If you’re skipping the warm-up for your foot day, you may feel like you’ll save time that you can spend on a few extra reps. However, by refraining from warming up your lower body, you may actually change your profits shorter and increase the risk of injury.
A quick warm-up not only increases blood flow to the muscles, namely soft tissue stretching and muscle building contractions, but also sends a signal to the brain that the body is about to work, explains Michael Jurom, founder of Thisiswhyimfit.
This helps reduce the tendency for muscles and joints to get injured, he adds.
It is a valuable investment to reserve 10-15 minutes to warm up at the start of your foot day workout. Make sure the warmup is programming specific.
Don’t know what that should look like? The following list of exercises will help you get the most out of your foot day warm-up.
“It includes each muscle you work with almost every leg day workout you can imagine,” Jurom says. “The joints, muscles and brain are prepared for work.”
1. Quick walk or jogging
Think of this as a kind of warm-up. A short walk or jog can help pump blood, warm body tissues, and lift proper headspace, even in just 10 minutes. This is especially useful if you’re sitting in front of a computer all day or woke up to early morning workouts.
Jurom’s hack? “I walk with my car parked in the space farthest from the gym,” he says.
2. Forward leg swing
Both the front and lateral legs activate the waist and glute. “Starting with small movements, instead of swinging momentum like a pendulum, you’ll want to move your legs intentionally,” advises Jurom.
- Balance by turning your legs together, bringing your arms out to the sides and squeezing the stable surface next to you.
- Transfer your weight to your left leg and lift your right leg off the floor.
- Shake your right leg forward until your thighs are parallel to the floor, and swing it backward as comfortably as possible. It keeps swinging around and around for 30 seconds.
- Switch legs and repeat, completing 3 sets per side.
3. Lateral leg swing
- With your legs turned away together, your arms stretched out to the sides, and you’re in balance and gripping the stable surface in front.
- Transfer your weight to your left leg and raise your right leg to the right side.
- Leave your chest lifted, cover the core, flatten it, and swing your right leg back and forth in front of your left leg. Continue for 30 seconds.
- Switch legs and repeat, completing 3 sets per side.
4. Supported squats
“Supported squats relax the knees and hips, warm all the constituent muscles and do not put any strain on the lumbar spine,” says Jurom. “It’s perfect because it starts with your arms and hips gradually stretching and stretching, and your knees and hips to support all your weight.”
- Secure a suspension trainer or a strong resistance tube to the overhead anchor point. If you have no access to the suspension trainer or tube, you can hold a squat rack or heavy equipment for support.
- Grasp the handle with each hand and stands with feet far apart towards the anchor point. Make sure it’s well away from the anchor point and cause tension in the strap.
- Use straps to support your weight, bend your knees, push your hips back, and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Flat your back and support the core.
- Push your feet to return to your standing position.
- Run 3 sets of 10 persons. After the first set, gradually begin to transfer resistance from the arm to the legs.
If you are planning a deadlift, a good morning of weight is a must. They help to strengthen proper hip hinge movement while activating hamstrings and glut bones. “Be especially careful about squeezing the glut section,” says Jurom.
- Stand with your legs stretched hips wide and gently place your fingertips behind your ears.
- Keep your back flat and your brain covered, then push your hips backwards to lower your torso until your torso is almost parallel to the floor or you feel a deep stretch into your hamstrings.
- Pause, then return to the starting position and squeeze the glut as you bring your hips forward.
- Run 3 sets of 10 persons.
Walking charges fire on the squares, glut, hamstrings and calves, while actively extending the hip stretcher. “Start with limited range movements,” says Jurom. “If your hips and knees become loose, increase the length and depth of the stride as needed.”
- He’s tall with his legs hip-width wide and his arms on your side. An option to hold a light pair of dumbbells.
- With your chest up, place your shoulders behind you, cover your core, flatten it, and take a big step forward with your right foot, lowering your body until your right thigh is parallel to the floor and your knees bend at 90 degrees. The front knee should be tracked along the ankle, and the knee should not pass past the toes.
- Push into your front leg and return to your standing position to get up with your left leg forward, then pass through your right heel.
- This time, I will move forward again with my left foot. Continue alternating the legs and perform 8-10 charges on each side. Complete 3 sets.
