RIO Fitness Chicago® Exercise & Nutrition Blog

RIO Fitness Chicago® Tip:

It is extremely important to properly warmup before you exercise. Most people only do static stretching to warmup (i.e. holdng/pulling your muscles for 10-20sec). Doing static stretching before exercise is getting your muscles ready for recovery and will put you at a greater risk for injury during the exercise. What you need to do before exercise is to warmup DYNAMICALLY (movement of your joints & ligaments while increasing your heart rate so your heart pumps blood throughout the body). Watch this YouTube video to see more about DYNAMIC WARMUPS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=f65aqrIyYYc

It is also extremely important to stretch after exercise. The type of stretching you should do post-exercise is STATIC STRETCHING. It elongates your muscles which improves blood flow, thus preventing injury & helping your muscles recover & regenerate quicker since protein reaches your muscles through your bloodstream. Watch this YouTube video for examples of STATIC STRETCHING.

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=iEXIliCuNQw