6 Important Things to Do Pre-Workout

Eat 60 to 90 minutes prior to your workout

Your body is a machine and it needs fuel to be able to work properly. Fuel your body correctly by eating healthy foods an hour before your workout starts.

Your choice of snack prior to the workout can affect your workout performance. Taking a light and healthy snack before you hit the gym will give your body the right kind of fuel it needs. Take down these approved by nutritionist snacks that you can indulge an hour before your workout:

• Banana: packed with digestive carbohydrates and potassium which helps in maintain muscle and nerve function.
• Oats: full of fiber and vitamin B
• Whole grain bread: good source of carbohydrates
• Fruit and yogurt: high in quality protein and packed with carbohydrates
• Steel-cut oats with berries: loaded with carbohydrates
• Coffee and milk: the carbohydrates and protein from milk provide sustained energy while the caffeine in coffee will give you an energy boost

Stay away from fatty foods before you work out; they can cause bloating, sluggishness and cramping.

Perform a workout specific warm-up

If you've tried several weight loss plans but aren't having success, it's probably time to analyze your workout sessions.

For a productive workout session, don't skip the warm-up. It prepares your body for the bust of activity that is to come and reduces your risk of injury.

The popularity of dynamic warm-up has been increasing due to its proven effectiveness in increasing your workout productivity. A dynamic warm-up uses stretches that are "dynamic" which means that you are in motion as you stretch. It helps activate the muscles that you will be using during your workout. It also improves your motion range and awareness of your body.

​

Here are the dynamic warm-up routines that you can master before your workout:

Lunge with a Twist

Step 1: Grab a weighted ball and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Step 2: Lift weighted ball to shoulder level, arms extended out in front of you. Step your left leg back into a lunge, making sure to keep your thigh parallel to the floor.

Step 3: Twist from your waist as far as you can to the left. Pushing into your left heel, rise to standing position, returning the ball back to center. Repeat with your right leg and twist right to complete one rep.

​

Standing Knee to Chest Stretch

Step 1: Stand tall and alternate pulling one knee at a time to your chest, and hold the hug for a few seconds before switching legs.

​

High Knees

Step 1: Stand tall with your core pulled in and your shoulders back. Places your hands out at hip height to help gauge your performance.

Step 2: Keep this posture and raise one knee up to the hips or higher, keeping the other leg bent and ready to follow. Quickly alternate knees, leaning back with a strong core to help drive them toward the chest. Repeat for allotted time.

​

Hip Stretch with a Twist

Step 1: Start on all fours. Place left foot on the ground, so your knee is directly over your ankle, leg bent to 90 degrees.

Step 2: With palms firmly on the ground, flex and extend right foot back behind you, and come into a low lunge with a straight right leg.

Step 3: Shift weight to right hand, and extend left hand up to the ceiling, allowing your gaze to follow your hand. Repeat on the other side.

​

T-pushup

Step 1: Begin in plank position. Bend your elbows lowering into a push-up.

Step 2: Straighten your arms and lift your right arm toward the ceiling, twisting into a side plank to make a T shape with your body.

Step 3: Rotate back to plank, placing your right palm on the floor to lower into a push-up.

Step 4: This time as you straighten your arms, rotate to the left lifting the left up. Return to plank. Repeat on opposite side.

​

Jump squats

Step 1: To perform this plyometric exercise, first stand with the feet slightly outside the shoulders (wherever your squat stance is) and drop the hips backward and down. Send the arms straight out in front of you to help the chest stay lifted. Double check your knee position – make sure they're staying behind your toes.

Step 2: Push through your heels to drive out of the squat. Roll through the foot to lift into your jump, bringing the arms overhead to help propel you upward. Land softly and quietly with bent knees. If you can go right back into your squat, do it! Otherwise, take the soft-knee landing and reset for the next squat.

​

Jump Lunges

Step 1: Begin in the lunge position. Place your feet far enough away form each other to create 90-degree bends in both knees. The front knee should not pass over the front toes. The back knee, ideally, should touch or be a few inches from the ground. Chest is lifted.

Step 2: Power yourself out of the lunge by squeezing your glutes and core. Use your arms to help with propulsion, and make sure both feet leave the ground at the same time.

Step 3: Land in your lunge with the opposite leg forward with both feet hitting the ground at the same time. The chest stays lifted. That is one rep. Continue alternating legs for allotted time.

Hydrate

Just as it's important to eat before your workout session, it's also critical that you keep yourself hydrated before you exercise.

Remember that every cell in our body contains water. Each cell won't be able to function properly without water. If you don't hydrate before you exercise, you won't be able to perform your full potential during your workout.

Drink one ounce of water for every 10 pounds of your body weight an hour to two before your workout. For example, you should drink 12 ounces of water if you're weighing 120 pounds. Don't forget to take a sip of water during your workout to replenish the lost body fluids through sweat.

Make a good playlist

Before you start your workout, make sure that you have your playlist ready. Music is a great motivator; it keeps you feeling pumped and energized all the time. Choose songs that are upbeat and positive.

Belt it out with Pink or hit your reps to the beat with Flo Rida as you lift weights. When you're having fun while exercising, you won't mind the amount of pressure or exhaustion that you're putting your body into.

» Looking for a good playlist to get you started? Click here for our Music to Run to Playlist.

Take pre-workout supplements

Pre-workout supplements help you get the most of your workout session. With more than 100 pre-workout supplements to choose from, how do you know which one is effective?

The most important thing is to take a look at the ingredient label. Avoid products that contain unproven or ineffective ingredients. Look for those that have caffeine, theanine, agmatine, B vitamins, citrulline, branched-chain amino acids, beta-alanine, L-tyrosine, L-arginine, synephrine, betaine, creatine and yohimbine instead.

By doing these things before you hit the gym, you're making sure that you get the maximum benefit of your workout session. Maintaining proper posture during your workout is equally important as well to ensure optimum health.

Article by Michael Morelli — find him here.

Related:
Playlist: Songs That Will Actually Make You WANT To Work Out
9 Ways to Stretch Your Hip Flexors
Blast 500 Calories Fast With This At-Home Circuit Workout
Can Drinking Water Really Help Me Lose Weight?