I Don't Warm Up, I Don't Stretch

Training
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So you don’t like warming up? Great.

As you are speaking subjectively, so do I:

Stretching/mobility work on off days and short warm up to loosen up the places before lifting makes me feel 100% better. I’ve trained with minimal warm ups and mobility couple times when time has been short, but after couple weeks problems started to show up. Now I’m holding these as a staple.

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Have you tried my drill yet?

Once you have, let me outline some more benefits.

  1. Strength is a skill and despite what you may believe, your warm up sets have some training affect and are a good way to easily add volume.
  2. It lets you identify any niggles that might be an issue with heavier weight. You don’t want to find out that your hamstring is playing up with 90% on the bar. The dodgy hamstring will give warning signs at lower intensities
  3. Form. You get to practice and perfect your cues. Cues only stick with reenforcement and applying them at light weights is important in remembering to do them at heavy weights
  4. Warm ups potentiate your lifts. You will move more weight and have better quality sessions - see my post about drills
  5. The warm up will release synovial fluid into your joints. Protecting them against wear.

So do what you will with that. If your level of rigour is “but animals” - I can’t really help you. My dog eats his own shit, I’m going to choose not to follow their lead but good for you if that’s your inspiration.

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185

Did you live?

It’s just a shame there isn’t a place we can go to find articles written by professionals (many of whom are doctors) on the purpose of a warm-up.

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Russell M, West DJ, Harper LD, Cook CJ, Kilduff LP. Half-time strategies to enhance second-half performance in team-sports players: a
review and recommendations. Sports Med. 2015 Mar;45(3):353-64. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0297-0.

  • Russell M, West DJ, Briggs MA, Bracken RM, Cook CJ, Giroud T, Gill N, Kilduff LP. A passive heat maintenance strategy implemented
    during a simulated half-time improves lower body power output and repeated sprint ability in professional Rugby Union players. PLoS
    One. 2015 Mar 18;10(3):e0119374. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119374. eCollection 2015.
  • West DJ, Russell M, Bracken RM, Cook CJ, Giroud T, Kilduff LP. Post-warmup strategies to maintain body temperature and physical
    performance in professional rugby union players. J Sports Sci. 2016;34(2):110-5. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2015.1040825. Epub 2015 Apr
  • Russell M, King A, Bracken RM, Cook CJ, Giroud T, Kilduff LP. A Comparison of Different Modes of Morning Priming Exercise on Afternoon
    Performance. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2016 Sep;11(6):763-767. Epub 2016 Aug 24.
    Effect of Various Warm-Up Protocols on Jump Performance in
    College Football Players Journal of Human Kinetics volume 35/2012, 127-132 DOI:10.2478/v10078-012-0086-5 127
    Section III – Sports Training

That’s 5 decent studies showing the performance benefits of warm ups in athletes.

187

Just here for ThePwnisher and ActivitiesGuy.

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I can type, AND I CAN FIGHT!

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190

When I play a highly competitive game of football I warm up, when I have a kick about in the park with my mates I don’t.

When I was stepping in the ring I warmed up, when I play fight with my nephew I don’t.

Anyone that has done anything at a decent level will understand the importance of warning up, it’s obvious you have not been there.

It’s pretty hard-core of you though and I think your dead manly, so well done.

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Another sign of weakness (@T3hPwnisher alluded to this above) is the person who tries to make their workouts seem more hardcore through gimmicks (We’ve recently had “I don’t warm up” guy and “touch and go deadlfts don’t count” guy) instead of the standards that everyone else would use (lifting more weight, achieving lower body fat, etc).

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Yeah there is a lot of that about, we also had the high volume full body every day guy.

I think by dismissing something because you don’t think it’s as hardcore means you can easily overlook something that could be very beneficial.

I will admit that I always thought bench dips were for weaklings that couldn’t do real dips, I believed that for years until I did a meadows routine that had them in, I was way off the mark.

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193

The “0 pukes” is also not getting nearly enough credit here. Seriously underrated part of the entertainment we’ve got goin’ on.

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I know like wtf hahaha I foam roll and warm up and I’m currently still at 0 pukes so what does that prove ?!

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if you guys aren’t throwing up on your way to the gym because you know what needs to get done your doing it wrong.

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I throw up thinking about my attractive coworker, is that the same thing?

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To be honest when you get to the stage of throwing up significant amounts you’ll find warm-up retching is pretty beneficial.

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Re puking: The irony here is that Arthur Jones (the guy responsible for promulgating HIT, the training approach OP subscribes to) is famous for having said “If you’ve never vomited from doing a set of barbell curls, then you’ve never experienced outright hard work." So, far from being something to brag about, a history of ‘zero pukes’ is, for Jones, a sign of a lack of proper training intensity.

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199

I did, slept great. Did a couple glute stretches after I showered this morning too, seems to keep my lined up nicely.

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Phew, was worried…

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Appreciate the concern man, it was pretty touch and go few a few minutes ther… wait, I may be sharing too much.

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If it was touch and go, it doesn’t count.

Trust me, I heard it from a guy. Seemed pretty legit.

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