Warming Up for Exercise
Lots of us participate in different types of exercises in our busy weeks. Some of us play sports, go for walks or swim in a pool, while others go to the gym or complete regular park runs. With so many different ways to exercise, it can be hard to know how to warm up the body and why it would even be so important. Fortunately, many people have these same thoughts, which is why we have put together this post to give the benefits of warming up as well as how to warm up to help you stay at your best.
Why Warm Up?
Our bodies need to warm up to get ready to exercise using light movements that reduce your risk of injury by getting your blood pumping and increasing your body temperature. Warmups are usually exercise specific to work on the muscles about to be used, like warming up your calf muscles before running or your shoulders before swimming.
In 2008, a research group in Norway found that injury rates in female soccer players that warmed up were far less than those who did not complete a warmup before their games and training sessions. It also showed that if they were to become injured, their injuries were much less severe when compared to players that did not warm up. The warmup that these players completed included active stretching. But what is active stretching? This is movements such as star jumps, squats and lunges that activate the muscles before exercise, whereas static stretching in reaching for your toes and stretching out your calf.
By adding a warm up routine into your exercise routine, you will be not only reducing your risk of injury when completing the exercise, but if you do happen to become injured, the severity of that injuries is likely to be much less than if you do not warm up beforehand. Warming up the body allows the muscles to move much better and increase your flexibility and range of motion before completing planned exercise.
Warm Up Exercises:
Exercises need to be suited to the activity to be completed and ensure that your heart rate is going to be in line with a suitable rate to match the exercise you are about to complete (high intensity = higher heart rate, low intensity = lower heart rate). A warmup should last 5-10 minutes and be a lighter version of the exercise you are about to participate in. If you are unsure of specific warmups for your chosen exercise style, please ask our friendly physiotherapists to cater a warm up program to suit your needs.
What are the Benefits of Warming Up?
Increased blood and oxygen flow to muscles
Less strain on the heart to pump blood around the body
Increased body temperature to allow muscles to move easier
Increased muscle temperature to decrease risk of injury
Activation of cooling methods to avoid overheating (sweating)
Hormones released to start to be converted into energy sooner
There are so many benefits to warming up that it should be a priority for everyone before exercising to ensure that you stay at the top of your game. Whether you are a daily dog walker or a gym junkie, you can’t go wrong with a light warm up before your routine.
If you would like our physiotherapists to cater a warmup and/or exercise program tailored to your needs, please call us at (02) 8411 2050. At Thornleigh Performance Physiotherapy, we can give you an accurate diagnosis and treatment, to help you get back in action as soon as possible. We are conveniently located near Beecroft, Cherrybrook, Hornsby, Normanhurst, Pennant Hills, Waitara, Wahroonga, Westleigh, West Pennant Hills, and West Pymble.