What do Good Mornings Workout?
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A good morning workout can help you start your day off on the right foot. It can increase your energy levels, improve your mood, and help you stay focused throughout the day.
Warm Up
Warming up is an essential step in any workout routine, no matter the level or intensity of the exercise. A good warm-up can help to improve your range of motion, prepare your body and muscles for exercise, and reduce the risk of injury. Warming up can also help to improve your performance and can mentally prepare you for the workout ahead. Let’s explore the different ways you can warm up before your morning workout.
Stretch
Stretching can be an important part of any good morning workout, regardless of your fitness level. Stretching before you start your physical activity helps warm up the muscles to prevent injury and improve range of motion for greater flexibility.
Dynamic stretching is ideal for a warm up; this involves active movement as well as stretching, such as walking lunges or arm circles. When dynamic stretching, make sure to move slowly and pay extra attention to your breathing. This will help set the pace for the rest of your workout.
Static stretching can help increase flexibility and improve joint range-of-motion, making it a great post-workout activity. Examples includes touching your toes, sitting into splits or overhead reaches. To avoid uncomfortable pulling sensations when static stretching, inhale while creating tension in the muscle and then exhale while finding deeper stretches with each breath until you reach a comfortable limitation.
Do Cardio
Doing cardio is a key part of any complete warm-up routine. It is especially valuable because it helps to increase your heart rate and prepare your body for the workout to come. Examples of cardio include jogging, running, biking, or jumping rope. Aim for about 10 minutes of continuous aerobic activity prior to strengthening exercises. Your effort level should be between 5-7 on a scale of 1-10 (where 10 is giving 100% effort). This will make sure your muscles are properly warm and ready to go while still maintaining good form during the workout.
Strength Training
Strength training can be a great way to kickstart your morning with a workout. Not only can it help you become stronger and more toned, but it can also provide other physical and mental benefits. With the right strength training routine and proper form, you can make progress faster and reduce risk of injury. We’ll discuss some of the key tips and pointers you should have when engaging in strength training.
Choose Weighted Exercises
Weighted exercises can be an effective way to gain muscular strength and size when properly performed. It is important to select weighted exercises that target the specific muscle group you are seeking to develop. The following are some examples of good morning weighted exercises:
Squats: Squats are one of the most common and effective weighted exercises for building strength in the lower body. You can use free weights or weight machines to add resistance and minimize risk of injury.
Deadlifts: Deadlifts target multiple muscle groups in the lower back, glutes, hamstrings and quads. You can use barbells or dumbbells while performing deadlifts which help you increase overall muscle strength throughout your core and lower body.
Lunges: Lunges are a great way to work on balance and coordination while building strength in your legs. When done with weights, such as a barbell or dumbbell, lunges also activates your core as you engage various muscles for stability during the exercise.
Calf Raises: Calf raises train both gastrocnemius (the larger calf muscle) by flexing it repeatedly without putting any strain on your back or joints. Use either free weights with handles at your sides for security, weight plates placed on your shoulders, or machines specifically designed for calf raises for this movement.
Utilize Resistance Bands
Good mornings exercises are essential for developing a strong and healthy lower back as well as other areas of your body. Incorporating resistance bands into this exercise can also be a great way to give your training an extra boost of intensity. To utilize resistance bands in your good morning routine, you will need to have a few different colored bands. Different colored bands offer varying levels of challenge.
Start off with a band that is slightly challenging to perform 10-12 repetitions with proper form and control. As you grow stronger, switch to a heavier band for more resistance or add an additional band for increased tension. You can also keep the same band on but increase the number of repetitions you complete from set to set or utilize drop sets (reducing the weight between sets). When using two bands at once for extra support, make sure all the slack is taken up before you initiate the movement by pulling each band hand over hand until all slack is taken up. This helps ensure that each rep will be performed under the full range of tension.
With these tips in mind, resistance bands are an excellent tool to use when it comes to good mornings exercises – providing added variability and challenge. For best results, always focus on good form while performing any workout with resistance bands – using slower tempos and maintaining proper posture throughout each rep and set!
Core Training
Core training is an essential part of a good morning workout. The core is made up of the muscles that surround your abdomen and back, and these muscles play a huge role in providing stability and support for the body. The stronger your core muscles are, the better your posture, balance and stability will be. Let’s look at some of the core training exercises that you can incorporate into your mornings.
Do Planks
Planks are a very popular exercise that is used to strengthen the deeper core muscles as well as tone the abdominal muscles. This type of muscle conditioning helps with posture, flexibility, and balance. It’s important to ensure that good form is maintained whenever you do any type of plank exercise. Doing planks correctly will maximize the muscle toning benefits while promoting good body mechanics and decreasing your risk of injury.
To do a plank successfully, it requires some basic cues:
-Start by lying on your stomach with your elbows underneath your shoulders, toes tucked, and legs straight and feet hip-width distance apart.
-Gently lift your chest off the ground, engaging through your lower abdominals and lifting into a plank.
-Keep that glued sensation around your midsection while maintaining neutral alignment in the neck and back.
-Hold this position for as long as possible or up to one minute focusing on deep breaths while squeezing through the glutes at the top.
-Make sure not to arch or sag in this position allowing momentum to move you out of form and proper technique training!
Do Bicycle Kicks
One of the most effective core exercises to include in your workout routine is the bicycle kick. This exercise works both the lower and upper parts of your abdomen as well as your hip flexors. It can also improve balance and coordination.
To perform this exercise, start by lying flat on your back with your feet flat on the floor and bent at a ninety-degree angle. Place your hands behind your head, keeping them there during the entire exercise.
Using your abdominal muscles to support you, lift both legs up so they are perpendicular to the floor, forming a right angle with their hips. Start cycling – reach forward with one leg while thrusting backward with the other. Make sure to keep them at least a few inches off of the ground throughout this movement. The lower you keep them, the more intense this exercise will become! Alternate legs for 8-10 repetitions or until exhaustion and then repeat 3 times for an optimal core workout session.
Bicycle kicks are an essential part of any strengthening program for a strong and toned core! Performing this move regularly is one way to develop better posture, reduce back pain and improve overall athleticism for any activity or sport that requires balance and coordination.
Cool Down
A cool down is an important part of any morning workout. As important as warming up, the cool down helps to settle the body into a relaxed state and reduce the risk of injury. It also allows the body to transition naturally between exercise and rest. In this section, we’ll cover what exercises you should be doing for your morning cool down and why.
Stretch
Stretching is an important part of any exercise routine, and it’s even more important after completing a morning workout. It can help reduce muscle fatigue, improve range of motion, and improve flexibility while also reducing the risk of injury. As a cool down after a morning workout, incorporate a few stretches such as standing quadriceps stretch and a torso twist.
Standing Quadriceps Stretch: Stand with your feet apart. Bend one leg behind you at the knee and reach back with the same-side hand to hold the foot or ankle. Use your opposite arm for balance if needed. This stretch should be held for 30-60 seconds then repeated on the other side.
Torso Twist: Lie flat on your back with your arms stretched out to the sides in a “T” form. Gently twist at the waist so that one shoulder crosses over to touch the ground while looking up towards the ceiling during this stretch should be held for 20 seconds then repeated on other side. Remember to keep your hips firmly grounded through whole movement and engage upper body muscles throughout entire stretch.
Do Yoga Poses
Yoga poses can be a great way to cool down after a good morning workout. After engaging in vigorous physical activity, our muscles often become tight and because of the increased stress on our joints, it can be beneficial to take time to stretch. Additionally, practicing yoga poses can calm the mind and body, allowing us to stay connected to ourselves as we transition from our workout into the rest of the day.
Many postures in yoga help lengthen and relax tight muscles and increase flexibility. Focus on poses that stretch your quads, hamstrings, calves, inner thighs and hips—all common areas for tension. Some good choices for stretches include Child’s Pose (Balasana), Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana), Wide-Legged Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana) and Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana). Keep your breath steady throughout each posture, feeling every part of your body being stretched out as you move into each pose slowly and with intention. Allowing yourself this time gives you the chance to settle mentally while calming both your emotions and physical movements after an energizing workout session.
Finishing Touches
Finishing touches are an important part of any good morning workout routine. It is important to take the time to do these exercises in order to maximize the effectiveness of the workout. Whether it is a stretch, foam rolling, or something else, these finishing touches will help you feel invigorated and energized for the rest of the day. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective finishing touches to add to your morning routine.
Hydrate
Your body needs adequate and proper hydration for optimal performance during a workout. If your body is dehydrated, it can be difficult to have a successful workout as it will not allow you to perform your best. Before any form of physical activity, make sure you are adequately hydrated by drinking water or other electrolyte-rich drinks approximately 2 hours before exercising. During your exercise session, take regular breaks to drink fluids if possible. Immediately after finishing your workout, take the time to refuel by drinking an adequate amount of fluids. Doing so will help to reduce feelings of fatigue and dehydration while replenishing your body with the water and nutrients it needs for the next day’s routine.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Starting the day with a healthy breakfast can help you feel energized and set the tone for making good choices throughout your day. Eating breakfast helps fuel your body with essential vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. These nutrients have been shown to improve concentration and alertness, and also provide energy for physical activity.
When planning for a successful morning workout routine, make sure to include a nutritious breakfast that contains complex carbohydrates from whole grain sources such as whole-grain toast or cereal, lean protein from eggs or peanut butter, fruits or vegetables like bananas or spinach, and an additional source of healthy fats like olive oil or avocado. Combining these foods together will help provide you with sustained energy to boost your performance during your workout, as well as ensure that you are properly nourished prior to physical activity.
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