Winter is coming: Changes you may need to make in your warm up routine

Winter is coming. Freezing and rainy mornings, where you struggle to get out of that cozy warm bed is going to be the norm before you head out to the gym. This may make getting warmed up prior to your exercise session a bit of challenge. Even more so if your train out a warehouse gym like a crossfit box.

Here is some things that you can do to help training in those cold mornings;

Use a sauna before training -

If you got access to a sauna or steam room in your gym then this is great pre workout change you can make. This will increase you core temperature and get you sweating in no time without even moving. Doesn't need to be long, just 5-10 minutes will do the trick. This will get the blood flow to the muscles ready for when you start your dynamic warm up.

Wear a zip up hoodie and use lifting accessories -

Goes without saying, wear more layers while in the gym. I personally go with a zip up hoodie which I can take it off during a set of lifting weights but easily put it back on during when I am resting. I also make more use of knee and wrist warps to keep my joints warmer.

Do a longer warm up -

During the winter months it is wise to do a slightly longer warm up to make sure you raise your body temperature properly. This is even more important if you usually just do a barbell warm up in which case adding some steady state cardio beforehand can be a good idea.

Do a more of a condensed warm up -

If you use static stretches during a warm up, which you may use as a beginner with limited flexibility. Then doing static stretches in-between more dynamic stretches can keep you warmer.

Use a hot water bottle -

If you recovering from an injury and if you in the rehab stage then using a hot water bottle before and during your training will keep blood flowing to that area. Which is key in making sure that you reduce you chance of re-injury in the rehab stage.