Do You Really Need To Warm Up Before A Workout?

Why do you warm up before a workout? It’s all in the name. It’s warming up your muscles to help you avoid a potential injury. It’s like priming the pump and preparing both your body and your mind for the workout you face and doesn’t have to be hard. Jumping rope, doing jumping jacks or a brisk walk for ten minutes can be a good warm-up session.

You’ll raise your body temperature and stimulate your cardiovascular system.

If you’re a morning exerciser, your body temperature is at slightly lower temperature, since you just woke up. Warming up helps increase your body temperature and because of that, burns more calories and improves your workout. It also gets your heart ready for a tough workout, making the transition from sedentary to a demanding workout easier. It can help prevent a sudden rise in blood pressure that can come from a sudden demand on the heart.

You’ll improve your co-ordination.

A warm-up prepares the nervous system, too. That makes muscle control better, more agility and quicker reaction times. When warming up, always use dynamic stretches, which involve movement that loosens the muscles and joints, while static stretching, like touching your toes, simply stretches the muscles, pushing it past resistance. Dynamic stretches include mountain climbers, planks and lunges, besides the others already mentioned.

You’ll workout longer by preventing lactic acid build-up.

Lactic acid builds up in your blood if you don’t get enough oxygen or have a sudden increased demand for oxygen, which occurs if you go from sedentary to extremely active quickly. It builds up too quickly and can’t be removed by the body, making fluids in your body, such as your blood, become too acidic and causing an imbalance in the body’s pH level. Too much lactic acid in your blood can make your workout far more difficult at first and maybe even cause you to quit too early.

• Have you ever heard of “getting your head in the game?” Warming up helps you do that. It prepares you mentally, turning your thoughts away from the day’s stressors and onto exercise.
• Your muscles will be more pliable when you warm up the tissues. That means you’ll be far less likely to have muscle strain and far more delivery of oxygen and nutrients to them.
• A warm-up can help you talk yourself into exercising on days when you simply don’t feel like it. That easy warm-up may be just enough to help you feel better and overcome that feeling.
• At The Worx, we always emphasize dynamic stretching before working out and also include cool-down time to help you finish your workout safely.

For more information, contact us today at Team Worx Fitness