Warm-ups

I preface my training logs with "warm-up" but fail to explain it further. It is a very important part of training. Your warm-up can determine the success or failure of a training session. Basically, your warm-up can address weaknesses or other inefficiencies (i.e. focusing on a lack of flexibility), but in the end should leave you "ready to train".

In some of my warm-ups for lower body training sessions, for example, I like to foam roll, followed by ankle mobility work, followed by wall-slides and t-spine mobility work. I'll do X-band walks to help get the glutes going, hip swings w/ a dumbbell and reverse planks (on a stability ball) for hip flexibility. It often varies from session to session as my perceived needs change or I uncover new weaknesses or try to heal body parts or simply want to try something new. They will vary depending upon if I am doing max effort-type training or dynamic effort work. My warm-ups will vary in length from 10 to 20 minutes on average depending on how I feel. And occasionally I have had a 30 minute warm-up.

I "continue" the warm-up under the bar. Take box squats, for example. Today my warm-up sets looked like this:
bar x 5
bar w/1 set of chains x 5
bar w/2 sets of chains x3
bar w/3 sets of chains x3
bar + 50 + collars + chains =145x2 (our safety squat bar weighs 85 pounds/ collars 10)
165 + chains x 2
185 + chains x2
205 + chains x 2
started work sets

Sometimes I get going quicker. I do the general warm-up then, listening to my body, I determine the rest. But I never just go in and start slapping plates on the bar. That's a good way to get hurt!

Today's training was in two parts due to a work issue.

Part I
Warm-up (see above!)
Box squat-safety squat bar-box and 4 mats-medium stance-worked up to 245 bar weight plus 3 sets of 5/8" chain for 6 x 2. Then did 335 x1 and 375 x1 wide stance. (Wore groove briefs)
Deadlifts on Jump Stretch platform w/ mini bands doubled over the bar (theoretically adding 100-pounds/ 220-pounds at the bottom/ top of the lift respectively) worked up to 325x1x4 sets. Then 345 x1 and 365x1. (Had a little trouble with grip of my left hand. Tore off a large hunk of callus from my palm last week and it was hard to hold on to the bar.)

Came back approx. 2 hours later and finished in about 30 minutes.
45*Reverse hyper w/ foot bar 200x10, 400x8, 600x6, 690x6, 780x6 x 3 sets
Lat pulldowns with prison bar (fat bar) 4x15/ 160, 170,180, 190(x 13)
Hanging leg raises (touching feet to the bar) 5x 8-10

Friday evening: walked

Thirty minutes; enough time to warm up, or order a pizza!
Ed T.