Pre-Workout Routine 101: Essential Steps You Mustn’t Skip

Everyone is working out for different reasons, and no matter what your main goal is – weight loss, toning and definition, building muscles, improving your health or all of the above – there’s one essential thing that applies to all of them.

It’s called pre-workout routine, and it consists of four crucial steps you mustn’t skip in order to perform better and accomplish your goal in a shorter period of time.

Here are those four steps, so stay with us and keep on reading if you want to learn more about an effective pre-workout routine. Just check them out and enjoy!

Make sure to use foam roller prior to your workout

A lot of pro athletes have deep tissue specialists in their team, and these people work on them before games and practices, but do you actually know why that is? Why is deep tissue massage so important prior to workouts, intense ones in particular? Well, these treatments are designed to improve your muscle quality, break up knots in tissue, and increase your mobility, which is why they are a desirable step in anyone’s pre-workout routine.

Of course, most people don’t have access to such experts, but you shouldn’t worry at all because a foam roller is here for you! Only 10 minutes on it will help you limber up and perform your exercises without trouble, so get your foam roller, start from the bottom, and work your way up. Be sure to take extra care to areas that feel extremely tense, so hold the roller there until the tension dissipates and you’ll instantly feel much better.

Always do a workout-specific warm-up before the workout

Warming up before you start your regular workout routine is absolutely essential, as it’s one of the best ways to prevent any injuries and improve your performance during sets of exercises. Besides that, these exercises will improve your posture, increase your core temperature, and prime your central nervous system, too, which is particularly important if you plan to lift heavy weights, run fast, or jump high. For example, if you plan to do the bench press and the front squat, make sure to perform at least two warm-up sets for each movement.

Do that in the same range of repetitions you’ll use during the workout and you’ll prepare your muscles for those specific exercises. Just remember not to overdo it with warm-ups, as a lot of people tend to push themselves really hard and get fatigued, which definitely isn’t the best way to do your warm-up. In order to prevent that, just take it easy and gradually proceed to more difficult exercises. That’s the only way to do your pre-workout warm-up like a true pro.

Remember that your supplements matter a lot…

You’ve probably already seen a lot of people at the gym (both male and female) chugging on their protein shakes before their workout, but do you actually know why these drinks are so important? Well, your muscles are actually made of protein fibers, which tend to break down and get damaged during intense workouts.

In order to repair them and speed up the muscle-building process, people tend to take protein powder supplements which are quite helpful when it comes to building muscles. Besides protein, there are also fantastic supplements like glutamine, creatine, joint formulas, and multivitamins, which can be extremely beneficial for your muscle growth and overall health. So, get quality pre-workout supplements and include them into your everyday routine as soon as possible!

… As well as an appropriate meal plan

Of course, your diet also plays a huge role in your pre-workout routine, as it can fuel your body and help you perform a lot better. Needless to say, you should certainly eat more protein, as it speeds up your muscle-building process and gives you much more energy for the workout. A balanced pre-workout meal also drives your metabolism by boosting protein synthesis, which is the process where cells build and manufacture protein.

Eating enough protein and slow-acting carbs such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and brown rice is crucial, since these will improve your strength and burn fat during a workout. Remember that you should eat your meal at least one hour before hitting the gym. However, if that isn’t possible because your workout takes place minutes after waking up, you should definitely drink your protein shake instead of eating a real breakfast. Just mix a scoop of whey protein with a glass of orange juice, sip at it, and you can be sure that you’ve got enough nutrients for your morning training session.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, there are a lot of things you should do prior to your workout if you want to make the most of it and perform significantly better. Using your foam roller and warming up before you start your training session are absolutely essential, as well as consuming quality pre-workout supplements and eating foods rich in protein and slow-acting carbs. Once you’ve taken all these steps, you’ll surely nail your workout routine, so don’t skip any of them and you’ll see an instant improvement!

Scarlet is a passionate writer and regular contributor at ripped.me interested in fashion, lifestyle, and health. She loves traveling, you could say that she is a real travel addict, especially when she has a chance to visit some exotic destinations. She would tell you that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places.