I have had my share of injuries and annoying aches. Most of these injuries could have been prevented if I used proper progression and proper warm-up techniques. Proper progression means you shouldn't start doing barbell deep squats if you lack the core strength to hold your back straight the entire time. Another example is when you see someone attempting to do power cleans without the ability to front squat and deadlift. Now when I write about proper warm-up, I do not mean simply hopping on a mind-numbing treadmill for a few minutes and then hitting the weights. That type of warm-up alone is pretty useless when it comes to getting ready for a serious workout. What is needed is a form of warm-up that gives the body more mobility and signals the CNS (central nervous system) to get ready for some demanding training. A warm-up that will not only get the body and mind ready to charge forward into training, but allow for greater recovery after the training session is complete. Like I stated before, I have had my share of injuries. I have learned from my past mistakes and properly warm-up to get a great workout and drastically lower the chance of injuries. For the sake of keeping this article simple, I'm going to list the three steps to truly prepare for a great workout.

First, this step I am going to explain is more of a bonus then a necessary part of a warm-up. The first step is to raise your core temperature a bit. This usually takes just a few minutes with your choice of low impact aerobic activity. Keep it at a low impact level, meaning you should not be sweating nor breathing heavy when you stop. If you are, you probably are just wasting energy. Keep in mind, you need energy to do anything and training for results expends lots of energy, so don't waste it on the warm-up. Also, the needed increase of blood flow can happen in a time period as low as two minutes. Your use of this is simply moving nutrients and waste in and out of the body's systems (most importantly muscular system). Another bonus that can be added here is visualization. Since most aerobic activities are boring anyway, it would be best to mentally picture your training session ahead. Think of your form for each exercise that will be executed. The mind link is something that should not be underestimated.

Second, is giving those muscles, tendons and nerve receptors some mobility which is done by shortening and lengthening them in "3D". I have to give credit to Gary Gray for this notion. Many times I will train in the sagital plane of motion (think squats, deads, chins, and pushups). I do not usually train strenuously in other ranges of motion and because of this I add the other ranges into my warm-up. The way you will do this is by first starting off with SMR (self myofascial release). Your best bet is to purchase a nice sturdy foam roll. It's at a low price and works wonders. You will use it to give your muscles and tendons a deep massage and no crying from the pain or I will laugh at you. Next, you need to run through AIS (active isolated stretches) for what is tight and muscles that will be used in the workout. These stretches you should hold for two to five seconds. You need to be creative and stretch the muscle in all directions. One important aspect is to keep your back as straight as possible in all the stretches. I won't go through the different stretches you can do. This article would quickly become a novel. There are many types of stretches be creative and try them.

Third and final step, you need to prepare the nervous system and really prep the neuro- muscular connection. You do this by doing warm-up sets of large compound exercises that are either in your workout or reflect the movements that will be used in your workout. If your workout will have many types of movements than take a few of the most demanding ones and warm them up with as many sets as necessary for you to feel "ready". This can be anywhere from two sets to six sets. The heavier the weight you use to warm-up, then the more rest you need between warm-up sets. Here's an example:

Deadlift (estimated workout weight is 315lb)
Warm-up-(1) 135x5 (rest 30seconds)
Warm-up-(2) 205x3 (rest 60seconds)
Warm-up-(3) 225x2 (rest 90seconds)
Warm-up-(4) 275x1 (rest180seconds)
Workout set 315x5

Follow these steps and you are sure to have a great hard-hitting workout.