How to prepare your body and recover properly
Warming up increases blood flow to your muscles, raises your body temperature, and prepares your joints for movement. It reduces injury risk and actually helps you perform better. Never skip it — even 5 minutes makes a difference.
Start with 5 minutes of light cardio (walking, cycling, or jumping jacks) to raise your heart rate. Then do some dynamic stretches — arm circles, leg swings, hip circles, and bodyweight squats. Finally, do 1-2 light sets of your first exercise before loading up the working weight.
Before heavy compound lifts, do warm-up sets with lighter weight: - Set 1: Empty bar or very light weight, 10-15 reps - Set 2: 50% of your working weight, 8 reps - Set 3: 75% of your working weight, 4-5 reps Then start your working sets. This primes the specific muscles and movement pattern.
After your workout, spend 5-10 minutes cooling down. Walk for a few minutes to bring your heart rate down gradually, then do some static stretches (hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds). Focus on the muscles you trained. This helps with recovery and flexibility.