Short on time and contemplating skipping your warm up? Don’t do it! A warm-up gets your body prepped for the hard work you’re about to do and helps to prevent injuries. You wouldn’t want to be stuck on the sidelines because you were “too busy” to bother with warming up, would you?
Benefits Of A Good Warm Up
The most important benefit of a good warm-up is injury prevention. By increasing the body temperature before jumping into the hard stuff reduces the potential for muscle and connective tissue injuries. The increased body temperature also decreases muscle viscosity. This means that your muscles become looser and less rigid, allowing them to stretch and bend rather than to cramp up and leave you limping.
Warm-ups also help prevent injuries by increasing blood saturation of the muscle and connective tissue. The more blood that reaches the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the more elastic the muscles become. Again, this elasticity reduces the chances of sprains and strains.
Official CrossFit Warm Up
According to the CrossFit website, the “official” CrossFit warm-up was devised in April of 2003. It consists of three rounds of 10-15 reps each. It starts with the Samson Stretch.
Samson Stretch
- To perform this stretch, interlace your fingers and raise them overhead to have the palms of your hands facing upwards and lift with your shoulders.
- Put your legs in a lunge position with the rear knee touching the ground.
- Stretch your hands upwards and sink deeper into the lunge to get the full effect of the stretch.
- Hold this stretch for 15-30 seconds on each side per round.
Next, complete overhead squats with a broomstick to activate the legs. Then, perform basic sit-ups to warm up your core. Back-extensions and pull-ups are next to wake up the back and shoulders. After that, do some dips wake up the arms. As stated, repeat this set three times and you’ll be ready to go for your CrossFit WOD.
Don’t Forget Active Recovery
Active recovery post-workout is also excellent for injury prevention. The Airrosti Certified Providers specialize in sports and CrossFit injury related aches and pains. Aside from coming in for an injury assessment and treatment, they often prescribe simple stretching and active rehab exercises to do pre and post-workout. This active rehab, like using a Foam Roller or Lacrosse Ball, helps prevent injuries and relieve soreness and pain. If pain is stopping you from doing your best in the box, call Airrosti today to set up a complimentary injury assessment with a provider near you.
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