The importance & Benefits of a Warm-Up
The warm-up and the cool down, they’re often an afterthought. Especially when you’re crunched for time. BUT we cannot be skipping them! They are equally important as the workout itself, & here’s why..
The Warm-Up
The warm-up (WU) comes before your workout. This is what you do to prime, or prepare, your body for what you are about to do. You should never go straight into your workout without warming up because if you were to skip out on it, your chances of injury increase dramatically.
Not only are you risking injury but you’re also making the workout itself harder. Other benefits of a WU include:
increased flexibility - makes it easier to move correctly
lower risk of injury - muscles are warmer & more prepared which leads to less injury
increased blood & oxygen flow - the blood flow & oxygen helps give the muscles the fuel they need to fire appropriately
increased performance - from all the benefits listed
better range of motion - helps keeps joints healthy
less muscle tension & pain - muscles can move better, lessening pain
faster & better results - as an indirect result of getting your muscles to move appropriately, through their full range of motion
How to Warm-Up
A warm-up should be gradual, getting you to the point where you are ready to workout (body is literally warm, increased heart & breathing rate)! Depending how much time you have dedicated to working out, depends on how long the WU should be. Ideally, a WU should be about 10 minutes, but that is’t always realistic. So when you can’t devote a whole 10 minutes to your WU, you should at least aim for 5 minutes! No matter how much time you devote to your WU, it should focus on dynamic (moving) movements, not static stretches (more on these later). Your WU should focus on dynamic movements because they are what is going to prime your body for your upcoming exercises.
A dynamic movement is any movement where you move through the full range of motion. This could include any cardio exercises (high knees, jogging, biking) or any exercises that mimic what you’re about to do in your workout. What I mean by that is say it’s a leg day for you, your WU could include dynamic stretches such as body weight squats, walking lunges, and side-to-side lunges.
If you have that extra time for your workout, make sure you include BOTH cardio & dynamic stretches. What I like to recommend is 5 minutes of your choice of cardio (walking, jogging, etc.) to get the heart rate pumping and the blood flowing, and then another 5 minutes of dynamic stretches (such as body weight exercises or exercises with a lighter weight. Ex: Your workout has you benching so your WU would include you benching with just the bar).
Example Warm-Up Video
While there is no “right” way to warm-up or cool down, make sure that your WUs include dynamic movements (not static) so that your heart rate gradually increases and your muscles & joints begin to move through their full range of motions!
Chat soon!
Veronica
PS - Read about the benefits of a cool down HERE
Photo by Gene Jeter on Unsplash