Everyone knows that they should warm up prior to physical activity. But why is a warm up so important & what does a proper warm up consist of?
Warming up prior to exercise reduces the likelihood of injury by preparing the mind & body for the stress it is about to be put under.
Key benefits of a warm up include:
● Increased core, muscle & blood temperature — Improved muscle elasticity, contraction & higher oxygenated blood flow.
● Dilation of blood vessels — Allowing blood to reach the muscles more easily.
● Greater range of motion — As joints are lubricated and muscles warm-up, they become more flexible and have a greater range of motion.
● Cooling efficiency — Mechanisms are activated which allow the body to cool during physical exertion, such as sweating.
● Hormones produced — Which regulate energy production. While you warm up, these hormones enable fatty acids and carbohydrates available to be used as energy.
A thorough & effective warm up consists of multiple stages. These are:
Myofascial Release Light foam rolling and other active release manual therapies like soft tissue massage can be used early on in the warm up process.
Light Cardiovascular Exercise Five to 10 mins of light physical activity (treadmill, rower, skipping, static bike or elliptical) increases core body temperature and improves blood circulation throughout the body. A light sweat should be achieved here.
Dynamic Stretches/movements Apivotal aspect of a warm up, using movements that take the body through full ranges of motion. Think leg swings, cat camels, bear crawls, lunges, etc…
Activation Exercises Following a dynamic warm up performing activation exercises increases activation and coordination of the muscles groups and patterning that are about to be trained. This is a great time to prepare the small stabilising muscles that are often neglected, such as glute med of the hip & rotator cuffs of the shoulders.
Light-Load Skill/Technique Movements If you were going to sprint, you wouldn’t just get straight into that high speed movement, you would build up to it by running a distance faster and faster up to the sprint speed. The same needs to be done for resistance training. Before you hit your working sets on an exercise, using a lighter load, perform the exercise or one that closely mimics it, for 10-12 reps & incrementally increase the weight whilst decreasing the reps until you reach your prescribed working weight. This prepares your muscles and nervous system gradually for the working load.
You don’t need to spend an hour warming up and you don’t need to target every muscle. Consider what muscles you’ll be training, identify any weak areas you have to activate and take your body through the movements most specific to your session.
Core Activation A thorough core activation is crucial in a warm up, engaging and bracing your core through multiple planes ensures its ready to meet the stability demands placed on the spine during exercise.
Your warm up could be 15 mins
1-2mins foam rolling the thoracic
3-5mins on the cross trainer
3-5mins core drills
3-5 mins activation of weak areas (glutes)
2-3 mins dynamic movements.
Then begin your warm up sets of your first exercise.
By Ella Martyn and josh Bolin
For the full article grab the December 2020 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
