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Stop by our online health and fitness video store. We carry a wide variety of exercise videos, dvds, books, and accessories. Get moving with aerobics, toning, yoga, stretching, martial arts, and dance! It's time to start your new exercise program! Look hereUse very light weight and high reps for the first set of each bodypart worked. (Begin with 25% of one-rep max and use strict form.) Slowly increase the weight used over the course of your workout, pyramiding up to the heaviest amount. For a cardio workout, your warm-up should: increase your heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, dilation of blood vessels, joint lubrication and muscle and tendon elasticity. It should also include: Low-level aerobic activity that uses the same muscle groups and similar movement patterns that will be used during the main workout. Static stretches for all major muscles groups, especially the lower body. For all types of exercise, your warm-up activities should: Take each of the joints through full range of motion. Increase body temperature. Get you psychologically tuned to what your body will be doing. Physiological reasons for warming up. Warm-ups help the body and its muscles to perform more effectively by: Slowly increasing muscle temperature. Serving as a dry run, which alerts the individual to potential musculoskeletal and other problems that may occur at higher intensity. Reducing the risk of exercise-related heart problems by increasing coronary blood flow. Improving the elasticity of soft tissues. Preventing early lactic-acid buildup and fatigue. Stimulating motor units of the muscles in preparation for a heavier workload. "The idea behind warming up is to prepare the muscles for physical activity, You want to improve flexibility, strength, extensibility of the tendons and blood flow to the muscles. It should definitely be part of the preparation to any sport." Bodybuilders are at higher risk for soft-tissue injuries/traumas than most other athletes because of the heavy loads they place on their muscles. Kibbler says bodybuilders should warm up the entire body, not just the muscle to be worked, to maximize the benefits of weight training and minimize the risk of injury. When weight training, your warm-up should include: Light, aerobic activity -- jog in place, ride a stationary bike, use a stair climber or treadmill -- for 4-7 minutes. Static stretches -- for each of the muscle groups, especially those about to be worked. ©2003 www.exercise-books-tapes.com. All rights reserved. |