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Category: Exercises

Total Sports TherapyNewsExercises
warm-up
By Admin 0 Comments Exercises, Heatlhy Lifestyle, Mobility ,

The Importance of Proper Warm-Ups & Cool-Downs

When it comes to fitness, most people focus on the workout itself—whether it’s lifting weights, running, playing sports, or doing a high-intensity class. But what you do before and after your workout can be just as important. In fact, proper warm-ups and cool-downs are essential for performance, injury prevention, and recovery.

Here’s why you should never skip these key parts of your routine—and how to do them right.

Why Warm-Ups Matter

A warm-up prepares your body—and your mind—for exercise. Think of it like priming an engine before taking off at full speed.

Top Benefits of Warming Up:

  • Increases blood flow to muscles and joints

  • Raises core temperature for better performance

  • Loosens stiff muscles and improves flexibility

  • Activates the nervous system, improving coordination and reaction time

  • Mentally prepares you for the workout ahead

  • Reduces injury risk by easing your body into motion

Skipping a warm-up increases your risk of strains, sprains, and poor performance—especially during intense or high-impact activities.

What Makes a Good Warm-Up?

A proper warm-up should be dynamic, progressive, and specific to your activity. It typically includes:

1. Light Cardio (3–5 minutes)

Gets your heart rate up and starts the blood flowing—think brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or jumping jacks.

2. Dynamic Stretching

Unlike static stretching (holding a stretch), dynamic stretching uses movement to gently increase range of motion. Try:

  • Arm circles

  • Leg swings

  • Hip openers

  • Walking lunges

  • High knees

3. Sport-Specific Movements

Tailor your warm-up to your activity. A soccer player might do dribbling drills, while a weightlifter might perform bodyweight squats or push-ups.

Why Cool-Downs Are Just as Important

After you finish working out, your body doesn’t just snap back to normal. A proper cool-down helps transition your system back to a resting state—and sets the stage for recovery.

Top Benefits of Cooling Down:

  • Lowers heart rate and breathing gradually

  • Prevents blood pooling in the legs

  • Reduces muscle stiffness and soreness

  • Aids in recovery and flexibility

  • Promotes mental relaxation after intense effort

What Makes a Good Cool-Down?

Your cool-down should last 5–10 minutes and include:

1. Gentle Movement

Slow walking, cycling, or light activity helps your heart rate and breathing return to normal.

2. Static Stretching

This is the time to hold stretches for 20–30 seconds. Focus on the muscles you used during your workout:

  • Hamstrings

  • Quads

  • Calves

  • Chest and shoulders

  • Back and hips

3. Deep Breathing or Relaxation

Incorporate mindful breathing or light yoga poses to signal your body and brain that it’s time to recover.

Bonus Tip: Hydrate and Refuel

After your cool-down, drink water and refuel with a healthy snack (especially after a longer or more intense session). This helps replenish energy stores and supports muscle repair.

Final Thoughts

Warm-ups and cool-downs aren’t optional—they’re essential. They prepare your body to perform, help prevent injury, and promote faster recovery. Just 5–10 minutes on each end of your workout can make a huge difference in how you feel and function.

So next time you hit the gym, the field, or the trail—don’t rush in or run out. Your body will thank you for taking the time to warm up and cool down properly.

Need help building a warm-up or cool-down routine tailored to your sport or injury history? Contact our office at 480-272-7140.

By Admin 0 Comments Exercises, Glendale Location, Heatlhy Lifestyle, Mobility

How to alleviate neural tension in neck

Have you recently experienced pain in the neck that travels into the arm and hand? You could be dealing with neural tension. Neural tension occurs when the nerves in a specific area get irritated or compressed. Nerve glides are great exercises that help reduce this tension by creating more space for the nerves, improving blood flow, and promoting healthy movement. Here we highlight glides for three of the main peripheral nerves in the arm and hand.

  1. Median Nerve
  2. Radial Nerve
  3. Ulnar Nerve (the fun one!)

Give each of these a try performing 10-15 repetitions.

These should become more tolerable over time as the effected nerves continue to heal.

Push-up progression
By Admin 0 Comments Bodyweight Exercise, Exercises, Heatlhy Lifestyle, Shoulder Therapy, Therapy

Push-up Progression

Progress your push-ups!

Whether you’re recovering from injury or doing them for the first time, push-ups can be more challenging than they often get credit for. ⁣However, like with any exercise, there are ways that we can modify to either regress or progress the standard push up. ⁣
⁣
In this reel, we highlight a few regressions and progressions to the standard push-up⁣:

The key is to start with which ever variation is challenging for you then progress from there.

  • Band-assisted push-ups: Using a weight rack at a gym, place a band across with tension at the height of a fully pressed pushup. Adjust position so band is positioned at waist and begin push-up from knee or toes to ground position.
  • Knee push-ups: Perform standard push-up but from knees to ground position.
  • Standard push-up: The standard push starts from a body plank position and toes to the ground
  • Hand release push-up: This is a standard push-up that the chest makes contact with ground, pause and release hands from floor, then hands make contact with the floor on the push-up motion.
  • Band resistance standard push-up: This is a standard push-up with a band laying across your shoulder blades and trapped by your hands to the ground

 

Push-ups

Push-ups are a great body weight exercise that strengthens you chest, shoulders, triceps, and abdominal muscles. With little to no equipment your can perform these easily at home or at your local gym.

When you can't run anymore
By Admin 0 Comments Exercises, Heatlhy Lifestyle ,

What exercises can you do when you can’t run anymore

Running is an invigorating and efficient way to stay fit, but for many, injuries, chronic pain, or other limitations make it an unsustainable form of exercise. Whether due to joint problems, aging, or injury recovery, when running is no longer an option, it’s natural to wonder, “What’s next?” Fortunately, there are a variety of low-impact yet effective exercises that provide similar cardiovascular, strength, and mental health benefits.

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By Admin 0 Comments Exercises, Glendale Location, Heatlhy Lifestyle, Mobility

3-Way Sciatic Nerve Glide

Have you experienced pain in the low back that travels into the buttock and back of the thigh? If so, you could be dealing with irritation to the sciatic nerve commonly referred to as sciatica. The sciatic nerve is the largest peripheral nerve in the body. Several lumbar and sacral nerve roots exit out each side of the spine and ultimately join together to form the sciatic nerve. With that in mind, there are several areas along its path where the sciatic nerve can become irritated causing this pain that radiates down the back of the thigh.

For recovery and good health, nerves require three main things:

  1. Blood Flow
  2. Space
  3. Movement

A great way to target all three components are nerve glides. The key to these are going to the point of discomfort but not necessarily pushing through it. The goal is for the nerve to gradually desensitize so might notice over time you are able to progress them a bit further before stepping into discomfort. Here we highlight a simple sciatic mobility drill that progresses in intensity throughout. We typically like to prescribe 10 repetitions for each movement, and these can be repeated several times per day. Feel free to give these a try and let us know what you think.