Each class at CrossFit Banshee starts with a warm-up phase so we obviously take the warm-up as something that is very important. But why is it so important and why do we choose the warm-ups that we have?
Why do we Warm-up?
We do warm-ups to prepare both the mind and body for intense workouts that we do at CrossFit Banshee. Many of us come into the gym from places that lack much physical activity. For me this means sitting at a desk for hours on end or waking up early in the morning and coming straight to the gym. Our muscles and joints can be stiff even if we move around because we rarely move through full range of motion.
Focus of the Warm-up
The general warm-up that we do at the beginning of our classes first focuses on getting the joints and muscles accustomed to moving and then going through the full range of motion. Typically the first round of the warm-up is performed slowly focusing on the positions involved and ensuring that nothing will get injured. The second time through the movements are done with more intensity. This intensity is designed to mimic what might be seen during the workout without the extra loads. This gets the blood pumping and actually warms the muscles to start to prepare them from maximal loading. In almost every class this is only the beginning of the process. Each class then goes over the movements included in the workout or other skill work to prepare for the specific workout being performed.
CrossFit Banshee Warm-ups
For our general warm-ups we typically pull from a list of 5 options. Each of our predefined warm-ups focus on a slightly different aspect.
Football Warm-up is intended to focus on areas used in running. This warm-up generates power and mobility by using dynamic movements generated by through the legs. The entire body is warm-up by coordinating and balancing each of the various movements used in this warm-up.
Kettlebell Warm-up is used to focus on power generated by the posterior chain. This warm-up uses movements that coordinate the back, butt and hamstrings to move a small load. Each movement of this workout moves up the chain from bottom to top to ensure the entire body is prepared for a workout.
CrossFit Warm-up uses a combination of push and pull movements that are often seen during the couplets and triplets in CrossFit. This is the warm-up that I’ve used for years to prepare for my body for CrossFit workouts.
Medball Warm-up uses the core and arms to generate dynamic power. The coordination of tossing and catching in this warm-up prepares both the mind and body for the dynamic movements utilized in our workouts.
PVC Warm-up goes through the gamut of movements associated with Olympic weightlifting. Many of the movements in this warm-up are the skill drills used to teach these very technical movements allowing the mind and body to warm-up small pieces at a time before performing the full techniques.
