Let's be honest: warm-up is like movie commercials before the movie, we usually skip it.
Whether you doubt its benefits (will a few touches on my toes really help me squat better?) Or if you have a place to be, you might be wondering how important it is not to miss a few minutes doing some body.
You could have an injury
You may have dodged an injury today, but consistently skipping a warm-up means you could be brewing a muscle strain or other injury.
You run a great risk of injury if you don't take just 10 minutes to warm up before exercising. Sometimes an injury will set you back for weeks, so it's worth spending a few minutes warming up before a workout.
In fact, one of the leading causes of acute muscle strain is improper joint and muscle loading when lifting heavy. But when you warm up before exercise, you are conditioning your body to load the correct muscles and follow movement patterns that help prevent injury.
For example, when you're warming up to deadlift, you should first practice the hip hinge move, with a move like the good morning exercise, which trains you to properly load your hips, glutes, core, and back.
Your performance could be compromised
Warming up your muscles before diving into a workout helps increase your body's core and muscle temperature .
Think of warming up the same way you think of warming up your car on a cold winter day – it just works better. When the temperature of your muscles increases, your joints become more flexible , improving your body's range of motion.
But don't just stick with the motions – research suggests that working hard on your warm-up can help your performance when it comes to core exercise.
How should your warm-up be?
There is no one-size-fits-all warm-up routine because your warm-up exercises largely depend on the type of movements you are going to perform in training.
For example, if you are preparing for a long run, you will focus primarily on warming up your lower body and core muscles. But if you're getting ready to do some push-ups and shoulder presses, then you would do exercises that activate the muscles in your upper body.
However, research shows that doing a dynamic warm-up outperforms static stretching when it comes to providing benefits before exercise.
A June 2019 study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology suggests that static stretching alone, without dynamic warm-up, can have negative effects on muscle performance.
Dynamic stretching is active and involves moving your muscles and joints to stretch and increase your heart rate. Static stretching , on the other hand, involves holding a position for an extended period of time to lengthen and relax the muscles. Although both types of stretching can lengthen muscles, static stretching does not warm up the joints, muscles, and nervous system in the same way that a dynamic warmup does.
How long should you spend warming up?
Ideally, keep your warm-ups low to moderate intensity. You don't want to be completely exhausted and out of breath, but you want to get your heart rate up high enough to break a sweat. Try to do each warm-up exercise for 30 seconds, or 8-10 reps, 2-3 sets.
Too much energy expenditure during pre-workout movements can cause your body to overheat too quickly, which could affect your performance. The saying 'less is more' applies in this case. Warm-ups should help you feel good and start sweating.
How bad is it to skip the warm-up?
The truth is, skipping a warm-up is never a good idea. Whether you're lifting, HIIT, or running, you should warm up, regardless of the length of your workout. When you spend time warming up, you decrease the chances of injury and allow your body to adapt to the demands of your training.
The look and duration will depend on the type of workout you are doing. But generally speaking, a warm-up should last between five and 10 minutes and include dynamic exercises that get your heart rate up and your joints get faster.
To find the right warm-up for you, consider working with a personal trainer who can put together a routine that suits your needs.
