THE WARM UP

1. Light Cardio (5-10 minutes):This can be done on the treadmill,
   stationary bike, stairmaster, etc. it's up to you. make sure to
   go continuasly for at least 5 minutes at an intensity that
   allows you to break a sweat. The objective is to raise
   body temperature and gradually prepare your body for
   strenuous exercise.
   
2. Stretch: Do this after your warm up. The warmer
   your muscles, the more elastic they will be. This
   leads to reduced risk of injury and a more effective
   stretch.
   
3. Warm Up Sets:Perform 1-2 sets of an exercise with
   lighter weight and more repititions than your working
   sets.

THE WORKOUT

In most cases it is recommended that strength
training be done prior to cardiovascular exercise if
both are to be performed during the workout. This has
two effects. First, the muscles are the freshest and
will be able to receive a greater stimuli during the
strength workout. Second, initiating exercise that
depletes stored energy sources causes the body to
become more and more aerobic as the exercise session
continues. By the time the exerciser begins the
cardiovascular exercise, most of the energy will be
coming from aerobic sources.

Doing intense aerobic exercise first thing in the
morning on an empty stomach for twenty minutes can be
more effective than doing an hour of aerobic exercise
performed later in the day after a few meals. After an
overnight fast, blood sugar levels are low, as are
carbohydrate reserves. Exercising before you eat
causes the body to dip into stored fat to come up with the
energy recquired to make it through the workout.

THE COOL DOWN

5-10 minutes of moderate aerobic activity. The aim
of the Cool Down is to ensure that the blood returns
to the tissues that now need it most. Without the Cool
Down the exerciser runs the risk of blood pooling in
the legs or other parts of the body. In these
circumstances, vital areas such as the heart and the
brain may not receive enough blood. In addition, the
blood flow to the exercised muscles would then be
diminished making recovery last even longer.