Is a warm-up on a stationary bike necessary?
There are two types of stretching: static and dynamic.
Dynamic stretching
With dynamic stretching, or a dynamic warm-up, you “stretch your muscles while moving” by performing a specific exercise based on the muscle group you’ll be working that day, using a light load and many repetitions to warm up the muscle.
Static stretching
Static stretching is the traditional type of stretching everyone knows, where you “stretch” a muscle and hold it for a few seconds.
Recent studies have shown that static stretching BEFORE lifting weights can result in LESS strength during your workout, as it may negatively affect musculotendinous stiffness and the neuromuscular reflex. So, to “warm up” before your workout, do dynamic stretching.
The importance of a good warm-up
A warm-up can improve your range of motion and help prevent it from decreasing.
As we age, our joints lose range of motion. We can counteract this by stretching regularly. Even if the range of motion in some joints is limited, stretching can help improve it.
A warm-up also helps with posture. If we have poor posture in our upper back, the lower back compensates and may become painful.
In addition, if our hamstrings or hip flexors are tight, the lower back compensates and may become painful. Stretching the leg muscles and the muscles mentioned in relation to posture will likely help reduce back pain.
In addition, warming up helps you maintain your movement tempo during your workout split, which is more important than simply increasing the “weight.” Indiscriminately increasing the load can affect your range of motion and compromise proper exercise form, and in extreme cases can cause unwanted injuries.
You don’t need very heavy loads to build muscle or fix skinny legs. That’s a myth, and it’s time to bust it! By using your full range of motion and controlling your tempo, you can achieve great results.
You should always focus on performing full movements during your workout, because poor exercise form combined with heavy loads can lead to serious injuries during training.
