Ladies, are you already in the habit of warming up before exercising? Skipping a warm-up or warm-up can increase your risk of injury and put too much strain on the muscles. Whether it's cardio, weightlifting, or team sports, it's essential that we set aside a few minutes to prepare the muscles for later use.
What are the benefits of warming up before exercise?
Warming up before exercise can prepare the body for strenuous activity and improve performance if done correctly. Here are some benefits of warming up before exercise:
1. Increase flexibility
Training the body to move more flexibly makes it easier for us to perform sports properly.
2. Reducing the risk of injury
Warming up can relax your muscles, reducing your risk of injury.
3. Increase blood and oxygen flow
Your muscles can get the nutrients and oxygen they need before intense exercise by getting more blood flowing.
4. Improve sports performance
Research says that we can perform sports more effectively by warming up.
5. Reducing the strain and pain in the muscles
Muscles that are relaxed and ready allow us to move more easily with less stiffness or pain.
Types of warm-up
We need to warm up correctly and accurately to get the maximum benefit. In general, there are two types of warm-up: dynamic warm-up and static stretching.
1. Dynamic warm-up
A dynamic warm-up is a warm-up with active movements similar to the sports movements that will be performed. A dynamic warm-up is done before a workout session starts to prepare you for higher-intensity activities. Dynamic warm-ups can help us train strength, mobility, and coordination, which can help us improve sports performance.
2. Static stretch
Static stretching consists of holding certain poses for a few moments to stretch and relax the body's muscles. Static stretching is most effective at the end of a workout.
Why do warm-ups not improve performance?
Based on the conclusions of various studies, as many as 79% of people report that they feel a performance improvement of 1-20% when they start doing sports with a warm-up. However, the research also shows that warming up only sometimes improves exercise performance. Here are some reasons:
1. The warm-up does not match the sports.
2. The warm-up is too short.
3. Too many warm-ups and the energy is wasted.
4. The time between the warm-up and training sessions should be shorter.
For most people, especially non-athletes, 10 minutes is enough time to warm up before exercising. Warm up slowly and periodically increase the intensity until you break a sweat without expending too much energy. Warm up at a time interval as close as possible to the training session.
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Sources:
Sachdev, P. (2021). Benefits of Warm-Up Exercises. WebMD. [online]. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/benefits-of-warmup-exercises
Cronkleton, E. & Bubnis, D. (2019). 6 Warmup Exercises to Help Boost Your Workout. Healthline. [online]. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/warm-up-exercises