Warming up/down help please ?

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niksternoo
niksternoo Posts: 21 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hoping someone can help.

My back has gone into spasm and my chiro thinks because i am not warming up or down correctly (which i tend to totally agree with). So im on the mend now, but to give you a bit of history....I am a very overweight lady who having lost two stone already is pounding the treadmill at the gym like a nutter in eagerness to lose the lard and become fit and healthy. In doing this I know i have not warmed up or down as i should and to be honest im not sure of the correct way. So can anyone help please? I have been doing the knee to chest exercises in bed to try and stretch out the spasm and the other one where you scrunch up on the floor in the foetal position and stretch your arms right out in front of you to also try and help. Can anyone please help me? im eager to get back to the treadmill but dont want to hurt myself again. Thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    i'm a runner and my warm up and cool down is walking. i also stretch after my cool down.
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,665 Member
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    I get back spasms as well if I don't warmup properly. Here's what I do:

    10 min walking, slowish to start then speeding up. The goal is to start to sweat a little.

    Stretching. I haven't timed it, but try not to rush. I have specific stretches I do for my back; mostly various yoga poses that include forward bends, backward bends, and twists.

    Then I start my planned workout.

    Afterward, I do the same things again, but walk slowly and include some foam rolling in the stretching portion.

    If I'm feeling tight in the evening, I also do the stretching before bed.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Start with some dynamic stretching moves. Dynamic is moving. Leg swings, front to back and side to side, knee pulls, boxer shuffles, any movement that gets you started. Then walk slowly, two-three minutes, increase your speed gently for another minute or so, then increase again until you are at your pace speed for your run. You should develop a feel for when you're warmed up. Near the end of the run, start slowing down in the inverse of you start. Static stretches are ok after your run. Be sure your heart rate is near your normal active, (not exercising, not resting), rate before your done.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
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    I can't run, due to some knee issues, but I can cycle or use the elliptical. My warm-up/cool-down is quite simple. I have 5 mins at the beginning, where I ramp up my pace very slowly. For example, on my bike, when on the turbo trainer, I start in the lowest gear and the lowest resistance level. After one minute, I notch up a gear. After another minute, I notch up a resistance level. That continues until I hit the 5 minute mark, at which point I start going at full pace. Likewise, after my workout is done, I notch down the gear and/or resistance level, every minute, for 5 minutes.

    You only noted treadmill work. You should consider alternating between cardio and strength workout days, to get a better health benefit, and maintain your overall musculature while you are losing weight.


  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,677 Member
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    You may also be pushing the pace too much on the TM. Faster doesn't burn more fat, farther does. Start slow, then gradually speed up, but keep the overall pace so that you can speak whole sentences.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
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    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    You may also be pushing the pace too much on the TM. Faster doesn't burn more fat, farther does. Start slow, then gradually speed up, but keep the overall pace so that you can speak whole sentences.

    Not quite. Slow cardio burns more fat as a percentage of the burn in that exercise, but fast/interval cardio burns more total fat:

    "Steady-state cardio is aerobic: It requires oxygen and is fueled mostly by stored fat. HIIT, by contrast, is anaerobic: The work intervals don’t rely exclusively on oxygen, and are fueled mostly by stored carbohydrates. (Counterintuitively, HIIT makes you breathe harder, and burns more fat, than steady-state cardio."
    Source
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I know that every workout on the C25K has 5 minutes of warmup and 5 minutes of cooldown. It seems reasonable to me and I'm obese.

    Maybe try doing the C25K?
  • niksternoo
    niksternoo Posts: 21 Member
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    thank you all so much for your replies. I cant run..yet...so am walking on the treadmill. Ive been going every day going at 5.8 speed for an hour each day. i start off at 5 speed then work up and i do feel as though im pushing the pace but am so eager to lose the weight i think that it where i could be goin wrong. But it does feel natural to walk at that pace once i get going. I am going to try all your suggestions, when i can walk properly again. I will try the c25k i think, been tempted to try it but thought i was too big too attempt it. I used to be a runner so im so frustrated. Plus having Plantar Facitis doesnt help! Anyway, thanks so much for your replies, once i can get moving easier i shall be back to it with a much better warm up/down routine worked in. Regards Niki :)

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