Start Every Workout This Way if Your Over 40
It has been shown the most injuries from a workout occurs in the first 15 minutes of a workout which is most likely related to a poor warm up process. Based on what I see from my own fitness clients and when I happen to visit a gym, I am absolutely convinced that is the case. I would be comfortable betting that less than 5% of people that workout regularly and are over 40, warm up properly. The #1 way to avoid these injuries occurring is making sure you develop a pre-workout routine that optimally prepares you for a specific workout and that address your weakness in flexibility, mobility and stabilization. Doing this will decrease your chance of injury by more than 75% and create better workout success, especially as you move into your 30’s and your body soft-tissues begin to change.
An effect pre-workout routine should include all 3 of these elements which bands can be easily implemented for.
Foam Rolling – Key Areas of Pain
I get that foam rolling is boring. However, if you’re going to keep your flexibility you have to do it, so make it time efficient. In every workout consistently hit the areas that are painful and need to be cleaned up. Then once a week, do your entire body to make sure nothing is getting restricted.
Time Commitment for Foam Rolling: 3 to 5 Minutes
Active Band Stretching
Band stretching is a much better way to actively and passively lengthen out your body while making sure the hips, shoulders, ankles and mid-back are ready to move spontaneously. Band stretching needs to take your body where your joints struggle to go. As a result, it needs to be progressive which is easy to do using a band by simply shortening the band as your mobility improves.
However, you don’t have to stretch the entire body every workout unless you prefer. Here is how I recommend you implement band stretching for hips, shoulders and ankles.
Time Commitment for Band Stretching: 7 to 10 Minutes
Legs and Cardio Workout – Emphasize Hip and Ankle Active Band Stretching and Mobilization
How to Progress with Your Band Hip Stretching
Upper Body Workout – Emphasize Shoulder Distraction Stretching and Let Dynamic Muscle Activation Series Get Your Lower Body Ready
Dynamic Muscle Activation
The goal of this portion of the warm up is to make sure the nervous system is communicating well to the muscles. It’s where you will begin to experience a dramatic increase in body temperature and a feeling of muscles starting to work in a coordinated fashion.
This part of the warm up can get more workout specific which is why RBT really works well. Depending on what you are training that day, you can use 1 or 2 bands to challenge muscle movement patterns with both progressive resistance and movement speed to ensure it’s ready to take on heavy resistance or faster movements.
I suggest making this portion of your warm up a short workout using time-based sets. For example I like to pick out 2 or 3 band exercises and alternate through them for 3 to 5 sets each using 20 second work sets and 10 second rest/transition sets. This is also the time I like to train my abs doing exercises that require stabilization. Below I provide you with band exercise recommendations based on workout plans.
Shoulder and Arms – 1 band pull a parts, shoulder push presses, hammer curls and triceps
Chest and Back – 1 Band Squat Press and 1 arm bent-over Row
Legs – 1 band planks and reverse lunges right and left
Cardio – Dynamic stabilizer alternating side hops with stationary skipping
Muscle Activation Time Commitment: 5 to 7 Minutes
Summary
Putting time into getting your body ready to workout does not have to be wasted time. Following a regular warm-up routine can allow you to work on cleaning up areas of stabilization weakness, muscle inflexibility and joint immobility. It can become a progressive workout that optimally prepares you for more aggressive training.
Lastly, as the body ages it becomes a key factor in injury prevention. Modify my recommendations as needed but make sure you are taking the time needed to get your body ready.
Complete warm up programs are part of all BAND GYM workout programs like our 28 Day Jump Start or Day Strength Builder which you receive the day you join as a new member.
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