Over the last two years, both Joe Defranco and I have been really focusing on the warm-up, activation exercises and mobility. It is now a staple in all of our programs. That is the truth. It is that important.
Even if you are cramped for time, you can get a really good workout it. The key is that you have to plan. If you are just walking into the gym with no idea what the hell you are going to do, you are shooting yourself in the foot.
1. Warm-up
No matter how cramped for time you are, you have to get a good warm-up. This is something I got away from for a while and injuries were hanging around too much for my liking. I feel better and can work out harder with a solid warm-up.
This workout took me about 45-minutes, after the warm-up. I think if I had not been going for a Double Overhand PR, I would have been even quicker, but I stretched out the rest periods a bit to chalk up really good.
Remember, this is not when you do your mobility work. Too many people get caught up in the vast array of information available regarding warm ups. They spend more time rolling around on a lacrosse ball than they do actually lifting. We want to get warm and ready to train, nothing more. If you want to work on soft tissue restrictions, keep it separate from your training.
This workout starts with this general exercise to get the core temperature up and warm-up the shoulders. The time can be varied to adjust to your specific work capacity, and it can be supersetted with some light mobility movements every minute or so.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. In Module 4, we explore the importance and structure of a comprehensive and effective warm-up. Learn the benefits of a good warm-up and our 5 crucial components that every warm-up must have in order to optimally prepare and recovery from the demands of a strength training session.
Plyometrics should be introduced slowly and the volume should be monitored closely. Special attention should be made to quality over quantity of movement. Plyometrics are highly CNS intensive and should be done early in the workout after a thorough warm-up. Plyometrics also require full recovery between sets in order to perform them at the highest intensity each set.
Ballistic movements are highly CNS intensive but because of the minimal load being utilized (speed-strength), they can be performed at different stages of the workout. They can be integrated immediately after a thorough warm-up, as a contrast training superset or at the end the workout during a metabolic training complex.
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