P90X and Workout Warm Ups

If you’ve ready any reviews of the P90X workout, then you know that the first part of every workout is dedicated to a lengthy warm up. The Power 90 workout also includes a long warm up at the beginning of each program. You may be thinking, “That’s a long time to spend warming up in a workout that’s only forty-five minutes to an hour long. Am I wasting my time?”

The answer is “No!” Warming up before you workout is one of the most important things that you can do. You may ask why that is, and we will tell you!

Reduced Risk of Injury: If you just jump into your workout without pacing the rate at which your heart rate escalates as well as stretching your muscles, you increase your risk of getting injured. If you’re injured, you won’t be working out again any time soon. Warming up gets your body ready to safely tackle the more intense parts of the workout later. The real science behind this is that warming up means that more oxygen-rich blood will get pumped to your muscles in a more gradual manner, thus “warming” your muscles. Cold muscles wouldn’t absorb shocks or impacts as well, and you may get hurt.

Mental Preparedness: Very few of us walk into our workout every day mentally prepared to give our all. Often, our work day stress, family stress, even the stress of needing to go grocery shopping are still on our mind. A warm up period allows you to clear your head so that you can focus on the meat of your workout.

Physical Check In: If you’ve injured something and aren’t aware of it yet, a warm-up gives you an opportunity to know if something isn’t feeling quite right. Then you can make an educated decision about whether to do the rest of your workout or possibly modify it to be less challenging.

In short, a warm-up prepares your body for more intense activity. If your body is prepared, it can better optimize that intense activity. If it’s not prepared, you won’t get the full benefit of that intense period. Make your warm-up a time that’s just for you. Many warm-ups involve a lot of floor stretching, so having a P90X yoga mat handy is a good idea. Also, a warm-up is a great time to drink some water to make sure you’re fully hydrated for the rest of the workout.