How to improve your FLEXIBILITY in bodybuilding, better prepare your body before a session, to gain MASS without getting injured?
Dec 30, 2022
In this article I will answer a question from one of the loyal listeners of the MOUVERS podcast regarding warming up before weight training:
“Is it essential to include joint mobility exercises in the warm-up phase of weight training?”
A question that everyone asks, whether they are beginners in bodybuilding or experienced practitioners.
We will define together the pre-workout (before the session), what exactly to do to properly PREPARE the body for the bodybuilding session and reduce the risk of injury
Happy reading to you my mover!
How should you prepare your body before physical activity in general?
Before exercising, whatever its nature:
- Combat sports (MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, etc.)
- Body weight (Callisthenics, Climbing, Gymnastics, Yoga, Parkour, etc.)
- With external loads (bodybuilding, weightlifting, CrossFit, etc.)
- Body expression (Dance, Capoeira, Stunts, etc.)
It is essential that you prepare your body before your practice , above all to reduce the risk of injuring yourself during your session!
Preparing your body before practicing involves two essential steps:
- Joint mobilization , which will allow you to move each of your joints, in control, throughout their full range of motion.
- Muscle warm-up , which will help activate your central nervous system to get you warmed up so you can start your physical activity “nice and warm”, with a dose of adrenaline under your belt!
It is precisely these two steps that will allow you to approach your physical practice with a reduced risk of injury!
For what ?
Because you will have already moved your body, warmed up your machine!
Therefore, your body will be fully fit , ready and AVAILABLE to perform the movements inherent in your sport or physical activity.
If this image speaks to you more, you can draw a parallel with a car engine (not a sports car 😉).
Let's just say that for a daily manual car, it's best to start driving slowly before you can accelerate more sharply!
If you go from 0 to 100 km/h in one second, the engine is going to take a bit of a beating...
Same for you!
Your body needs this warm-up phase before work that will actively demand it.
Why is this?
You are no longer a truly “natural” animal in this society which tends to freeze our bodies a little more every day.
Therefore, you are no longer able to trigger an activation of your body , with SPONANCY and efficiency, as most children are still able to do,
Or even as the animals of the animal kingdom also practice it with ease.
They can jump without having to go through a physical preparation phase, because they do not run the risk of getting injured without prior activation!
So, I would like to make a digression before continuing to write this article:
As usual, I make a point of using the correct terminology and in this regard, I do not use the term “Warm-up” because I prefer to talk about “Physical Preparation” or “Pre-training Preparation”.
End of the aside 😉 .
During this preparation phase before training, it is important that you move your body, primarily with movements that will be linked to your physical practice.
If you are about to do a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu session, it is best to incorporate, for example, ground movements because you will be required to do these movements later!
Which makes more sense than doing jumps, for example!
Joint mobilization work aims to loosen your joints and open your body to greater ranges of motion.
Muscle preparation, on the other hand, helps to raise your body temperature and bring blood flow to your muscles, more specifically those concerned by your practice,
Considering that you will have oriented your preparation phase with movements inherent to your practice!
This pre-workout preparation phase allows your body to warm up, of course, but also allows your brain to enter a kind of boiling state!
It is therefore just as important for your mental health because it is precisely during this phase that you will condition yourself to stimulate yourself FULL BALL before your session!
Afterwards, you might as well have a big coffee to reach that state 😉.
Why is it highly recommended to seek this dynamic just before entering into your physical practice?
Pre-workout preparation should also address your MIND so that you can achieve this powerful combination during your physical workout:
A state of optimal presence + A state of maximum concentration!
Indeed, presence and concentration are the two key elements that will allow you to acquire new skills most efficiently and solidify your past learning.
It's a kind of FLOW state that you put yourself in before you begin your practice.
Nomad Slim
Founder of MOUVERS
