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You might think that starting a workout routine is easy. After all, the only thing you have to do is to get up, do the exercises and call it day, right? We’re sorry to burst your bubble but all that is wrong.
A workout routine is more than just getting up and putting the work into the exercise. There are phases to each and every workout routine. Each step is an important part that makes your workout more structured, providing you with an optimized, well-rounded exercise that can help enhance your health. Learn about the components of a workout in this article.
Benefits of a Well-Rounded Workout Routine
The idea of having a “structure” or a “format” to your workout can seem slightly daunting but it’s necessary to have one and to understand how it can benefit you. Whether you’re a workout beginner, an occasional exerciser, or a dedicated athlete, having a structure to your routine allows you to look at the fine details of your exercises, helping you identify the parts that cause you problems and the parts that don’t.
A structure also helps out in ensuring that your workout is balanced. When you have an imbalanced routine, it can lead to injuries and may cause other health problems in the future.
And if somehow you do get injured and need to rehabilitate your joints and muscles, having a good formatted workout routine can help speed up your recovery as you will know which aspect you should ease up on or which exercise you can modify.
Moreover, a balanced and well-structured workout routine can make you move and exercise longer without putting any mental or physical strain on yourself. Since you have a format, you know which parts will come next, allowing you to get ready for it mentally and physically. By the time you reach that next exercise, you’re ready to accomplish it and when you do, it’s a much more pleasant experience to remember.
Components of a Good Workout
There are four components to having a good exercise program: warm-up, main workout, cool-down, and stretching. Having all four aspects in your workout program ensures that you have a balanced routine which can help with your overall fitness and health. Whether you do your workouts in the office or at home, these four aspects can make a good workout and make you feel good by the end of it.
Warm-Up
The warm-up section of your workout is highly important as it lowers your risk of injury and enhances your range of motion. Warming up allows your muscles to loosen and be prepared for the full workout to come ahead. Ideally, warm-ups should be done for 5 to 10 minutes.
You can warm up your body by doing dynamic stretches such as jumping jacks, mountain climbers, and hip rotations. You can also jog in place or walk around a few blocks. Warm-ups should start very slowly and gradually increase the intensity. By the end of the warm-up, you should be working nearly as hard as you plan to work at the start of your main workout.
Main Workout
As the title implies, the main workout is the primary point of your exercise. This could be anything that you wish to do and work on: it can be cardio, aerobics, strength training, flexibility exercises, and the like. This phase is often done for 10 to 30 minutes, or sometimes longer.
The main workout is typically the most intense or takes up the most time in an exercise program. It is where the muscles work the hardest, which is why a warm-up is necessary to prepare the body for this phase.
Cool-Down
Just as it is important to warm up the muscles, it is also necessary to cool them down after the main workout. Cooling down can help return your body to its normal state. A cool-down can be the opposite of your warm-up by starting out at a higher intensity, gradually decreasing, and finishing up very slowly.
For example, if you have been jogging, you can decrease your speed until you’re walking. This will help reduce and slow down your heart rate and begin the process of recovery. Similar to warm-ups, the cool-down phase is also done for 5 to 10 minutes.
Stretching
Last but not least, doing static stretches after the cool-down can help reduce your risk of injury. Gently stretching each of the main muscle groups will restore their length. Pairing up slow stretches with deep breathing can also help you relax and recharge, returning your mind and body back to the resting state.
Bottomline
A balanced fitness routine incorporates a number of necessary components that can greatly optimize your workout. Having a structure to your workout can help you reach your fitness goals safely and successfully.
