What warm up is required before weight training?

felici

felici

Well-known member
I have just met with a trainer who is to get me started learning how to use free weights.

Aside from any other issues I have, I am wondering about his recommendation to start with 15 minutes (or did he say 30?), on an elliptical so that I am warmed up first. I said at least twice that I don't want his help with any other kind of training but he is still expecting me to do this first, as it what his other clients and the other trainers in that club do.

So my question is, do other experienced people here, also recommend this? Is this something which is needed for the weight lifting as such, or is this recommendation just because he is trying to improve my overall health (despite me trying to stop him doing that!)

I guess I'm prepared to do it a couple of times just to be compliant and get the most of my time with him, but it really doesn't appeal to me as a long term thing, the way I hope my weight lifting will be.
 
Personally I do no cardiovascular warmup. That said, it's not a bad idea. A warm muscle is always better. I wouldn't go as far as to say 15-30 minutes though. 10 minutes top.

Aside from that, my suggestion would be some quick dynamic mobility work. Think arm circles, body weight squats, leg swings, etc.

Then specific weight warmup where you are lifting a lighter load than your 'work sets' to prepare the body for the actual exercise.

I only do the final two and I don't have any issues with that. That said, some of my clients I do run through the full thing.
 
Sure thing.... I can give you some more specifics if you're interested. Or if you catch my drift completely, that's good too.

Good luck and hopefully the trainer not only is a good instructor/teacher.... but also knows the proper technique of the various lifts.
 
Yes - I hope he knows too!! I'm sure he's quite suitably experienced, but I know that's not necessarily the same thing, and as you can see by my question, I'm not necessarily trusting of him. I am not spending much time with him, so I thought I would try to make the most of it by having another look at your stickies first, and no doubt afterwards, as I'm neither well coordinated, nor quick on the uptake for physical activities.

I appreciate your offer and I'd say it's quite likely I will find I have more questions once I'm actually trying to do these things next week.
 
By no means am I an expert on the subject, just wanted to weigh in on what I have been doing.

Three days a week I get the pleasure of attending a class on weight training at the local Community College. The class time I selected is at 6:30 am so I can get my workout before work. This just happens to be the class ran by the coach of the College's Baseball team. I am the only non-team member in the class. This is actually a good thing because the team knows what to do so I get a lot of one on one time with the coach. He has started me on a 5 min. stretch routine that works all the major muscle groups then we hit the weights.

This makes the second semester that I have attended this class (got to have 3 credits to get the degree I am working towards). In that time not only have I seen results in my muscle mass, but the streches have made me a lot more limber than I have ever been. Who knew a fat guy could bend like that.:rotflmao:

Gizmo
 
A lot of trainers still recommend 10 minutes or so of cardio to warmup before strength training. However, it seems that most of the more knowledgeable ones are switching to bodyweight/dynamic exercises for the warmup, as they are more specific to what you'll be doing.

At the very least, you should be doing a warmup of some sort. I agree with Steve's recommendations but a cardio warmup is better than nothing.
 
Thanks again Steve. Thanks also for your helpful input Gizmo and Mixxster. It's all helped me get started more confidently.
 
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