The warm-up should last between five and ten minutes, and is a great time to gather information from your client and get up to speed on what has happened since the last time you met. Because you may not see someone for a week or more, a great deal can transpire between appointments. You need to assess how physically and mentally prepared they are for the impending exercise. This is the time to ascertain how they are feeling and what they have done since they last saw you. By doing so, you can make any necessary modifications to the workout you planned. You can also use this time to explain what they can expect during the upcoming workout; what you will be focusing on and some of the exercises they will perform.

Why Your Client Should Warm-Up

The warm-up helps your clients prepare for their sessions physically and mentally. It decreases the risk of injury by increasing temperature and blood flow to the muscles. During this time, the body will take oxygen from the abdomen and send it to the muscles to increase oxygen supply. You are also giving your client time to gain mental focus and prepare for the rigors of the workout. If you neglect the warm-up, you are asking your client to go from zero to sixty in under a minute, which is both unsafe and uncomfortable.

Warming-Up at Home and in the Gym

The difference between getting your client warmed-up at home and in the gym is the equipment you may use. In the gym, you will have cardiovascular equipment at your disposal, while some clients who train in-home may not have these types of machines. This is not a problem. All you really need for a great warm-up is a stability ball, medicine ball, resistance bands, and your imagination. Your objective for the warm-up is to prepare the body for the upcoming exercise. It does not have to be too demanding, it just needs to mimic the types of exercises the client will be performing. You can increase your client's heart rate by having her step up and down on a bottom stair while she is holding dumbbells. If she will be performing a bench press, pushups are a good warm-up to prepare the chest muscles for the increased resistance.