Are Warm-Ups Important?

Many people seem to get confused about the concept of a warm-up.

A warm-up is simply a way to prepare your body for exercise in such a way that will help avoid injury and maximize performance. A warm-up helps dilate blood vessels and improve blood circulation to muscles.

A common question is "What counts as a warm-up?" The objective is to raise the core body temperature. Therefore, this means that some movement is required.

A good general warm-up is any moderate activity that will raise your heart rate, such as jogging, stationary bike, or some slow jumping jacks. Whatever activity you choose to do, do it for approximately 5 minutes at a perceived effort of approximately 6 out of 10 (where 0 is no effort and 10 is maximal effort). You will know that you're warmed-up because your heart rate will be elevated, your breathing rate will have increased and you will feel warmer.

Don't over-do the warm up. The idea is to prepare you for your training program - not exhaust you even before you have begun.

What about stretching as a warm-up?

Only dynamic stretching is acceptable as part of a warm-up. This means that it is not the type where you simply reach-and-hold, known as a static stretch. Doing a static stretch will allow your body to begin cooling down which defeats the purpose of a warm-up.

Therefore, dynamic stretch involves movement. For example - circling your arms. Begin with your arms outstretched to your sides. Now begin to trace small circles in the order of 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter. When that feels comfortable you can continue to gradually increase the diameter until you feel that larger circles would no longer be comfortable. Static stretching is good as part of the cool-down phase of exercise which comes after you complete your training session - not as a warm-up.