Stretching/Warm Up and Cool Down with Mike

Mike Vaccaro -- Worked as a personal trainer at several places currently Snap Fitness. Also working on getting a master’s degree in exercise physiology and interning as a strength and conditioning coach.

P: What is a good way to stretch before doing weight lifting/training?

M: I am a huge supporter of foam rolling and dynamic stretching before workouts. Going into a gym cold using static stretching is not ideal. You want to be warm before a work out so dynamic stretching is a good way to stretch and stay warm. 

P: What are some "don'ts" in stretching?

M: I guess there could be a lot of "don'ts" in stretching, but one is what I mentioned above. The people that come and warm up then go to the stretching area and do their static stretching routine BEFORE a work out. Leave static stretching for AFTER a work out and do your dynamic stretching before. A don't for me is that people DON'T stretch enough or hard enough. A quick little bend over and swing of the arms around a few times before or after a lift doesn't cut it.

P: When are warm-up sets appropriate and what is a good way to do them?

M: I use warm up set before all my core lifts. When I say core lifts I mean my bench, squat, deadlift, and overhead press. These are the lifts I do at the beginning of each work out so I am not completely warmed up yet. I will work my way up a bit to my firs starting weight for that day. On accessory lifts I usually do not have to do a warm up set because I am already warm from my core lift. 

P: What about "cooling down"?

M: A cool down for me is a long foam roll and some static stretching. If I did some cardio I will just drop the intensity down and let my heart rate recover.

P: What is a good amount of sets to do for most heavy-lifting exercises (Bench press, Dead lift, etc.)?

M: This is a tough question. There are so many great programs out there with varying sets and reps. It all boils down to what you are looking to do: if you want strength, hypertrophy, or endurance. Right now I am on a 3x5, 3x3, and 3x1 set rep scheme for my core lifts. Obviously when the reps go down, the weight goes up. When I get to the 1's set I am at about 95% of my 1RM. If you are looking for a little more hypertrophy you could get into something like 5x10 or for endurance you could be in the 12-15 or even 20 rep range.

P: How should a beginner generally structure their workout (i.e. how many exercises per muscle group, order to do them, etc.)?

M: Also a very long answer, but it can go back to the previous question. It all depends what the person wants. If they are just starting out I would suggest being realistic with their weights. You aren't impressing anyone by partial squatting 225 and struggling with that. Work your way up and do the lifts right. A simple rep/set scheme for a beginner wanting to get strong is 5x5. 

P: General tips or warnings for beginners in the gym?

M: Know what you are doing. Don't be that guy or girl who walks in and starts doing curls right away, then decides to do some bench press and maybe a little leg press. Like I said you ARE NOT impressing anyone by doing that. Read a lot and figure out a lifting program. Follow it and you will achieve your goals.