In other words, because you won\u2019t be continuously exercising at zone 2 for the next half hour as you would if you were running, there\u2019s a lesser demand on your body. Instead of working non-stop, lifting weights requires you to work hard for short, specific bursts, with plentiful rest in-between sets.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t skip five to ten minutes of light jogging to get the heart pumping and the temperature raised, and do use some lighter dumbbells or resistance bands to open up the muscles you\u2019re about to hit, but also don\u2019t feel you need to be absolutely dripping with sweat by the time you\u2019re ready to lift your first heavy weight.<\/p>\n
Instead, Gibson says it\u2019s much more important to focus on \u2018practice sets\u2019, i.e. running through your chest press using just the bar, or performing dumbbell rows with light weights, simply to get the relevant muscles used to these movement patterns.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than spending too much time warming-up as you might for running, this time should be reserved for activation work that aligns with the target of the session e.g., producing the same movement patterns\/lifts with lesser resistance,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
In short: don\u2019t dive into the deep end, but don\u2019t spend four sets building up to your heavy weight, either.<\/p>\n
Should you do a cool down too?<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve dialed in your warm-up. Do you still need to stretch post-workout, or is it OK to hurry home to that protein shake?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhilst there is very good evidence supporting the implementation of a warm-up, the evidence for the use of a cool down is fairly limited,\u201d says Gibson. In fact, actively cooling down isn\u2019t just tiresome, it might put you at risk of injury. \u201cThere may be some benefits from some stretching or dynamic mobility work, but in general, adding additional activity after exercise could be seen as just adding more work that needs to be recovered from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nail your warm-up, stay conscious of how your body is feeling throughout your workout, and you should be in the clear.<\/p>\n