static-passive flexibility and is much more effective than either passive stretching or active stretching alone. Isometric stretches also help to develop strength in the tensed muscles and seems to decrease the amount of pain usually associated with stretching.
The most common ways to provide the needed resistance for an isometric stretch are to apply resistance manually to one's own limbs, to have a partner apply the resistance, or to use an apparatus such as a wall to provide resistance.
An example of manual resistance would be holding onto the ball of your foot to keep it from flexing while you are using the muscles of your calf to try and straighten your instep so that the toes are pointed.
An example of using a partner to provide resistance would be having a partner hold your leg up high (and keep it there) while you attempt to force your leg back down to the ground.
An example of using the wall to provide resistance would be the well known "push-the-wall" calf-stretch where you are actively attempting to move the wall.
Isometric stretching is not recommended for children and adolescents whose bones are still growing. These people are usually already flexible enough that the strong stretches produced by the isometric contraction have a much higher risk of damaging tendons and connective tissue. I strongly recommend preceding any isometric stretch of a muscle with dynamic strength training for the muscle to be stretched. A full session of isometric stretching makes a lot of demands on the muscles being stretched and should not be performed more than once per day for a given group of muscles
The proper way to perform an isometric stretch is as follows:
1. Assume the position of a passive stretch for the desired muscle.
2. Next, tense the stretched muscle for 7-15 seconds.
3. Finally, relax the muscle for at least 20 seconds.
Some people seem to recommend holding the isometric contraction for longer than 15 seconds, but research has shown that this is not necessary. So you might as well make your stretching routine less time consuming.

Could it make someone more prone to injury through over-training? � Yes, over stretching and/or warming up too much cause make the probability of getting an injury increase. If you stretch to much you will probably feel sore in that area right after if it is a serious injury or in a day or two if it�s minor. If you warm up to much you will be fatigued and may not be able to lift at your maximal effort which could mean dropping a bar or losing form.

What stretching routine do you follow?

As for me I usually do a combination of all of those stretching techniques except for ballistic and isometric. I usually do it after my 10 - 15 minutes of aerobic activity and then again at the end of my workout. At the end I prefer to do passive stretching. Doing this has be very kind to me as I have gained in flexibility and hardly ever get injured.

How important is cooling down?

Cooling Down is just as important as warming up and just like warming up it provides very positive effects. Here are some benefits.

helps your heart rate and breathing to return towards normal gradually;

helps avoid fainting or dizziness, which can result from blood pooling in the large muscles of the legs when vigorous activity is stopped suddenly;

helps prepare your muscles for the next exercise session, whether it's the next day or in a few days' time;

helps to remove waste products from your muscles, such as lactic acid, which can build up during vigorous activity.

Those are some pretty good benefits cooling down also helps prevent muscle soreness. To ensure that you cool down properly here is what you should do.

what to do for and effective cool-down

perform low intensity exercise for a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes; and
follow this with a stretching routine.

Cool-down options

1. Continuing your chosen exercise while gradually slowing its intensity. Gradually slowing down the pace and exertion of your activity over several minutes can seem a natural progression, as well as fulfilling the need to include a cool-down period at the end of your exercise.

2. Slow jogging or brisk walking. Another option is to jog or walk briskly for a few minutes after your exercise, making sure that this activity is lower in intensity than the exercise you have just performed.

Stretching after your cool-down
The best time to stretch is after your cool-down, as at this time your muscles are still warm and most likely to respond favourably and there is a low risk of injury. Stretching helps to relax your muscles and restore them to their resting length, and improve flexibility (the range of movement about your joints).

As a guide, allow 10 minutes of post-exercise stretching for every one hour of exercise. Make these post-exercise stretches more thorough than your pre-exercise stretches. Ensure that you stretch all the major muscle groups that you have used during your exercise. Stretch each muscle group for 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 times.

Does it affect muscle recovery

Yes! this is one of the greatest benefits you will receive by just adding a cool don to your workout. Cooling down will allow your body to start relaxing and to start the recovery process earlier. Also stretching while cooling down has been shown to be very effective in developing full hard muscles. So why wouldnt you cool down?

Soreness?

Yes! again cooling down is very important I cant stress that enough. By cooling down you are allowing your muscles to begin the recovery process immediately and more efficiently.

BONUS QUESTION: What are the best recovery supplements out right now? What is the most effective pre-workout supplement? Post-workout?

While there is no magic supplement that will allow you to gain 5 pounds of lean muscle and up your max's by 10 pounds every time you work out there are some great products today. I will tell you what I use as I am limited in money and what I recommend if you do have the money to spend.

What I use I use 3 products as that is all I can afford right now they are Whey Protein, Flax Seed Oil, and AST's Multi Pro 32x

Pre Workout - One Scoop of ON 100% Whey Protein in the delicious flavor of double rich chocolate in 6 ounces of water with 1 tbsp of flax seed oil which i mix in slowly so it doesnt just float on the top.

Post Workout - One Scoop of ON 100% Whey Protein same flavor (I am almost out and will be switching to ON's gold standard in the vanilla ice cream flavor which I have heard good things about) and 1 Tbsp of flax seed oil (love that stuff donno why though).

Throughout the day - AST Multi Pro 32x Its a good vitamin I never ever get sick and I have heard that Vitamin C might help with recovery so thats good.

What I recommend I have heard some great things about these products and as soon as I have the money im going to try them I did not put the products I use on this list, but I would recomend them to anyone I meet thats interested.. SciVation's Xtend looks like a good product, AST's GL3 L-Glutamine, Optimum Nutrions BCAA 1000 caps or 5000 powder, and Micronized Creatine now I dont know much about the difference in quality, but if I were going to buy some I would probably go with eith AST's or Higher Power (AST's because I love there products and Higher Powers cause its cheap and I cant really see the difference between one type of micronized creatine and another so).

Here are the links I hope they help

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ast/multi-pro.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sun/flax.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sv/xtend.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ast/gl3.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/bc.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/bcaa.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/as...ocreatine.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/creatine.html

And here is how I would take them (after loading phase for creatine)

wake up - multivitamin, and a protein shake with 1 scoop, 5 grams of glutamine, and 1 tbsp of flax.

an hour later - one serving of the BCAA powder or one serving of the BCAA capsules.

around lunch - I would have 1 tbsp of flax either by itself or mixed in what im eating.

pre workout - 5 grams glutamine, 5 grams creatine, scoop of protein powder all mixed together which would give you alot of energy and pump

post workout - same protein shake as pre with 1 tbsp flax and a serving of xtend.

1 hour to 1 hour and 1/2 - another multi and another serving of BCAA

bed time - scoop of protein, 5 grams of glutamine, 1 tbsp of flax.

Sources

http://www.myhealthstop.net/html/fit...i.html#stretch (jesus your impatient)
http://exercise.about.com/cs/flexibi...rms=stretching
http://walking.about.com/cs/stretchi...lexstretch.htm
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/f...rms=stretching
http://www.faqs.org/contrib/stretching/st2.html
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/i...a/aa010600.htm
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com...es/warm-up.htm
http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?article=2339

**Semtex** · 07-13-2005, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by Wazzup973

Continued

Isometric stretching - is a type of static stretching (meaning it does not use motion) which involves the resistance of muscle groups through isometric contractions (tensing) of the stretched muscles. The use of isometric stretching is one of the fastest ways to develop increased static-passive flexibility and is much more effective than either passive stretching or active stretching alone. Isometric stretches also help to develop strength in the tensed muscles and seems to decrease the amount of pain usually associated with stretching.
The most common ways to provide the needed resistance for an isometric stretch are to apply resistance manually to one's own limbs, to have a partner apply the resistance, or to use an apparatus such as a wall (or the floor) to provide resistance.
An example of manual resistance would be holding onto the ball of your foot to keep it from flexing while you are using the muscles of your calf to try and straighten your instep so that the toes are pointed.
An example of using a partner to provide resistance would be having a partner hold your leg up high (and keep it there) while you attempt to force your leg back down to the ground.
An example of using the wall to provide resistance would be the well known "push-the-wall" calf-stretch where you are actively attempting to move the wall (even though you knowyou can't).
Isometric stretching is not recommended for children and adolescents whose bones are still growing. These people are usually already flexible enough that the strong stretches produced by the isometric contraction have a much higher risk of damaging tendons and connective tissue. I strongly recommend preceding any isometric stretch of a muscle with dynamic strength training for the muscle to be stretched. A full session of isometric stretching makes a lot of demands on the muscles being stretched and should not be performed more than once per day for a given group of muscles (ideally, no more than once every 36 hours).
The proper way to perform an isometric stretch is as follows:
1. Assume the position of a passive stretch for the desired muscle.
2. Next, tense the stretched muscle for 7-15 seconds (resisting against some force that will not move, like the floor or a partner).
3. Finally, relax the muscle for at least 20 seconds.
Some people seem to recommend holding the isometric contraction for longer than 15 seconds, but research has shown that this is not necessary. So you might as well make your stretching routine less time consuming.

http://www.elenpilates.com/Science%2...Stretching.htm

**sword chucks** · 07-14-2005, 06:46 AM

Copying is not cool

Think of your own articles

**TheMind** · 07-14-2005, 06:49 AM

I'm glad I'm not in charge of picking winners, there are some excellent responses in here....It will prove to be a close competition, no doubt

Mel_Stepp01:

Granted with such a short response and a lack of details you would probably not have been considered for placement(atleast not in the high quality of these other fine people's responses), but you should put a little more effort into your plagiarism. Granted, you did better than Wazzup, but you still did pretty bad:

Originally Posted by Mel_Stepp01

A general warm-up period should consist of 5 to 10 minutes of aerobic activity (jogging, biking, etc.) to increase heart rate, blood flow, viscosity of fluids, and perspiration. The increase in muscle temperature allows a greater amount of flexibility which readies an athlete for the movement required by his or her sport (ie weight training).

Originally Posted by http://www.getalive.com.au/exercise.htm

.Generally, a warm-up should start off with a general exercise at a moderate intensity e.g. jogging or walking at a fast pace for approximately five to ten minutes. A general warm-up may also consist of riding a stationary bicycle, which will also increase the heart rate, blood flow, deep muscle temperature, respiration rate, and perspiration, and decrease viscosity of joint fluids. �The increase in muscle temperature allows a greater amount of flexibility, which readies an athlete for the movements required by his or her sport� (Baechle & Earle, 2000, p.322).

Originally Posted by Mel_Stepp01

A specific warm-up incorporates movements similar to the movements of the athlete's sport. It involves 8 to 12 minutes of activity or sport-specific stretches, such as shoulder stretches for volleyball players. Additionally, a specific warm-up is sometimes based on the dynamic movements of a given sport or activity.

Originally Posted by http://www.getalive.com.au/exercise.htm

�A specific warm-up incorporates movements similar to the movements of the athlete�s sport� (Baechle & Earle, 2000, p.322). This type of warm-up should include approximately eight to twelve minutes of activity or sport specific stretches e.g. shoulder stretches for volleyball players. In addition, specific warm-ups can sometimes incorporate the dynamic movements of a particular sport

http://www.getalive.com.au/exercise.htm

But hey, atleast you tried to change a few of the words, and pretended as though you, personally, had cited a resource (which, you did incorrectly anyway, the website you plagiarized did a much better job. You should have stolen their formatting as well)

Which brings us to Wazzup973. Good job, kiddo. Great article, I'm rooting for you to win. Or be banned from the forums, whichever comes first. Just don't get your hopes up when you see one of these other fine gentlemen taking "your" prize. Good luck in placing....You'll need it.

**LosersWhine** · 07-14-2005, 07:30 AM

Good job all of you I learned a great deal. Umm wazzup sorry bro but there are like 2 small parts in your article that arent pasted. BTW this is my first post yey. So sup people

**sword chucks** · 07-14-2005, 08:41 AM

Whats up LosersWhine

Btw guys stop bashing everyones articles lol

**TheMind** · 07-14-2005, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by sword chucks

Whats up LosersWhine

Btw guys stop bashing everyones articles lol

Plagiarism is bashworthy in my opinion

**sword chucks** · 07-14-2005, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by TheMind

Plagiarism is bashworthy in my opinion

thats true

**TheMind** · 07-14-2005, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by sword chucks

thats true

And 8-bit Theater rules!

**STUD** · 07-14-2005, 10:27 AM

You guys wrote some good articles. May the best man win.

**TheMind** · 07-14-2005, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by STUD

You guys wrote some good articles. May the best man win.

Clearly Wazzup973 will win, he (like, actually HE! Himself! Alone!) wrote a great article....Well, I didn't actually read it, but it was long and seemed informative, he must be a fountain of knowledge on the subject! Oh how jealous am I!

[/bash]

**muscleboy333** · 07-14-2005, 11:21 AM

Couldn't edit so I quoted it, made the changes and posted it again...

How Important Is Warming Up?

Many people are very misinformed about warming up and its importance before a workout. Some people don't warmup at all, others will spend half an hour wasting time and energy before their workout! Neither of these are the right way to do it, so read on and learn!

Popular belief is that simple stretching before your workout will make you more flexible, loose, and injury free. Leave this to the yoga instructors, because it's myth! Conventional stretching before your workout can actually make you more prone to injury, and your lifts will be weaker! You'll do far better if you stick to a warm-up like the following! You should start by getting the blood flowing through your body and getting your heartrate and temperature to rise a little. This can be accomplished by a few minutes of light jogging. This isn't really warming up any muscles directly (except legs a little), but it will prepare your entire body for exercise.

Next, you'll need to directly warm-up the muscle you're about to work. How many sets you'll need to do this depends on how much weight you're using in the exercise. If you are a beginner, and only deadlift 150 pounds, you could probably get by with just two warmup sets, 75 X 6-8 and then 100 X 4-6. However, if you've worked up to very heavy weights, say 500 pounds in the deadlift, you will need to pyramid up in your warm-ups more. Ex: 145 X 10, 245 X 6, 300 X 4, and then you could do 400 X 1, or even 450 X 1 so that the weight jump isn't such a shock. The reason I say this is because if you were to do your last warmup set with 300 pounds for a 500 pound work set, even though you've warmed up the muscles properly, it's quite a big jump and makes the work set seem heavier than it really is. Warming up properly will allow you to use as much weight as possible for your working sets, even up to 25% more than if you hadn't warmed up! How's that for a few minutes of easy work? You'll also be much less prone to injury, so no need to worry about a possible pulled muscle while you scream and grunt through your set.

Now that the muscles you're going to be working are directly warmed up, you can give the exercise everything you've got and stimulate growth safely. After you're done all sets of the exercise, you can do a very effective form of stretching, called extreme stretching for that muscle. This will not only stretch the fascia of the muscle, but it will greatly improve your recovery time and make you even less prone to injury. Fascia stretching, although might look easy on paper will be very painful and it takes strong willpower to make it through the 60 seconds. Once the minute is up, however, you'll feel great knowing you've gotten more out of your workout, and you can get home and grow!

You don't need to do all of your extreme stretches at once. For example, after I've warmed up and finished my heavy benching movements for chest, I'll do the chest stretch. (Lie down flat on a bench with two dumbbells, and drop them into a deep flye. Try to force your elbows down as far as you can for 60 seconds.)

After the stretch is over, I'll move on to the next muscle group.

For triceps, sit on a chair with a heavy dumbbell in one hand, in the bottom position of a overhead dumbbell extension. Use your head to push back on your elbow. Hold for 60 seconds, then repeat for the other arm.

For biceps, face away from a power rack with a high barbell in it, about neck height, and reach back gripping it with your hands over the bar. Now squat down as deep as you can go. Hold for 60 seconds.

For back, you can do one of two things. The first is to hang from a chinup bar with a wide grip and straps, and hang on as long as you can with a heavy dumbbell between your legs. The second is to pull on a doorknob with a rounded back, and really stretch your lats.

For shoulders, face away from a power rack with a barbell that's shoulder high, then grab it with your palms under the bar. Now walk out infront, still holding the bar, until it gets painful. Now roll your shoulders down and hold for 60 seconds.

For quads, basically do a sissy squat under a hip high barbell, while leaning back as far as you can. Believe me, this is excruciating, but it's also one of the most effective stretches. Be strong! Hold for 60 seconds.

Finally, for hamstrings put one leg up on a high barbell, and use try to force your leg straight the whole time. Switch to the other leg after 60 seconds and repeat.

These will be painful, but in the end they will be worth it. Remember, don't stop before your 60 seconds is up!

I think extreme stretching for the bodypart you just finished training is an alright cooldown, but after you're done your workout you should also bring your temperature and heartrate down safely with another very light walk or jog. No need for more stretching, extreme stretching has already taken care of everything, and will start speeding up your recovery. Also, thanks to the extreme stretching, soreness the next day isn't as much of a problem.

The above type of warmup is designed for a workout with weights. To warm up and cool down for a cardio workout, things would be a bit different. Before the run you should slowly increase your temperature and heart rate by jogging slowly, and increasing speed as needed until you're at the desired intensity for your cardio workout. After your run, you should do another light jog, only slowing down this time instead of speeding up. There's no need for any extreme stretching here.

**muscleboy333** · 07-14-2005, 11:37 AM

Continued...

BONUS QUESTION: What are the best recovery supplements out right now? What is the most effective pre-workout supplement? Post-workout?

Right now, the best recovery supplements are protein powder, glutamine, and of course creatine. Glutamine and protein powder are both made up of protein and protein precursors, and they will greatly help your recovery and growth. Creatine enhances cell volume, strength, recovery, and endurance. There are a few types of protein powders to choose from. Many people like whey protein, others prefer casein or egg protein powder. All of these are fine.

A few good brands of protein to choose from are:

Whey Protein:

-Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey:
This is a great product, it's reasonably priced, is of great quality and tastes awesome!

http://bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html

-Dymatize Elite Whey:
Another fine product. This is very inexpensive for a quality protein. The flavours are great too!

http://bodybuilding.com/store/dym/elite.html

Casein Protein:

-Optimum Nutrition 100% Casein:

Casein products are more expensive than whey, but they are digested slower so more beneficial for a pre-bed meal.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/cas.html

-ISS Miccelar Matrix:

This product includes whey and egg protein, but the dominant source of protein is casein.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/iss/mic.html

And here are some good brands of glutamine and creatine:

Glutamine:

-Prolab Glutamine:

Just pure, raw glutamine.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/pl/glutamine.html

-Higher Power Glutamine:

Another pure glutamine product.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/glutamine.html

Creatine:

-Higher Power Micronized Creatine:

Great price! Nothing else added, just pure creatine.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/creatine.html

-AST Micronized Creatine:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/as...ocreatine.html

Shy away from most of fancy new things, you'll be wasting your money. Other than glutamine, your whey/casein/egg protein and creatine, you don't need much else. For pre-workout, you'll want some simple and complex carbs, as well as a good amount of protein. Most supplements don't contain enough carbs and protein for your post or pre-workout meal, so you're better off eating real food. A good weight gainer can make a nice post or even pre-workout meal however. A few good weight gainers are Prolab N-Large II, Cysport CytoGainer, Ultimate Nutrition Muscle Juice, and Interactive Mammoth 2500 (in Canada).

You can find these here:

N-Large II:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/pl/large.html

CytoGainer:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/cs/gainer.html

Muscle Juice:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/un/mj.html

Pre and post-workout meal requirements are quite similar, for post-workout you'll need about half and half carbs (simple and complex), and a hefty dose of protein. If you really want to use supplements for your post or pre workout meal, stick with a good weight gainer that could meet these requirements (so this means nothing loaded up on useless sugar). Here's a good sample post-workout meal, you can change it to meet your size and liking:

-1-2 cups of milk or water, mixed with 1-2 scoops of whey and 25-75 grams of dextrose
-1/2 cup of oatmeal with yogurt on top (you can eat this cooked or blend it with your shake)
-1 big steak, or other good meat
-2 potatoes, however you like them
-A few glasses of milk if you like

This may seem like alot, but you need to eat big to get big. You don't need to eat exactly those foods, but shoot for similar protein and carb amounts depending on your size. If you feel like skimping out on your post workout meal, don't, and remember, it's by far the most important meal of the day! After your workout you'll have about an hour long "window of opportunity" where your muscles will be starving for nutrients, and will soak in everything they can get! Take advantage of this and eat a massive post-workout meal!

Conclusion:
To wrap things up, warming up and extreme stretching is key to not only keeping yourself injury free and flexible, but also to faster recovery and greater strength! Don't waste your time doing too many warm-up sets, or dive straight into a heavy set of squats, instead do things right by following a plan like the one outlined above and enjoy the benefits!

**LosersWhine** · 07-14-2005, 05:48 PM

Wow good job guys Ill be participating the next weeks contest which is already up and im already writeing but ehh...Im not pickin favorite but there are some awsome articles in here. I did read the other weeks and this week by far has had the best answers that I have seen.

Good luck

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