How do you prepare for a workout?

[Phil413]

How do you prepare for a workout? Do you have a routine you do prior to workingout?
Just curious what everyone else does. I usually take 20 - 40 min. before I workout just mentally preparing myself for what I'm about to do. Generally I start by listening to some high energy music while I'm logging down what my workout is going to consist of. The whole time really thinking about the lifts I'm going to be doing. I also will look back at my last several workouts, so i get a better idea of the weights I'm going to be using and attempting. I end by saying a little prayer that I don't rip or tear a muscle or injure myself in anyway.

 

[brokenbananas]

I used to write out all my workouts before I go to the gym, or have several weeks worth of workouts figured out. However, I wasn't getting the results I wanted, and this is after doing this for years. So, I hired 2 personal trainers to help me in 2 different areas:

1. Build my aerobic base
2. Strength & Resistance training

The third area is flexibility, which I take specialized yoga classes (2-4 a week) to help me here.

I don't really need to mentally prepare too much as I love to exercise big time. It's fun for me. I just need to show up for all my stuff and someone else does the thinking for me. I just do what they say. This approach is quite expensive, but my time is very valuable and designing all my workouts took a great deal of time.

 

[IseekTheTruth]

Step 1: Lock Door
Step 2: Take off pants and shirt
Step 3: Begin workout
Step 4: Put on shorts, unlock door, get water, return to room, lock door, take off shorts
Step 5: Finish workout
Step 6: Lay in bed zoning out on the internet/TV as I eat and my body recovers from the initial exhaustion.

BTW, I don't work out naked, just without pants .

I usually know what days I need to do what exercises so I don't really need to mentally prepare, so much as I just need to start doing the exercises.

My primary goals include extreme flexiliby, and superior muscular strength pound-for-pound. I work out without the aid of weights becuase I've done a hardcore bodybuilding split for 6 months before (with extreme dedication) and I just didn't like the results. I felt bulky and the muscle was not only restrictive on flexibility, but my bodyfat was higher so I felt like I looked worse. I prefer being smaller with my typical 5% bodyfat. Later in life when I own my own home I will focus more on aerobic improvement as my heart is my weakest area currently (above average, but comparitively weak).

 

[fitmom]

Wow! I teach 14 or so fitness classes a week and see about 15 clients. I even do fitness clinics etc. I don't think I prepare for all this as much as some of you do for one workout!!

Hey, do a good warm up and say a prayer, I ask God to guide me through a safe and effective workout for group fitness and clients.
A good warm only takes 7-10 minutes, get your heart rate up, listen to some great music, do plenty of active/dynamic ROM movement and then 'Get Moving"!

Lighten up! Mdolls is on the right track!
Have FUN!
God Bless, J

 

[2Bhumble]

For weights I get on the air bike and set it so the arms move with the pedals and pedal away for 5 minutes. Then I use lighter weights to warmup before hitting the 3 worksets. I've tried to mentally prepare but the real workout is so much different then my mental warmup that I don't do that anymore. I have prayed for safety before workouts. For cardio, I set the treadmill at a 2 minute warmup pace before the incline hills kick in. For bike intervals I pedal at a warmup pace for 2 minutes then get after the sprints.

 

[Yusuf Evans]

For me, my workouts are already planned out. I review the workout in the morning, and then go do it. I start off with about 5-10 min worth of stretching, then about a 90 min. strength and power workout session during my lunc break. In the mornings, I just usually run for about an hour or so.