WARMING UP

Often people talk about warming up , they don't understand how literally that should be taken. Remember oxidation in the muscle is actually a form of burning. Because of this when you use a muscle the temperature in the area rises and the ability of the muscle to contract forcefully becomes greater. 

Warming up also pumps fresh , oxygenated blood to the area , raises the blood pressure and increases the heart rate. This provides a maximum oxygen supply to the body and helps to eliminate the waste products of exercise from the working muscles.

Finally warming up properly helps to protect the body of getting overstressed , prepares it for the demand of heavy training , and reduces the chance of injury such as sprain or strain.

There are lots of ways to warm up. Some do a short session of cardio vascular training prior to  their workout -treadmill,arc trainer etc.- enough to get the heart going but not enough to deplete the body of energy. Calisthenics and other light exercises also give you a warm up without putting a great stress on the body. But the most popular method of warming up is with the weights themselves. First do some stretching then do some moderately light movements with barbell or dumbbells hitting each body part until the body is ready for something more strenuous.

Then for each different exercise during your workout you begin with one light warm up set in order to get those specific muscles for that specific movement.

When you do a set or two with higher reps and less than maximum weight your muscles are then prepared to deal with the greater intensity generated by heavier weights and 6 rep sets.

Warming up is even more important before heavy training sessions because you are about to subject the body to still greater stress. The best idea is not to do really heavy movements until the body gets into gear by doing the less stressful bodybuilding sets first.

The time of day is also a factor is also a factor how much warming up you need. If you are training at 8 o clock in the morning you are likely to be tighter and more in need of stretching and warming up than 8 o clock at night.

Always take care that you warm up thoroughly. If you are about to do heavy shoulder press for example remember that you are going to involve more than the deltoids and triceps. The muscles of the neck and trapezius will also contract in the movement and they should be given time to get ready.

Injuries in the gym generally happen for two primary reasons : Either the person used too much weight or failed to keep the weight totally under control or didn't stretch and warm up properly.

I should also point out the affect of age on the physique and athletic ability. It is commonly known that the older you are the more important protecting your body with stretching and warm up becomes. Young athletes can get away with the things that the older can't. Nonetheless , learning proper technique , stretching , warming up are good for all bodybuilders regardless of age and the soon you make it a lifelong habit the better off you will be in the long run.