Completely agree that the pendulum has swung too far in both directions—either skipping warm-ups entirely or turning them into full-on workouts. Raising core temperature, mobility, and neural prep as the key elements = a simple checklist for every warmup.
Curious about your take on breathing drills as part of a warm-up, especially for bracing and intra-abdominal pressure before big lifts. Have you found any specific breathing techniques useful for priming the body before heavy squats or deadlifts?
On the breathing, not too much other than the typical valsalva maneuver. You could do something like a dead bug prior to a heavy squat to reinforce using those muscles in that manner though. I have had clients put on a Velcro belt prior to squats, and had it on loosely. That way they could break the Velcro by belly breathing. To teach them how to actually brace their core. Then we take the belt off and squat. It's a tactile cue. I've also done just short rapid breaths to up regulate the sympathetic response prior to a set but hyperventilation isn't exactly "safe" especially for a novice that can't breathe right so I don't recommend that for everyone.
I've used a variation of a dead bug (with the tailbone up) and just deep breathing to activate deep abdominals. Something I stole from Tim Anderson of OS. For beginners, I've found this to be helpful.
Great breakdown of an effective warm-up!
Completely agree that the pendulum has swung too far in both directions—either skipping warm-ups entirely or turning them into full-on workouts. Raising core temperature, mobility, and neural prep as the key elements = a simple checklist for every warmup.
Curious about your take on breathing drills as part of a warm-up, especially for bracing and intra-abdominal pressure before big lifts. Have you found any specific breathing techniques useful for priming the body before heavy squats or deadlifts?
On the breathing, not too much other than the typical valsalva maneuver. You could do something like a dead bug prior to a heavy squat to reinforce using those muscles in that manner though. I have had clients put on a Velcro belt prior to squats, and had it on loosely. That way they could break the Velcro by belly breathing. To teach them how to actually brace their core. Then we take the belt off and squat. It's a tactile cue. I've also done just short rapid breaths to up regulate the sympathetic response prior to a set but hyperventilation isn't exactly "safe" especially for a novice that can't breathe right so I don't recommend that for everyone.
Thanks for expanding, Patryk.
I've used a variation of a dead bug (with the tailbone up) and just deep breathing to activate deep abdominals. Something I stole from Tim Anderson of OS. For beginners, I've found this to be helpful.
The velcro belt - good tip.