How to Warm Up Properly and Avoid Injury

Here at Abu Dhabi Personal Trainers we hear a lot of stories about injuries that occur and this can be due to a limited or complete lack of a warm up. If you are a client, a personal trainer, or are considering a change of a career to become a personal trainer then take a look at the information below:

What is a warm-up?

A warm-up is a session, which takes place prior to doing physical activity is commonly know as a warm up. The best personal trainers in Abu Dhabi will focus their warms up on the upcoming focus of the training session. Usually a warm-up will consist of light cardiovascular exercises combined with stretches.

What happens in a warm-up?

Most warm-up sessions will include a combination of cardiovascular exercises, stretching and strength drills. The cardiovascular exercises are designed to increase circulation, increase body temperature and bring the heart rate up, while stretching warms the muscles and prepare them for the movements they will be required to carry out during the activity. Explosive strength exercises, which may include sprint drills or jumps, gently increase the level of intensity and prepare the body for sudden movements in the game which will follow; these exercises should only be done once the muscles are warm; this will prevent injuries.

Effects of the warm-up

The warm-up should gently prepare the body for exercises by gradually increasing the heart rate and circulation; this will loosen the joints and increase blood flow to the muscles. Stretching the muscles prepares them for physical activity and prevents injuries. The warm-up is also a good opportunity for an individual to prepare themselves mentally for the game ahead and for a team to work together prior to the start of the game. Warm-ups can also be used to practice skills and team drills.

How long should a warm up last?

Most warm up sessions last between 10 and 20 minutes. This allows the body plenty of time to gradually get ready for physical activity and gives the client time to prepare them mentally.

Preventing injury

The most important reason for doing a warm up is to prevent injury during exercise; keeping the muscles warm will prevent acute injuries such as hamstring strains and will stave off overuse injuries by allowing the body to prepare steadily and safely.

Abu Dhabi Personal Trainer’s all know the importance of eating a nutritional diet. This include planning what meals you are going to eat and more often than not preparing many of these meals in advance. The reason meal prepping in advance is so important is because if we wait until we are hungry to choose what to eat, chances are you will make a poor choice. As a result, Abu Dhabi Personal Trainer’s recommends cooking and preparing in advance, this will not only lead to healthier food choices but will also save yourself time and money during the week! So are you ready to try meal prepping? Here are some easy tips and hacks:

Cook once per week – Pick one day at the start of the week to do most, if not all of your shopping for the coming week. On that same day, although it may sound like a lot, try cook and/or prepare all of your meals for the week. We recommend cooking the same meals in bulk. Most meals will stay fresh in the fridge for about a week so don’t cook too far in advance!

Keep it simple – keep the meals you are going to cook practical and easy. Slow cooker meals are very easy as they require minimal prep and attendance.

Fill up your freezer – fill up your freezer with any left overs you may have, these will make quick and healthy meals for when you have not prepared anything. Just make sure to write the date you have frozen the meal on the container.

Reduce Post Workout Soreness

After working out with your Abu Dhabi Personal Trainer there is a good chance that you may be sore the next day! Waking up sore after a workout is something that anyone who has ever worked out can relate to! DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, is caused by microtraumas in your muscle fibres that are then repaired as part of the muscle growth process. Although there is no substitute for taking rest days, getting enough sleep and eating healthy, adding these simple recovery tools will help you avoid DOMS!

1. Wear compression tights after your workout as they will help speed up the recovery process. The compression helps to boost circulation and supports the muscles groups.

2. Roll out your muscles with a foam roller. Using a foam roller can help to ease muscle tightness and tension. Foam rolling can be painful but make sure that it is not unbearable!

3. Try local balms like Deep Heat or Tiger Balm. These balms have a cooling sensation on the skin when applied that reduces muscle pain.

4. Make sure you warm up properly, and that the muscles you are going to train are warm! Use bodyweight exercises or very light weights to warmup.

5. Drink some coffee! Scientists have suggested that caffeine can reduce soreness because it blocks the central nervous receptors that are related to pain.

6. Use active recovery to your advantage! Active recovery can help to reduce the inflammation and pain that comes with DOMS. Active recovery should be low0impact aerobic exercise that will increase the flow of blood around the body.

7. Eat blueberries! The positive effect of blueberries on reducing DOMS is likely due to the high amount of anthocyanins blueberries contain.

7 Smart Snacks for After a Workout!

After a workout with your Abu Dhabi Personal Trainer, your body will be inflamed and filled with lactic acid so your ideal post workout snack should help you with your recovery! Find below a list of 7 great post workout snacks that will help you to recovery!

1. Dates dipped in nut-butter
2. Peanut butter banana smoothie
3. Home made popcorn with protein powder “seasoning”
4. Apple with almond butter
5. Roasted sweet potatoes
6. Almonds
7. Greek Yogurt

The above post workouts snacks are all anti-inflammatory in nature so will help you body to recover more efficiently!

What to Ask Your Personal Trainer

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR PERSONAL TRAINER

1) What education, certifications, or qualifications do you have?
2) How do you seek continued education?
3) What kind of clients have you worked with in the past, with what results?
4) Do you have experience and confidence to address my special needs and health conditions?
5) Do you have liability insurance?
6) Do you offer a free consultation that includes a fitness assessment?
7) What are your rates, session lengths, and cancellation policies?
8) What are my options for payment?
9) What’s your schedule? Is it adaptable?

Ask or you may never know!

Do These Things Before and After a Workout to Get Better Results

More often than not, the one hour a day you spend sweating it out in the gym gets all of the credit, but it shouldn’t. Here at Abu Dhabi Personal Trainers we know the importance of the other 23 hours in the day. Unfortunately, the workout can actually be the easiest part of your fitness and health routine. While the one hour of training is important, our personal trainers encourage you to not neglect the other hours in the day. Smart pre and post workout routines, good nutrition and quality sleep are just as important as working out itself. Our personal trainers here in Abu Dhabi have come up with 8 things that you should definitely incorporate into your fitness routine if you want to maximize your results.

Before your workout:

1. Sleep
All of the magic happens when you’re asleep! Sleep is the time when your muscles recover and being well-rested means you will be more energized throughout the day and that your hunger hormones are kept in check! Our personal trainers recommend at least 7 hours of sleep every night.

2. Hydrate
It is extremely important that you stay hydrated when you are working out. Treat your body like a car, a car can’t run without oil just like the body can’t run without water. You should be sipping on water before, during, and after a workout. The exact water needs are different for everybody so listen to your body and always check the color of your urine, it should be a very light yellow, if it is dark it probably means you’re not hydrated enough.

3. Snack
Eating before a workout is not for everybody. Our personal trainers recommend you listen to your body, if you feel like you need some fuel for your workout have a small snack! You want to make sure you are not starving going into a workout but you also don’t want to feel full either. Try a banana before your next workout if you need a little more energy!

5. Warm-up
Never skip your warm-up! No matter how long your workout is going to be, our personal trainers not only recommend but insist that you always warm up! Warming up ensures that your body temperature is raised, your range of motion is increased and that your body is prepared for what you are about to do. Your warm up should consistent of low intensity stead state cardio for about 5 or 10 minutes and then dynamic stretches, which are essentially any stretches that aren’t held in place.

After your workout:

6. Stretch
Just as important as the warm up, it is crucial that you cool-down properly. A cool down will bring your body back to a resting position. Your cool down should include stretching the muscles you have just engaged in your workout. These stretches should be static in nature, that is, stretches that you hold in one place, these stretches should be held between 15 and 30 seconds each. Stretching will help to decrease soreness and help expedite your recovery process.

7. Refuel
A pre-workout snack is more optional than a post-workout snack. Refueling after working out is essential. After you work out your body has an anabolic window that lasts about 30 to 45 minutes, during this time your body looks for carbohydrates and protein to help replenish glycogen stores and rebuild your muscles.

8. Take a cool shower
Taking a cool, not cold, shower can help to decrease the inflammation after your workout and can help to expedite the healing process of your muscles. This ultimately will help to decrease the chances of you waking up sore the next morning.

Flatter, tighter and more toned tummy – 7 tips

The warmer months of summer are definitely here in Abu Dhabi! Are you feeling beach or pool confident? Regardless of the season, some of us just want a flatter belly and so our personal trainers here in Abu Dhabi have come up with 7 tips to help you achieve the tummy of your dreams!

1. Weights!

It is scientifically proven that strength training and lifting weights can help you to eliminate body fat overall, which will then result in a slimmer more toned tummy and a more trim waistline.

2. HIIT it and quit it!

Studies have shown that high intensity interval training (HIIT) can lead to more weight loss and specifically fat loss. HIIT has been proven to be effective in reducing belly fat. The quick results that one can see from HIIT training is due to the after burn effect which means your body will keep burning calories even when the workout is finished. Where you are running, spinning or doing a circuit workout make sure to incorporate times of high and times of low intensity.

3. De-Stress

Stress increases cortisol, and higher cortisol levels can cause your body to retain belly fat. Abu Dhabi Personal Trainers recommends that you schedule in some you time each week, whether that is a yoga class or a long bath to help de-stress.

4. Cooldown!

Much like stress, exercise can increase your cortisol levels. To avoid a spike in your cortisol level make sure you are properly cooling down after your workouts.

5. Abs are made in the kitchen

Unfortunately, you cannot out exercise a bad diet. Our personal trainers can help you work out for an hour of the day but unfortunately for you to see a trim tummy you will have to make sure what you are putting on your plate for the other 23 hours is healthy! Not all calories are created equal so make sure you speak to your personal trainer about what types of food you should be eating and what types of food you should be avoiding.

6. Fat Fighting Foods

Foods like blueberries, pineapple and papaya have been reported to help fight belly fat so make sure to include these in your daily diet!

7. Be who you are!

Make sure you are trying to change your body for you and that you know that you do not NEED to change your body! These tips can be helpful for living a healthier lifestyle but know that you look great no matter what size you are!