Health Guide: 6 Essential Tips to Pre-Workout to Consider
Introduction
Preparing for a workout is like anything else in life. You need to prepare your body for the exercising you put your muscles through, Some people just jump right in. You are going to do some serious damage to your body doing that.
Here are six pre-workout tips that every man and woman should consider as part of their fitness routine. Keep in mind, that not all these tips are meant for everyone in a specific way. This is more or less just a general outline.
1) Eat Something
You do not have to eat something big(in fact, that is kind of frowned upon due to stomach issues later). Eat something small that has an equal amount of carbs and protein. Now, some of you might be able to eat right before, while others have to wait an hour. It all depends on your digestive system. Do what works best for you.
You can do something like toast and peanut butter, a protein shake(small one), or some kind of fruit that has complex carbs inside. You can also try a plant based protein shake. That gives you the best of both worlds.
2) Hydration Counts
Once again, every person is different. The general rule of thumb is to drink at least 20 ounces of water before your workout. Yes, you will probably have to go to the bathroom a few times, but hydration is important. Your body is going to be losing a lot of water when you workout, so you need to keep up with the water. We suggest you drink water during the workout due to your body losing hydration.
The more hydrated you are before and during the workout, the fewer cramps you feel. You also will not be as dizzy as compared to someone who did not hydrate prior. Never underestimate the power of hydration.
3) Supplements
This topic is always brought up. That is why we mentioned the plant-based shakes above. Some argue whether a supplement or protein shake is actually necessary. The truth of the matter is, it is not necessary. You can get by without one. However, it does help to keep you more focused. They can also give you an energy boost. Keep in mind, this is just a general idea. Not everyone is going to feel that way.
Those of you who do want to take one, make sure you hit the gym within the next half hour. The reason is that wan to feel the peak effects of the supplement or shake. Otherwise, you might be wasting your time.
4) Your Routine
Make sure you go through your routine each time before proceeding. The reason is that some of the exercises might not have been beneficial the last time. However, when it comes time to remember what happened, it turns out you cannot. Everyone forgets.
The idea is to get rid of the things that did not work prior. Keep the ones that did work. There is no use sticking to a routine that is not serving your body any purpose. It is like continuing to eat foods that are bad for you. You do not keep eating something that makes your stomach upset. The same rules apply here.
5) Warming Up
You always want to warm up before proceeding with your workout. There are a lot of things you can do prior. You can do aerobics. Aerobics is kind of like dancing and gymnastics combined.
The reason for that is to make sure your body is performing at it is the optimal level. A lot of us dancers(both current and former) have used these two to help train before getting into the routine.
You can also use the foam roller. Some say that it is too painful and unpleasant(unless you are into painful tendencies). Once again, it is up to you. Those of you who are not into pain, you might want to try the aerobic and gymnastics style of warmup.
6) Music
Some of you might be training at home. Others might be training in a gym. Why not bring some music along. Some gyms end up playing dull music or music that only entertains a few.
Create a playlist and bring your little iPod along. Listening to your favourite music will help keep you inspired(to workout). You can zone out into your own little world. Music is a very powerful psychological tool. A recent study finds that music will improve your workout in a big way. It also shows that music with beats over 120 will go farther than music that does not.
