Don’t waste the warm-up on a bike or a treadmill!
Don’t waste the warm-up on a bike or a treadmill!
The warm-up is a great time to stimulate the body and the mind. Get the most out of your warm-up by picking drills that will challenge your clients cognitive function while also ramping up their body temperature and CNS.
🔸Drills that require crossbody coordination stimulate the corpus callosum fully integrating activation of both hemispheres. This allows our body to better sense the surrounding environment and move more efficiently.
🔸Coordinated, balanced movements promote the release of neurotrophins like dopamine helping to develop new neural connections in the brain.
🔸Variable, multi-planar movements like dancing and Tai Chi have been shown to improve cortical thickness in older adults. Simple things like ladder drills, skipping and carioca could drive the same effect in the gym
🔸Drills that are fun and enjoyed by the client stimulate nerve development in the limbic system, promoting long term emotional balance. Find warm up drills that are fun, challenging and make your clients smile.
🔸Introducing new, challenging movements demands mental engagement, not allow the client to simply “go through the motions” during the warm-up.
What drills do you like to add in to your clients warm-ups?