Have you ever felt that your joints are hard to move after lifting heavy weights or that your calves feel as hard as concrete after a few laps of running? If so, maybe the root of the problem isn’t technique, it’s because you’re missing an important benefit of warming up before exercise.
While it won’t burn hundreds of calories or speed up the process of building your dream six-pack, this simple and often time-consuming warm-up exercise has an important pre-workout goal.
No matter what level of athletic skill you have mastered, you should always start your sport with a proper warm-up. Check out some of the important benefits below.
Various benefits of warming up before exercise
A pre-exercise warm-up is a short session that takes place before you engage in physical activity. Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, warming up helps the body prepare for aerobic or cardio activity. This activity raises your body temperature, increasing blood flow to your muscles.
Usually, this type of warm-up consists of light cardiovascular exercise combined with stretching. Most warm-up sessions are short, between 5 and 10 minutes or more, depending on the type of activity you plan to do next.
Basically, pre-exercise warm-up aims to prevent injury and improve performance. There are also various other health goals such as the following.
1. Prevents the risk of injury
One of the most important benefits of warming up before exercise is to prevent injury. The muscles of the body under normal circumstances tend to be cold and stiff. This activity can increase blood flow to the muscles and increase the temperature so that the muscles become more flexible.
This means you can minimize the potential for muscle cramps, sprains, and tears if you make sudden, hard movements during your workouts, such as a high kick or a sudden fall.
If you have an injury, especially a torn muscle, it can be serious and take a long time to heal. In addition, the sensation you feel is also very painful and may even require stitches.
2. Maintain a stable heart rate
Warming up also aims to improve the heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) system gradually before doing the exercise. Heart rate that increases suddenly when exercising without warming up, maybe risky in some circles.
A study shows high-intensity physical exercise and sudden impact on a person’s heart condition. The study investigated 44 people who ran on a high-intensity treadmill for 10 to 15 seconds without warming up.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) data showed 70 percent of the subjects experienced abnormal changes in heart function that caused the minimal blood supply to the heart muscle. These abnormal changes were not related to age or fitness level, and each participant was free from symptoms of coronary heart disease.
3. Improve sports performance
run for body performance
Warming up before exercise will increase blood circulation to various muscles, making them more flexible. Increased blood flow while bringing more supplies of oxygen to all parts of the body.
This will also increase muscle energy and expand reflexes and range of motion. The quality of your sports performance will also improve, allowing your body to work out longer or harder.
Along with the increase in blood flow that comes, there is also an increase in muscle temperature. This condition also contributes to faster muscle relaxation and stretching. Nerve transmission and muscle metabolism increase, so the body’s muscles work more efficiently.
4. Maintain healthy bones and joints
The purpose of the warm-up can also affect bone and joint health. The Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation says warming up can increase joint range of motion while maintaining, and improving performance, and flexibility. In addition to muscles, these two parts are parts of the body that are also prone to injury during exercise.
Warming up will help your body apply more lubricating fluid to the joints, making them smoother and more flexible. Sports that place a lot of stress on the knees, such as running or soccer, should warm up beforehand.
Stretching and lengthening the spinal discs while warming up before exercise is also effective at preventing the risk of serious back injury.
5. Prepare mentally and reduce stress
Warming up is a good opportunity for a person to mentally prepare to always give his all when facing heavy physical exercise. Not only to muscles and joints, warm-up activities also help circulate blood to your brain.
This can help increase your focus and alertness. Even a study published in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology shows the benefits of warming up before exercise that can help reduce stress.
Mental preparation before doing physical exercise is also thought to be able to improve technique, skills, and coordination. It will also prepare athletes for potential discomfort when they encounter difficult situations or competitions.
If the mind and the mind are prepared to deal with discomfort, the body can generate a higher speed. However, if the mind is not willing to face the pressure, physical performance will certainly be limited.
You need to warm up enough to feel the benefits for the body before exercising. You just have to warm up with a short duration and low intensity, because high-intensity exercise can actually trigger injury.
After that, then you can start sports activities as needed. Also, it’s a good idea to end your workout by cooling down to help restore your heart rate, and blood pressure, and reduce muscle fatigue after your workout.