4 Ways to Get the Best Out of Your Workout

I don’t care if you are a morning person or not.  If you are doing a morning workout, you must take the time to warm up. You need to SET THE TONE!

I know it’s easy to say that, but it is actually extremely important.  There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing what to do for your warm up.

1. How much time do you have to warm up AND to workout?
2. What are you doing in the workout?
3. What have you been doing for the past 3 hours?
4. Is this a CrossFit class, or are you on your own?
5. Can I depend on the group fitness instructor to warm me up?
6. Of course, what are your goals?

For the 5:30am-ers the most important thing to do is MOVE.  This is regardless of what the workout will be.  Your body has been static for (hopefully) 7-9 hours and every part of your body needs to shake off the cobwebs.

So, what is to be done?

1.  Get Hot! (in a relatively short amount of time)

Do an unweighted medium to high intensity low range of motion cardiovascular activity that will wake you, your body, and heart up!  None of this slow cycling, yawning warm up.  Raise the intensity!

This will undoubtedly bring blood flow to the muscles and joints, making them ready to DO MORE WORK!

2. Dynamic Mobility

Move while “stretching”.  Handwalks/inchworms, Hip mobility, shoulder mobility, etc.

Address any potential tight areas, but do not let your heart rate decrease that much.

3. Specific Warm Up

Start doing some form of what is to be done in the workout.  For CrossFit, make sure to involve air squatting, a light kettlebell swing, and some form of shoulder pressing!  For Strength Training, make sure to incorporate whatever muscle groups are being trained for the day.  For a strict cardiovascular workout, incorporate more dynamic mobility and full range-of-motion movements.

4. Fake It!

If you’re tired and can’t really seem to get motivated, pretend that you aren’t tired, hop on a bike and pedal at 80 RPM’s for 30-90 seconds.  You’d be surprised at how much this can wake you up; it is almost like a slap in the face.  Emotion is a strong component to physical action.  If you’re head isn’t into it, your body sure as hell won’t be into it either.

Still not feeling it?

If you still don’t feel into it, it is probably best served as a rest day anyway. Your body is telling you that it needs some more time for recovery, so listen to it.  Get some sleep, hydrate, eat well and hit it hard tomorrow!

Be smart about your training.  You’ve made the commitment to be in the gym, so you might as well prep yourself for a successful day/WOD/workout!

Sample 5 minutes:

2 minute run going from 70% intensity and finishing with a 90% sprint for the last 20-30 seconds.

4 Hand walks (AKA inchworms; in a push up position, walk the toes to the hands keeping the knees straight)

4 Hip Crossover and Scorpions

30 seconds Jumprope

10 Over Head Squats with a dowel rod.

Put Your Head Back in the Window

Proper Push Press

Full shoulder range of motion is probably the most underrated necessity with regard to exercise.  This is especially the case in CrossFit.  Now that workouts are being “judged”, there is this general range of motion rule that a lot of CrossFit gyms are living by: Head Through the Window.

I am a CrossFit Coach and I have just about had enough of this cue.  If an athlete is pressing a barbell overhead, in order to be a successful rep, the athlete is cued to put the head passed the shoulders.  More often than not, athletes will poke the head forward without moving the shoulders at all.  This creates a forward head carriage along with cervical flexion.

With a load overhead and the head and neck forward and down, out spinal chain has significantly been weakened. 

The first main issue with this is the tension built around the base of the neck.  This repetitive positioning can lead to thoracic outlet syndrome and before you know it, you are having odd sensations into the shoulder and even the hands. 

Our common theme in training (to date) is that the spine must remain neutral and braced in order to generate AND TRANSFER force.  When there is a kink in the chain (and this position is a major kink), the body is weakened as a system, and the potential for injury is greatly increased.

Sometimes the athlete is being lazy with pressing overhead, but other times what you see is what you get.  If the athlete can only bring his or her arm up to a line in front of the ear, then that is where the range of motion should end.  Otherwise, the athlete will be poking the head through the window or hyperextending the thoracic spine to achieve a “completed rep”.

USE THESE CUES INSTEAD: “Extend the elbows”, “look straight ahead”, “arms all the way up”

This may seem like semantics, but it is important to know that your athlete understands what you are asking.  They may think that from now on, a shoulder press has a finished position with the head forward and down.  Communication is key.  Look straight.

Questions? www.dryaun.com

Four Ridiculously Easy Tips To Increase Your Water Intake!

     

If there’s one thing you remember to do every day, remember to DRINK WATER! Aside from the obvious hydration factor, water is completely essential to any person’s diet. In the heat of the summer, it is common to feel fatigued and dizziness, both signs of dehydration. To all of my athletes out there, water is a key element in helping to transport nutrients throughout your body, providing you with the energy you need during your work out and the rest of the day. Water also regulates your body temperature, loosens your joints, and prevents muscle cramps. You’d be surprised at how much a little extra H20 every day can affect every aspect of your life.

How much water should I be drinking?

You should be drinking water ALL DAY! A few months ago I started marking my water bottles with times to force me to drink a certain amount per day, and it worked wonders. I felt more awake during the mornings, less hungry all day, and it greatly reduced my muscle soreness. In order for athletes to maximize their workout potential, I suggest following a more direct schedule before and after your workout, as well as throughout the day.

A few hours before exercise	17-20 oz
20-30 minutes prior	8 oz
Every 10-20 minutes during exercise	7-10 oz
Immediately after	At least 8 oz

What is dehydration?

Dehydration simply means you are losing more water from your body than you are taking in. This can show symptoms of dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, and muscle cramps. In very serious cases, all of these symptoms can lead to heatstroke.  To monitor this, doctors recommend the urine test. Dark = you need to drink more. Light = you’re good to go. Here are some great tips to help monitor your water intake and prevent dehydration.

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1. Use a reusable water bottle- if you finish a plastic water bottle, you’re more likely to throw it away. A reusable water bottle will encourage you to refill, and is a great way to help the environment.  BPA- free water bottles will not give off any byproducts versus traditional plastic water bottles.

2. Add a lemon or a lime- There are some of us out there who just don’t like the bland taste of water. Adding a lemon or lime will give a nice boost of flavor, and provide extra health benefits such as improve digestion and give vitamin C. 

3. Start and end the day with a glass of water- It’s an easy habit to get into, and will encourage you to continue drinking water throughout the day.

4. When you’re hungry, drink water!-  People tend to confuse hunger with thirst. Instead of going right for that afternoon snack, drink a glass of water. Water is a great aid in weightloss and can help to make sure you are not overeating throughout the day.