5 simple exercises for beginners to warm-up or practice before hitting the gym!
Posted by WIMWI Foods Private Limited on
Going into full workout-mode when you’ve just begun to try gaining a healthier lifestyle can be difficult.
There are so many types of exercise plans and workout regimens for you to choose from but it’s also smart to have a stepping stone to train your body to NOT turn into a mound of pain when you finally begin to hit the gym!
Here are a few simple warm-up exercises for you to start a week or two before you buy that gym membership!
- Brisk walking or Jogging : Perhaps the simplest of them all, Brisk walking or Jogging help you gradually build stamina and increase metabolism. Brisk walking 30 minutes a day or jogging a mere 15 minutes a day regularly could make you feel a lot more fit than you already are and help you burn quite some calories before you even step into the gym.
Tip: Always try to walk to your gym if it is within the reach of a 20 minute steadily-paced walk but don’t jog to your gym if you’re a beginner as it may induce stomach cramps.
- Skipping: Another simple way to warm-up and burn some calories is through the use of a skipping rope and jumping! Skipping can be an incredibly fun exercise that helps you increase the health of your heart, improves co-ordination and flexibility of your body. You can also try single-legged hopping that improve calf muscles and balance of the body. It is recommended to begin slow and increasing the pace and number of skips as you go on gaining more practice and stamina.
Tip: Do not put too much pressure on your ankles and feet as it can lead to sprains. Keep the jumps light on your feet.
- Planks: Planks at first feel like some sort of a torture or punishment routine but trust us when we say that planks are the best way to begin building core-strength. Spend 30 seconds everyday doing a plank and you will end up readier than ever to dive headlong into the workout routines planned for you at the gym. It strengthens your core, builds stamina, improves posture while burning calories and tightening your abdominal muscles. Focus on maintaining your posture and your breathing to hold a perfect plank.
Tip: Planks are good, really good! But remember to NEVER overdo it. Start with a simple target of holding a plank position for 20 seconds and increase your goal slowly until you reach one minute. Do not push yourself to do more than that and more importantly, reach the one minute mark gradually. Hurrying the process will just give you back-pain.
- Push-ups: One of the most famous exercises that has become a symbol of exercise montages in films and TV series. It increases core-strength, arm-strength and the functional strength of your body while making you sweat and burn calories! For a beginner even doing 3 complete pushups can be exhausting! Like planks, it is important to hold posture and focus on your breathing during push-ups as you gradually build strength to increase the number of push-ups you can do!
Tip: Start off slow. By that we mean start slow with the number of push-ups you can do and also be slow with the movements of the push-up in the beginning.
- Squats: While planks and push-ups concentrate more on the abdominal and upper-body strength, squats also strengthens muscles of the lower body. Squats are comparatively easier than push-ups or planks, and yield better results when done in sets, regularly. It is important to keep your upper body in a straight posture when you do squats to achieve fruitful results. Squats not only help you build strength in your lower body but also improves balance, posture and stamina.
Tip: Start simple with a target 10-15 squats a day and remember to keep your posture straight.
These were a few warm-up exercises that improve your heart-rate, core-strength, full-body strength and stamina making your gym experience a lot more easier and fun! Remember, Never overdo the exercises and never exercise when you’ve eaten a little while before!
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The ideas and information presented in this blog are for the purpose of infotainment and are not to be considered professional medical advice. You know your body’s type, strength and weaknesses better than anyone, so always make a thoughtful decision on what’s best for your body.