Don’t Make This Mistake

Something we can all admit we’ve missed. Underestimated. Forgotten.

But it’s a bigger deal than what you may have thought.

The warm-up!

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Warming up is often overlooked in calisthenics. Some think it's a myth of importance, or it's just skipped simply because its value is not understood.⁠

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A warm up does what it says on the tin - warms your body up. But it also helps with:⁠

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👉 increasing blood flow to muscles, aiding performance later⁠

👉 preparing our muscles for the range of motion required by working on mobility⁠

👉 priming our nervous system for the tasks ahead, allowing muscles to activate and contract as needed⁠

👉 massively reducing our risk of injury⁠

👉 increasing our state of mental focus and proprioreception ⁠

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If we don't warm up properly we risk facing injuries. Forcing our muscles and joints into positions they haven't been prepared for combined with the limited range of motion they have when we're cold can only do more harm than good. ⁠

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A good warm-up should last between 10-15 minutes and should incorporate general dynamic and static movements, such as "the worlds greatest stretch",shoulder swings and hamstring stretches.⁠

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Then, you should incorporate warm up movements SPECIFIC to your training. ⁠

For example, if you're training handstands, wrist mobility is crucial. ⁠

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If you're training planche, then scapula protraction is important to drill in before starting.⁠

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The "perfect warm up" doesn't exist - as with most answers in the fitness world, it simply "depends" on what you are training and what parts of the body need waking up.⁠

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The main take home - NEVER SKIP YOUR WARM UP! ⁠

#CaliUnity #StrongerTogether