Warm-Up and Cool-Down

Before starting each day of your training program, perform a warm-up routine that consists of a general warm-up, dynamic stretching, and a specific warm-up. Use a 5- to 10-minute general warm-up to increase your entire body's circulation, warm up your muscles and joints, and get your body and mind ready to exercise. You can walk, jog, climb stairs, or use a stair-climbing machine. After your general warm-up, choose three to four dynamic stretches from the following list. Dynamic stretches are preferable to static stretches for warming up the body because dynamic stretches involve multiple joints in active motions, which is what you want when you are lifting.

The cool-down is the time you can devote to gaining flexibility, through the use of static stretching techniques. These are the long, slow-duration stretches that you commonly see and probably do yourself. If you want to gain flexibility, you need to perform static stretching on a daily basis. Statically stretching individual muscle groups after exercise can help cool down your body by helping your blood pressure slowly return to normal. You can also finish a strength-training session with light walking or biking. Not much of a cool-down is needed with strength-training programs because although your heart rate and blood pressure rise, they quickly return to preexercise levels during your rest sessions (unlike cardiovascular endurance programs, in which there is no rest).

KNEE HUG

LEG CRADLE

WALKING BACKWARD LUNGE WITH TWIST

FORWARD ARM SWING

SIDE ARM SWING

HEEL TO BUTT

PLANK WALKOUT

WALKING FORWARD LUNGE

CHEST LEAN FORWARD

SCAPULAR LEAN BACKWARD