My Warmup is Done … What’s Next?

So your workout has begun with your Functional Elements (FE) trainer and your 6-phase warmup is complete.

What's next?

We call it the PRIMER.

You can kind of get the idea by the name. We're warm, and now we are notching it up to totally PRIME ourselves for the meat of the workout.

As with just about everything we do at FE, the primer is personalized to the client.

So what does the primer consist of?

It could go one of a few different directions, but most importantly it is customized to our client's workout that day.

Let's say a client's KPI or focus that day is a squat. If so, maybe our primer is something as simple as hamstring curls and a plank.

Or, maybe the client has indicated to us in previous assessments/workouts that rotation is an issue, and some extra rotational work is needed to get all the kinks out prior to some heavier lifting.

The primer can also be a time to be athletic, aka have some fun.

In terms of a 60-minute client workout, we're only talking about a few minutes dedicated to the primer. But whether it's the warmup, the primer or the true core of the workout, we don't really think of it as separate components. Everything is strategically designed to flow together and connect. Just like the warmup, the primer IS the workout.

Check out the video below for our client Chris' primer, working with a kettlebell and med ball. As a former athlete, Chris likes to be challenged, so we use the primer here for some coordination, rotation and explosion.

1st exercise: Kettlebell Ipsilateral Lunge into Palm clean Step Up
2nd exercise: Kettlebell Ipsilateral Lunge into step Up shoulder press
3rd exercise: Med ball drop lunge into Rotational throw
4th exercise: Med ball reverse lunge into Chest throw

Are you using a primer to make the most out of your workout and program? If not, let us know. We can design and implement a fitness program specifically built for you, right down to the primer and warmup, just like we did for Chris and the rest of our FE client family.

Remember - a simple key to fitness success is giving your body WHAT it needs, WHEN it needs it.

#TrainForLiFE

Patrick McDermott, PPSC
Partner, Personal Trainer & Assessment Specialist
Functional Elements Training & Nutrition