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The Question: Much of the time you will see people stretching out their legs before a run, or stretching out any body part before they train it. It's also very popular for people to begin warm-up sets before they really get into the workout. How important is warming up before a workout? Does stretching help prevent injury and soreness? Could it make someone more prone to injury through over-training? What types of stretches do you perform before a workout? Do you stretch you whole body or just the body parts you are working that day? What stretching routine do you follow? How important is the cool down? Does it affect muscle recovery? Soreness? Bonus Question: What are the best recovery supplements out right now? What is the most effective pre-workout supplement? Post-workout? Show off your knowledge to the world! The Winners:
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Warming up, stretching and cooling down correctly are fundamental, yet often overlooked parts of any training program. While these components to training are very basic, many people tend to skip over a proper warm-up, stretch and cool down program and wonder why they do not feel ready to work out. I call these aspects of training the forgotten elements of training because they are techniques that you never see much of in gyms compared to the amount of work done on heavy sets you see. Warming up has many benefits. The main benefit to warming up is injury prevention because the blood will be pumping to an area, lowering the chance of a muscle pull or joint injury. Warming up isn't just a safety precaution though - it also has positive effects on a bodybuilder because after a warm-up, strength and focus should be peaked. Warming up has many physical and mental benefits. Stretching and cooling down go hand-in-hand mostly because they come after a workout, whereas a warm up usually precedes a workout. Their main benefit is increasing recovery, and these activities also add to the overall health of the muscles. This article will not only discuss the many ways in which a warm-up, stretch and cool down program is important, but it will also provide some methods to warming up, stretching and cooling down and some useful tips on how to do a proper but time-efficient warm-up! While it will focus on warming up for a hardcore hypertrophy-inducing workout with weights, this article will also give methods of warming up for other activities such as athletic activities, a strength workout, or an endurance workout, and methods for a cool down and stretch that will maximize recovery and progress!
An injury is the last thing any bodybuilder wants. You can miss a meal here and there if you absolutely must, you can skip the last 5 minutes of your cardio session if you need to be somewhere, but if you skip your warm-up and end up with a muscle pull, you're not gaining optimally for the next month or so. Warming up is injury-preventative in many ways. It increases flexibility and blood flow which limits the chance of a muscle pull and joint pain. A proper warm-up also gets the lifter in a groove for their exercise.
Warming up is a great way to increase flexibility before a heavy set. Training the muscles through an identical range of motion to the lift that is to be done stretches the muscle properly and prevents a pull of any muscle about to be trained. Let's say a lifter is getting their legs ready for a set of full barbell squats, 355 pounds for 5 reps. They get into the gym and their legs are a bit tight. They head over to the squat rack and get under the bar. They squat down and can hardly get to parallel. Luckily, they can push a light weight back up.
  Barbell Squat.  Click To Enlarge.If they had skipped a warm-up and jumped right into 355 pounds, it would have pushed their legs past the maximum stretch point and chances are a muscle pull would result.
So the same lifter decides to hit the treadmill for 3 minutes to get the blood and oxygen pumping into their legs. When he gets back to the squat rack with his warm-up weight, he finds himself much more flexible. After twelve warm-up reps his knees are completely lubricated as well, and there is no cracking or popping to be heard.
Getting into the groove for an exercise is also important. Take as many sets as you need until the form for an exercise feels natural. Once all the kinks are worked out, a proper warm up has been completed. So, let's get started!
A lot of times a lifter will get to the gym and get right into their heavy sets with no warm-up. Then they come on Bodybuilding.com and read this article. "Okay, I'll do one warm-up with the bar, that will help a lot I guess". Maybe it helped a little bit but a proper warm-up can do you a lot better. Step One Of The Warm-Up
This step will make the muscles ready for heavy warm up sets and eventually the working sets. It will also get you in the groove and in the mood to lift. So for our lifter squatting 355X5, his first two sets could look like this:
225X8 Step Two Of The Warm-up
Step Three Of The Warm-Up
After this, you do not repeat the warm-up process! Simply continue doing heavy sets (most lifters do 2-4 sets of one exercise). After you have done a warm-up for one muscle group you do not need to do an in-depth warm-up for each following exercise. For example, if the next exercise is stiff leg deadlifts, a light set of 60% of the working weight for 8 reps is an adequate warm-up. Another point to note is that it is best to warm-up each muscle using the first exercise that is to be done. For example, if it is your leg day and you are doing squats first, don't use the leg extension to warm up - get in that squat rack and do a few sets! This will increase flexibility to the specific exercise and will also increase body awareness for that exercise. At times a weight will feel oddly heavy or oddly light due to various reasons. If this ever happens just perform another warm-up set with the weight and the heavy feeling should go away. The best way to enter a working set is with a sense of confidence and strength without fatigue and that is what this warm-up method accomplishes.
Have you ever felt nervous or edgy before a big set of squats on leg day, or in the hour before you go for the new deadlift record? This always happens to me personally. It is natural. Why does it happen? Who knows? Maybe thousands of years ago, underdeveloped primates were crushed as they carried heavy items back to their caves in a squat position. These days we have squat racks which prevents this from occurring, but whatever the reason, we must overcome this. During my warm-up sets I like to take that time to get my nerve together. For squats, deadlifts or bench presses my warm-ups sometimes take around 10 minutes, and this is a good time to get your head on straight and realize that the set is coming. If you follow the warm-up as described above, you should find that you feel much more confident with the heavy weight because you were acclimated to it already.
This article is mainly focused on warming up for a bodybuilding workout. However, as a bodybuilder, in our quest to fitness we want to perform optimally in anything we do and more importantly finish it injury free. Warming Up For Sports
Instead of going into a bunch of different sports specific warm-ups which has no meaning to all of us bodybuilders (unless the warm-up is for a posing routine) I will just say that a general total body warm-up benefits any athlete. This total body warm-up can consist of light exercises with dumbbells, but most of the time the warm-up is things like 20 jumping jacks, 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, and 3 laps around the field. This gets blood flowing all over since all areas of the body are used in a sport.  Jumping Jacks - Legs Only Click To Enlarge.
Warming Up For Maximal Strength Performance
Some things differ though. For strength training, more warm-up sets should be completed, but each one should only be of a very low rep count. This prevents fatigue. Stretching should not be done because it will put the muscle in an un-contracted position, weakening it. It may be of some benefit to stretch opposite muscle groups to the ones about to be trained (such as hanging from a pullup bar before your set of military presses). If a muscle is very tight, lightly stretch it. 
Click To Enlarge.
Hanging from a pullup bar before your set of military presses can help prevent injury. Finally, do not spend unnecessary energy on the treadmill or the elliptical bike- just get right to the lift. Maxing out on an exercise requires maximum energy and specific focus on one area. Warming Up For Endurance Performance
Most of the time, before performing an endurance set it is alright to jump right in, but one set prior to performing the exercise will help you get focused and make sure your form is perfect.
Just like people underestimate the importance of a proper warm-up, many underestimate the importance of stretching. Seems like all most lifters want to do is jump right into working sets and then leave! Taking some time after a workout to stretch can be just as beneficial as taking time before a workout to warm up and acclimate to an exercise. Stretching can prevent a lot of problems such as muscle tightness, muscle soreness, and the common problem to bodybuilders known as becoming "muscle bound". Preventing Muscle Tightness & Soreness
A healthy muscle lies somewhere in-between. While working out a muscle becomes extremely tight - A proper stretch routine can limit this tightness, thus preventing injuries. It is a proven fact that stretching decreases the amount of muscle soreness after a workout. Not only is it proven scientifically but many lifters have experienced it. To effectively limit muscle soreness, the price might be a very painful stretch, but this is what we call "temporary pain, long term gain". What is worse, gritting your teeth and doing a 60 second stretch after training each muscle group, or having to grit your teeth because it hurts to do simple activities because of muscle soreness all day? Muscle-Bound What?
Look at bodybuilders like Tom Platz and Arnold Schwarzenegger. These are two bodybuilders that relied heavily on stretching. Arnold always said that to get a fully developed muscle you need to stretch.
 Tom Platz. Click To Enlarge.Both bodybuilders based their stretching routines on the fact that the more a muscle stretches, the stronger it can contract. Arnold states that "Bodybuilders like Ed Corney, known as perhaps the best poser in modern bodybuilding, could never move with such beauty if their muscles, tendons, and ligaments were tight and constricted." (150, Schwarzenegger) It is also proven that as a bodybuilder develops; the muscle separation suffers due to gravity and other reasons. Stretching is the cure for this problem! Over time, stretching can greatly aid a bodybuilder's muscle separation. It might not show right away but when you hit the stage you will be glad you took time to stretch out.
What? We need a warm-up routine, a weight lifting routine, and a routine for stretching? Yeah. Getting a routine for your stretches will help any bodybuilder to be more consistent with it because it isn't just something you do on occasion any more, you are now integrating it into your schedule. Stretching Before A Workout
Before a workout, to achieve an optimal muscle building environment for a bodybuilder, or optimum strength for an athlete or strength-focused lifter, healthy muscles that fall close to the middle of that scale is what we want. If you stretch too much you put the muscles in a non-contracted position, which will hurt performance. However, at times a stretch can be very beneficial. If a muscle is too tight a stretch can loosen it up enough so it is in a healthy state. Finally, before a workout there is not as much blood pumping to and from the muscles as after a workout, which is why it could cause pain or injury. Stretching After A Workout
Finally, the muscles are pumped up with blood and oxygen, giving them a better range of motion. After a workout stretching will greatly benefit you while any negative effects would be prevented. Stretches For Each Muscle Group
 Jean-Pierre Fux Was Squatting 695lbs In A Flex Magazine Photoshoot When Suddenly Both Legs Collapsed. He Tore All Four Quadricep Muscles In His Left Leg & His Pattella Tendon In His Right Leg. More Pics Availible On His Website. Some exercises do not lend themselves so much to stretching though. Would you want to let yourself get squashed by a barbell in a squat position for 60 seconds? I know I would be more worried about balance than the actual quality of the stretch. I will give some simple stretches for each muscle that are safe.
 Quadriceps Stretch. Click To Enlarge.
 Hamstring Stretch. Click To Enlarge.
 Calf Stretch. Click To Enlarge.
 Lat Stretch. Click To Enlarge.
 Biceps. Click To Enlarge.
After 40 seconds, I take 20 seconds to lower the weights with my biceps so it has an effect like a dumbbell flye.
 Chest Stretch. Click To Enlarge.
  Shoulder Stretch. Click To Enlarge.
Something that is more useful for us bodybuilders to know is that stretching will increase the muscle size greatly by expanding connective tissue, giving it more room to grow. Arnold and many others believed in this technique and called it "fascia stretching". My experiences with this have been great. I saw a huge difference in my muscle development after I added in these stretches- in fact, once I incorporated these, my weight gain began to skyrocket again after I had been stuck at the weight for 1 month! Coincidence? No such thing as a coincidence! I use all of the stretches above but only those stretches that can target every muscle effectively. There is no need to take time to stretch out the forearm extensors and flexors and other small muscles such as those. After the last set for each muscle group in a given workout, I immediately go to my stretching station and perform a stretch for about 60 seconds. For the first 15-30 seconds I am easing into it and in the last 45 or so I am really feeling the pain but I push (not the best word choice mind you) through. Make sure you can look at a clock during these or you will cheat yourself! Before training a muscle I feel that simply completing a few warm-up sets through a full range of motion is enough to adequately stretch the muscles. If you want to stretch before training make sure to warm up first. My coaches always said "you don't stretch to warm up you warm up to stretch." Remember, don't stretch the muscle too much or you will not allow maximum training results! My stretching routine has caused explosive growth all over my body. I am still more or less a scrawny punk compared to the bodybuilding greats, but I was amazed when I saw the results from just incorporating one minute of stretching into my workout!
Like I said before, stretching and cooling-down go hand-in-hand. They allow the muscles to get back to a normal state after training. Think of a sport practice. After a hard workout loaded with sprinting, hitting, and focusing, an athlete is usually jittery with a highly elevated heart rate. It is beneficial after this to take some time to "unwind". It is the same for a bodybuilder after any workout. How Important The Cool Down Is
A cool-down can simply be one light, high rep set for each muscle group to further prevent the muscles from being over-tightened. Cooling Down & Recovery
If you then take the time to cool the system down you can pretty much kiss soreness the day after a workout good-bye (unless you have not trained for the past month or more- but it will still help a great deal!) As bodybuilders or athletes, we want to do all we can to maximize recovery and maximize the amount of growth we can get in during a short time frame, so we should take every action to maximize recovery!
I hope that after reading this article, you understand the many ways in which warming-up, cooling down and stretching are important. I also am confident that you learned a few tricks to build your own warm-up, cool down, and stretch routine, or if you already have some you can now add some new techniques to them. The methods explained in this article can be useful for people with any type of goal! Overall, warming up does prevent injuries and maximize lifting performance. Warming up isn't just a safety precaution though- it also has positive effects on a bodybuilder because after a warm-up strength and focus should be peaked. Cooling down and stretching follow a workout and increase recovery greatly while also adding to overall health of the muscles. Warming up, stretching and cooling down properly are often overlooked yet integral parts of any training program. They are very basic and traditional aspects of any athletic activity, but are often overlooked in the gym where they can be even more beneficial than in the field. These elements of training should become more commonly used in the future by those wishing to maximize performance and recovery! If you have time to exercise, you have time to warm up and cool-down/stretch!
Recovery Supplements
Pre Workout
This product increases alertness and focus in a workout. You can imagine how much this will benefit and if you are having one of those days where you are dogging it in the gym you will wish you had bought neurostim! MRM's Driven has similar effects while also packing some body composition-helping effects. Taking a shake with amino acids and glucose is proven to greatly increase availability of both before a workout. This will really improve performance in any activity. The glucose provides a "carbed-up" feeling while the amino acids, which means things like glutamine and Taurine, will further aid energy and strength! Post Workout
What I recommend is to sip on a glucose and amino acid solution through your workout. Nothing too major, just 20-30 grams of glucose and 10 grams or so of amino acids. You can also put in any other supplements you use such as your creatine or citrulline malate and create a great recovery-aiding cocktail. The main thing to think about post workout is not how many milligrams of Super Placebo RX you get in but getting in a good amount of carbs and protein so you feel re-fueled and simple supplementation can accomplish this just fine.
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.
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 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"
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.
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.
"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
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.
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
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.
Click To Enlarge.Stair Stepper - Also Known As The Gauntlet. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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
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
Dynamic Stretches
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Echoes ring in my head, as I remember Coach White screaming at us in the weight room. Often you hear the phrase "warming up" and you automatically associate it with weight lifting, but it also expands to other sports and has many benefits. You hear it often, but do you even know what warming up actually is? The dictionary defines it as:
Warm-up - n This is exactly what warming up is! This is a solid belief that lay in the minds of many lifters, and as usual... popular beliefs accompany themselves with many myths. But I am here to tell you the facts about warming up. Warming up, in a bodybuilder/weight lifter's sense means properly building yourself up to a weight you are trying to lift. Warm ups usually consist of a brisk 5-10 minute jog on the treadmill, 5-6 minutes jumping rope (personal favorite because it makes me feel like Rocky), and then by pyramiding weight up for your exercise you are about to do. Deadlifting, squatting, and bench-pressing are all huge compound movements which always require a good amount of warming up, due to the fact they involve many muscles. More muscles, more room for error and injury. Bicep tears, shin splints, pulled hamstrings; I have experienced them all but I have yet to be faced with a torn pectoral/quadricep/lat. I take many precautions when I deal with big compound movements, because when I lift heavy there is no room for error.
Click To Enlarge.
Bodybuilding.com Writer Ian Matthews Tore His Bicep In Early 2003.
As the weight of your deadlift, squat, and bench go up, you must adjust accordingly to warming up. Pyramid your weight starting low. Lets say your 1RM (One Rep Max) is 200. And you want to test your 1RM.
This situation is for maxing out, but it can also be used in normal work-outs. But instead shorten the reps and go deeper, faster. Go at about 60%, 80%, and then 100% of the weight that you are semi-comfortable at (6-8 reps). It is important to warm up, but its just as important not to fatigue yourself with it.
I see people doing 7 sets for warm up, what the heck is that! If your warm up for bench is 7 sets, I do not even want to see your actual work-out. That is overkill. Use logic when you lift! If you know in your gut what you're doing is stupid, don't do it. You rep 150 and you never tried past 160? Don't go benching 200, you will just tear a muscle and it will set you out of commission for a while. Common sense and logic is your best friend.
Neural pathways serve to connect relatively distant areas of the brain or nervous system, compared to the local communication of grey matter. Basically efficiency in neural pathways is a good thing, which will help your coordination- and help keep you focused throughout your workout.
With ALL the benefits of warming up, why shouldn't you do it? Now that you have been introduced to warming up, meet its cousins "stretching" and "cooling down". Though, the sequences of stretching, cooling down, and warming up are highly debated among fitness enthuses... in my opinion warming up should always be first, which is then followed by cooling down, and then stretching. I will go into further detail why stretching isn't as essential to US in the beginning, as it is in other sports. Ballistic stretching uses the momentum of a moving body or a limb in an attempt to force it beyond its normal range of motion. Stretching isn't just bending over to touch your feet for 5 seconds, but it also is a process which adapts your body to what it has just undergone. I truly believe that stretching after a work out will help you with its long-term and short-term benefits. Short-Term
Long-Term
Even though a man like Ronnie Coleman is admired for his size, he isn't exactly the stiff macho-man he is made out to be. Ronnie Coleman can actually do the splits, which is a sight to see. You may be his size in a matter of years, so it's probably best to stay flexible.
 Ronnie Coleman Doing The Splits At The 2002 Show Of Strength Click To Enlarge.Stretching routines are fairly simple to follow, don't think of it as another workout. Make your stretches fun, I may come off as sounding like a yoga instructor but trust me, I am far from that. Instead of only stretching muscles that you recently used, start by stretching as many muscles as you can. This will help promote better growth in the long run. You should also know that stretching was believed to be better pre work-out but recent studies prove that if you do stretch before a workout, it can drastically reduce your strength. If your strength is reduced, you cant lift as much, which will lower your potential of growth. Here Are Some Solid Rules To Follow When Stretching:
Stretches
 Groin Stretch
 Groin Stretch. Click To Enlarge.
Glutes & Hamstrings
  Lunges. Click To Enlarge.
 Hamstrings. Click To Enlarge.
 Biceps & triceps. Click To Enlarge.
Deltoid Stretch. Click To Enlarge.
  Hyperextensions. Click To Enlarge.
  Push Ups, Close & Wide Hand Positions. Click To Enlarge.
  Calf Raises. Click To Enlarge.
You can stretch accordingly to make sure all your muscles are all stretched out. My Stretching Routine
Dynamic Stretching
Cooling Down
The first two tasks were easy because I could easily work myself up to it, but run five miles! I was an ectomorph weighing in at about 137 lbs and I got pretty winded after a single mile. My best time was 7:37 so I was terrified of the five miles. The time came at the end of the semester when I had to run it, and I started the first mile by jogging lightly until I was covered in a light sweat, the second to third mile I was jogging on, still going at a decent speed. The fourth mile hit me like a brick wall, but I persevered and I walked a bit until I was at 4 and a half miles. I sprinted the last half and I was done. I collapsed and went straight into the weight room! I lifted for about half an hour and I went home and took a cool shower and fell asleep. The next morning... you knew what happened. My whole body shutdown, every inch of my body was aching. I felt like I was Rocky Balboa and I just fought Clubber Lang, Apollo Creed and the big Russian the night before. It took me about a week or two to fully recover, that is how I know the importance of cooling down. Now that you have been formally known about my painful mistake first-hand, I can tell you why I felt like I did. Cooling Down Will Do All These Wonderful Things & More:
BONUS QUESTION: What are the best recovery supplements out right now? What is the most effective pre-workout supplement? Post-workout? Recovery Supplements
I use Optimum Nutrition Whey simply for the fact that it is cheap, great tasting, and it's given me great results. I have tried numerous whey products but they never lasted the test of time, because a frothy chocolate shake is always welcome anytime of the day, but you can easily grow tired of lemonade, berry, and all that other fruity stuff. My secret is to add a tablespoon of... Nesquik! It will make it very airy, sweet and add tons of flavor.
Lets face it people. Due to poor agricultural farming, over production, pesticide infestation, and many other horrible things- we can never all get the vitamins we need from our food nowadays. Eating all our wheaties, vegetables, and milk just won't cut it anymore. We need a reliable source of vitamins and multivitamins are our answers. It is hard for me to put it in a simpler way than this, so I will quote it straight out of Bodybuilding.com's great book "Get the Pump: The Last Word in Bodybuilding":
Glutamine is basically a product which will reduce muscle atrophy when cutting, or help grow muscle when bulking. It is a great product which many bodybuilders and other athletes swear by, it helps in protein metabolism and also is stored deep within our muscle cells, so be sure to refill on your glutamine. Pre-Workout Supplements
I truly believe Green Tea is underrated in the world of athleticism. Green Tea is high in anti oxidants, so it will flush all the toxins out of your body. It will relieve oxidative stress, protects skin from ultraviolet light, and it has a very high caffeine content. The high caffeine content will keep you energized and ready to blast through your workout. I always drink at least 10 oz of it pre-workout because it always seems to help me.
It has been known to give vascular pumps immediately after consumption and give better performance, strength and endurance. I usually take No-Xplode as a pick-me-up on those days when you're not quite feeling it. Post-Workout Supplements
Whey will always be my number one and only Post-Workout supplement. I do not like to put a lot of foreign substances in my body unless I know how they are going to react, but Whey is always useful. Protein post-workout will go straight into the blood stream and provide your muscles with the material it needs to grow. There is a 30-45 minute time span in which you must supply your muscles with sufficient protein, which will further increase your potential for growth. References:
Everyone wants to make progress, but sometimes injury can haunt us and not allow us to make progress and instead send us backwards. The good news is the majority of injuries can be prevented from occurring. How may you ask? By preparing properly for all your workouts carefully and correctly. This means warming up and cooling down before putting your joints and muscles under the stresses of heavy resistance. Unfortunately these two processes are very often done incorrectly, unsubstantially and sometimes not done at all.
Warming up is very important before any workout, whether it be before a 100m sprint or before maxing out on bench press. But the question you may be asking is why is it important? The answer is because it prepares muscles and joints for greater levels of activity, and also primes CNS to fire. It also has numerous other benefits such as:
Stretching, when done correctly and properly, can assist in the prevention of both injury and soreness, as well as increasing flexibility. There are many types of stretching, such as static, dynamic, ballistic, passive, active and assisted. All serve their different purposes, but the two you should be most concerned with, in terms of your warm up and cool down for weight training and other similar activities are dynamic and static stretching, which I will talk about later. Overstretching however is not a good idea. This will make you more prone to injury by overtraining and will consequently take you longer to improve your flexibility. Overstretching will produce microscopic tears (micro traumas) causing your muscular soreness, which will occur during or immediately after the stretch if severe, or a day or two later if minor. This can hinder your ability to recover quickly from a workout, so don't over do it.
When stretching prior to working out, the best type of stretches to perform are dynamic stretches. These stretches reduce muscle stiffness, which is related to muscle injury. Dynamic stretches consist of controlled leg and arm swings. Stretching during your workout is not necessary; just perform your warm up sets prior to each exercise. If you are going to stretch during your workout, don't stretch the muscle you are directly using in the movement(s), stretch the antagonistic muscles e.g. when squatting, stretch the hip flexors, or when benching, stretch the lats. This has been shown to be of great assistance and can help improve your performance in the movement(s). You are only required to stretch the body parts you are working on the day. However keep in mind you must know what muscles and joints you are working in the particular exercise(s), a lot of the time there are a lot more muscles involved than you think.
After a light jog, to increase body temperature (break a sweat) I will perform some of the following stretches, depending on what muscle and joints groups I am targeting on that day. Pre Workout - Dynamic Stretching (10 Swings Per Side)
Post Workout - Static Stretching (10 Seconds Hold Per Side)
How Important Is The Cool Down? Cooling down decreases body temperature and will remove any waste products, such as lactic acid, from the muscles that are being used. The other benefits of cooling down include:
If you cool down correctly then you will experience greater recovery and you will find you will not be as sore the day after your workout. The best way to cool down is to, first, go for a light walk for around 5-10 minutes after your workout. This helps reduce your body temperature and remove waste products such as lactic acid, from the muscles being used. When stretching after training, the best types of stretches to perform are static stretches. These stretches help the muscles to relax and will increase their range of movement. Static stretching involves gradually easing into the stretch position and holding that position for a certain period of time. These are best performed after you have cooled down. All in all, the cool down process will assist your recovery greatly. You'll find that you won't be as sore the day after your workout and your muscles will be able to recover faster reducing your chances of overtraining and instead allowing you to make important progress.
Before you perform a heavily weighted movement, please do warm-up sets for your nervous system's sake. Warm-up sets will provide you with all of the above listed benefits and will be of great assistance in your preparation for working sets. But as with all things you have to do it right and with warm-up sets there are a lot of common misconceptions made by even the most experienced lifters. A lot of people believe high reps will warm you up. This is wrong. Working at high repetition ranges will instigate your body to produce lactic acid into the blood. This significantly impairs the nervous system to operate high threshold motor units which are recruited during heavy resistance training. If you are operating in strength rep ranges (1-6 reps) or hypertrophy rep ranges (6-12 reps), then you should go over 6 reps in your warm ups. Another common myth with warm up sets is that doing low set warm ups e.g. ten reps with the bar then jumping straight into the sets, is sufficient. This again is wrong. It is important you let your nervous system know what is coming and jumping from the bar to a triple figure weight is unreasonable and will not allow you to perform at your 'true' maximum, because your CNS is not prepared for this. So it is important to include at least 3-5 warm sets, sometimes more depending on how close you are working to your 1RM.
If you are stretching properly you should only feel a mild discomfort in the antagonist muscle at the most. If you feel any significant pain or discomfort before, during or after stretching or athletic activity then it is important to identify the origin of the problem. Severe pain will normally point towards an injury of some sort, so if this occurs do not continue with stretching or exercising until you have fully recovered. Muscular Pain Can Most Likely Be Linked To:
What are the best recovery supplements out right now? What is the most effective pre-workout supplement? Post-workout? There are many supplements on the market that will help shorten the amount of time needed for you to recover from a workout. A few of these supplements may be ones you are most likely already taking:
Protein
Supplementing protein is an easy way to get enough protein into your diet. Recommended times for taking whey protein (fast digesting protein) supplements are before and after workouts. Recommended times for taking casein and protein blends (medium to slow digesting proteins) are prior to sleeping.
Amino acid supplements are best taken in doses pre and post workout. Popular amino acid supplements are BCAA (Branch Chain Amino Acids) products and glutamine products.
It strengthens bones and connective tissue as well as reducing the secretion of cortisol in the body, allowing muscles to recover better and hence grow. The recommended dosage of vitamin c per day is 1000mg, and should be spread out over the day into 2 servings. Bibliography & Helpful Links
Go across gyms and schools in the world and you will see people stretching and warming up. Whether it be the local elementary school, the college athletes or even the professionals, everyone is stretching and warming up before their event or activity. We were young, going to school and gym class, we were educated about the importance of stretching before gym class so you don't get an 'owwie'. These rules still apply now, as we are older. Some might think not, but as you get older and your activities get more vigorous it's even more important to stretch. Don't take for granted that 10 minutes you have before your workout session and waste it on checking out the hot girl in front of you.
Remember that stretching is not something little kids do and that you should always stretch and warm up before your workout or activity. I've seen people pull muscles in the 100 dash, which is a short amount of time that can cost you months or even years to rehabilitate. Warming up is something that should be taken seriously, it's almost like a workout away from the workout. It doesn't take that long, and you are taking a big risk of injury if you don't warm/stretch before you do something. Stretching out and warming up can actually accelerate your gains and results. That way your muscles are fully stretched and ready to go. By stretching you make blood flow faster, and that's how muscles are fed. So if you start stretching you just might overcome that plateau you have been stuck at. It's fun and not hard. Think of all the problems you can prevent by warming up.
Warming up and stretching before your workout is beneficial. It will help you loosen up and that way you will prevent tons of injuries. Also it will help you get the best of your ability since you muscle will be stretched, and it will be filled with blood flow which will guarantee higher strength and full capability. If you always struggle with that extra rep and can't get that bar up, don't worry. If you warm up and stretch you will be fine and you will get the benefits. Think about it, it will take only 10 minutes of your time, why not do it and see what happens. Chances are you will notice a positive change. None of my clients have ever said that they feel worse and their performance has gone down. Sure there have been some non-responders but as a whole, it is positive. Higher reps, higher strength and endurance can be observed as trainees warm up and stretch before their workout. Stretching
 Stretching Before Your Workout Is Crucially Important. Sure the muscle does all the work, but it needs a joint and tendon to end it, and close the motion. Otherwise you would be curling and benching at the same time (just kidding). By warming up the joints and tendons you will decrease the chance of injury. I've once seen a guy try and military press 225 without warming up. Big, strong guy, looked like he can handle it. He did one, then two, then on the third rep I heard a loud cracking sound and his left shoulder leveled down. Ouch. Can you imagine the kind of pain he was in. Oh boy, and to think that he could have prevented that by spending 10 minutes of his time warming up his shoulders and rotator cuffs. What a mistake. Not stretching can cause your whole career to end, and that can be devastating for young guys that are starting out, on the verge of glory and then it all ends, in a split second you injure yourself and commit 'bodybuilding suicide'. Anyway, remember to stretch after your workout and always play it smart!
Warming Up
Remember that warming up and stretching should not take more than 10-15 minutes, so don't make it a workout and later complain that it is too much. Perform a job for about 2-4 minutes. While wearing the warm-up suit which will increase your temperature, and get your 'juices going'. That way blood flow will reach the muscle before you start working it out and that will help you avoid injury, and increase your performance. After getting a small sweat going, stretch for the remainder of the period with the warm-up suit on. After that remove you suit and hit the weights! See how simple it is? I have actually seen Jay Cutler at training and he swears by warming up.
 Be Sure To Pick Up Jay's Latest Book: CEO Muscle.Even when working out arms, you can see that kid with his suit on always. He removes it for a set, then puts it back on. Why you ask, well it will help to keep his temperature high, which will help him with his training and progress.
Stretching
Make sure to drink lots of water which will help. Stretching will lengthen muscles and we all can use that. Also you are treating your joints to extra flexibility and they get stronger as you stretch. This can be beneficial for people that lift heavy and are in danger of tearing up their joints and tendons. Also stretching after a workout feels good. At least to me. You get that nice stretch and your muscle is tired... it's almost like a massage. Always stretch after your workout. Sure it might be as long but make sure to get those muscles stretched and relaxed before you hit the showers. Although some people like stretching as water pours on them, nothing wrong with that. I prefer doing it before my shower so I can completely relax and not do anything but to each his own. Do whatever feels good to your body and whatever makes you recover and grow faster.
Cold down is pretty important. It will help with both soreness and recovery. See, with all the lactic acid, by stretching and cooling down you will be able to get rid of it. Now don't expect to never be sore, but it will go down. You will notice how stronger and painless you feel after your cool down. It will decrease, not eliminate, soreness and help you recover faster. With increased blood flow, you will recover way faster since you muscle is getting fed with more nutrients at a faster rate. If you consume your PWO right after you stretch, you will have increased blood flow that will help you. Also consider the effect of the cool down. Instead of lowering its temperature and other factors dramatically, your body lowers them gradually, which lets it take it easy, and get out of the shock you just put on it during the intense workout. Always remember that nutrition and training is important, but faster muscle recovery and less soreness is always beneficial and a part of the 'game'. By cooling down gradually you body is in a smaller chance of getting in a injury after your workout. Sure you are done lifting, but you are not done breathing. Make sure that cooling down becomes a part of your daily workout routine. It doesn't have to take hours, just a brisk 10 minute cool down will greatly help your body.
What are the best recovery supplements out right now? What is the most effective pre-workout supplement? Post-workout? Now remember that supplements only help aid your progress. They don't make your physique but rather help you shape it and boost it up. Never rely on supplements, but always be smart and use them to boost your progress. Use them as a tool. During today's market, you can see tons and tons of supplements on the market. Stores and the internet are filled with them. Some help you loose this, some help you gain that. Always rely on training, nutrition and recovery for succeeding in what you do. But never forget supplements because they can help you overcome and give you a slight boost in times of need. Always use them smartly and follow all directions on labels and never abuse them. Here are some of the best supplements that will help you recover and meet your goals. Remember that Bodybuilding.com/store offers all of them at affordable prices and best quality. No matter what, I strongly suggest supplements, and the best place to get them for an affordable price and excellent quality is the Bodybuilding.com. There you will find everything you need, filled with tons of articles and places that can give you a very close look in the world of supplements. Although famous, these few supplements are very effective and not that expensive.
By taking whey, you can increase your protein uptake by 50-150 grams per day which is very time saving and efficient. Whey is a must for after a workout since your muscles are tired and need to be replenished. Also when you wake up, whey is the best choice for protein (in my opinion).
It gives an extra boost when working out. It can also help you gain more muscle and better your lifts. It boosts up the ATP energy which is responsible for short, drastic muscle movements. Perfect for weightlifters all around, creatine is a must for bulking up.
That way intensity and recovery for your workouts is at an all time high. L-Glutamine also helps maintain a positive Nitrogen balance which is very healthy for your body.
Since you are bulking, you need vitamins to maintain your body healthy. From all the workouts and stress that you put on it, it's a must that you have vitamins to replenish and rebuild. Always a must for every bodybuilder. Good Luck!
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The writer of this article is obviously very knowledgeable of the subject and had done their research, but their poor grammar made the article hard for the reader to understand. If they were to just review their article and edit their mistakes they could create an excellent article.
This is based on his first article, the second came in after the deadline.
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This was a good submission but it seems their answer to the bonus questions was their main focus of the article- it was also the most impressive part of the article. More details could have been used answering the main questions. Also, try to stay away from making contradictions in the article unless it is for a reason, or if you have studies to support both sides.
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This article could be made much better if more time is spent adding detail and fully answering the questions. They should try to add more information, facts or studies to support their statements. It would also be a good idea to look over the article for grammar mistakes.
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This article probably has the best chance for improvement. It could be a little more descriptive and in-depth in some areas. If some of the areas are expanded on it can certainly make for a top 3 article.
Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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How You Should Feel As It Goes On
You wake up to 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 400 lbs. for 8 reps. It's now 7:02AM, time to start the day.
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