Warm UP Exercises

I think most people know that before we undergo any kind of exercise that we should perform some kind of warm up exercises and also some cool down exercises after we have finished our workout.

This is a much debated subject, on what kind of warm up exercises and how many we should be doing. The purpose of warming up before we exercise is to prevent injury. If you go straight into your workout without preparing your muscles beforehand there is a much higher risk of injury as your muscles will be cold.

So by stretching and performing a few gentle exercises we get the blood flowing through our muscles, which loosens them up and gets them warm ready for their activity ahead. You need to pay particular attention to the muscles that you will be using most during your workout. For example if you are going running then concentrate more on the leg muscles as these will be used more.

There are plenty of theories about what kind of exercises are best for warming up and if you were a competing athlete then I would investigate more into the types that would suit you, but for the average person who is working out to stay fit and healthy as long as you are doing some form of warm ups then you should be fine.

As I have already said warm ups should get the blood flowing around your body and through your muscles which prepares them for exercise,  your warm ups should also get your heart rate going a bit faster than normal and your body temperature should have gone up a bit.

Stretching muscles is going to get them loosened up, lunges will get your heart rate up a bit and your temperature or a five minute jog. Any cardio activity that will raise the heart rate and body temperature. If your muscles are properly warmed up then they will perform the up and coming exercises more efficiently and are less likely to get injured.

So what about cooling down afterwards. Well this is pretty much the same with part of it being in reverse. Say for instance you have just been on a full run, then you need to do the last bit of your run at a slower pace and then eventually down to a walk. This way your heart rate gradually gets nearer to its normal rate, without just stopping dead and standing there breathing heavily. It’s basically to bring your whole body back to it’s normal state, but gentle. After that then you would do some more muscle stretching to finish off your cooling down period.

If you properly warm up and cool down before and after your workouts then you will be at less risk of injury and you will shock your muscles and body less. Think of it like a car, when you first start a car from cold you shouldn’t hit the pedal straight to the gas, you need to let the engine warm up before you put it through its paces. If you don’t then there is a good chance that you can damage the engine. Same goes for your body, it needs to be warmed up before you put it through its paces.