by Admin
Why Eat 60 to 90 minutes before training?
Many people arrive for their workout without being properly fueled
for. Whether you train first thing in the morning, worry about getting
queasy while training or subscribe to the misguided notion that training
on an empty stomach burns more fat, you are doing yourself a disservice
by not filling your gas tank prior to a workout.
If you train just after waking up – the only time many of us have to
work out – chances are you’ve gone as long as 12 hours without eating.
Your body is starved and unlikely to perform its best.
A pre-workout meal will give you much-needed energy and stamina. Plus
it drives metabolism by contributing to protein synthesis, the process
in which cells build and manufacture proteins.
To boost strength, increase lean mass and burn fat aim for a
pre-workout meal of lean protein and slow-acting carbs such as brown
rice, oatmeal or sweet potatoes.
If your workout takes place just minutes after waking up, making even
modest meal preparation impossible, try a workout shooter. Mix a scoop
of whey protein with a glass of watered down orange juice to break your
fast and provide the nutrients needed for your morning training.
Why Foam Roll 10-15 minutes before training
There’s a reason many pro athletes have deep tissue specialists work
on them before games and practices. Such treatment breaks up knots in
tissue, improves muscle quality, and increases mobility. Most of
us don’t have access to such experts, but thankfully we can get an
effective poor man’s massage in the form of one of those long, foam
tubes that likely are sitting in the corner at your gym gathering dust.
After just 10 minutes on a foam roller you will feel more limber and be able to perform exercises more effectively. A simple way to foam roll is by starting from the bottom and working your way up. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out and the foam roller under one of your calves.
Using medium pressure guide your body over the foam roller so it
works it’s way over your calf muscles 6 to 8 times. Then switch over to
the other calf. If you find an especially tense area, hold the foam
roller there until the tension dissipates.
Use this same technique on your hamstrings, glutes, middle and upper back, lats, quads and chest. Do not foam roll over joints (like the back of your knees) or your lumbar spine (lower back), which can put you at risk for injury.
Why Do Dynamic Mobility Work 5-10 minutes before training
You either can develop a dynamic mobility routine to do before every
training session or pick movements that work on the muscles that you
will train that day. Either way, including 5 to 10 minutes of dynamic
mobility work will elevate your heart rate and prime your muscles for
the workout ahead.
Effective dynamic movements to include before you train are the
Elbow-to-Instep stretch, which fires up the glutes, hamstrings, calves
and ankles, a Scapular Wall Slide for your scapulae and shoulders, and a
Side-Lying Extension-Rotation for thoracic spine mobility (see links at
the end of this article for video demonstrations of each).
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