How To Use A Workout Bench to Warm-Up
Tired of the same old warm-up routine and looking for some alternatives? Or maybe you don’t have the time to get a pre-workout run or row in to get you warmed up.
Many times people get bored of warming-up and end up just skipping it, which is a bad idea unless you like to increase your odds of getting injured.
Next time you workout try these two ideas using just a bench for a warm-up. You would be surprised at how a simple bench can go a long way when it comes to getting your body ready for action.
The Basic Warm-Up
It’s called the bench up and over. Start by standing beside the bench with one foot up on the bench. Then in one controlled motion leap up and quickly change which foot is on the bench. Repeat again going in the other direction and repeat for time, building up how long you can go for. Try starting off with a couple of minutes as your initial goal. As you become more fit you can increase the speed and time for this movement.
Tip: Try to keep the foot on the bench flat so you can push through the entire leg and not just from the front of the foot. You can also add the arms pressing up into the air with each up and over to increase the overall challenge of the movement while getting your arms into the action.
The Advanced Warm-Up:
The advanced warm-up routine using the bench adds some variety and gets the whole body into action.
• Start with the standard up and over for the legs and to get the blood pumping through your body.
• Then move to reverse crunches to activate the abdominals, especially the obliques.
• Now move directly into tricep dips with glute press to work the shoulders, triceps, butt and hamstrings.
• And then finish with a 360 degree plank challenge. Front high plank, side high plank, then reverse high plank.
Go through this 2-3 times using 20 reps and 20 second holds as a guide and you will definitely be warmed-up for your next workout.
Give these a try and let me know what you think.