The importance of warm-up should be considered by all who exercise. While warming up is unlikely to help burn calories or build muscle, they are crucial to the success of a workout. Learn more about the benefits of a warm-up before exercise.
Before you even think about running or performing other activities, you should make sure to complete a warm-up and do some stretching – but what makes them so important?
A warm-up help to increase body and muscle temperature
A warm-up will increase the body temperature, which is especially useful for the muscles. As muscle temperature rises, oxygen becomes more available to your muscles, allowing them to contract and relax more efficiently – allowing you to perform more strenuous tasks with ease. Your heart also gets a chance to prepare, which means it does not get too strained during training.
You can reduce the risk of injury
When you have been faithful to the gym and reached your goals, the last thing you need is to get injured. Warming up improves muscle elasticity and allows for adequate cooling, which means less chance of accidentally damaging yourself or overheating during your workout and ruining your day!
Warm-ups can help you prepare mentally
Jumping right into a workout without adequately preparing can throw you off completely, especially if the preparations are mental rather than physical. It is easy to give up when it becomes difficult to exercise, but you will be much less likely to do so if you have given yourself time to remember why you exercise. Spend your time warming up to think about what to do, and guarantee that both body and mind are ready to succeed.
Increase your flexibility
Stretching is often considered as something that should be done in addition to regular warm-ups. Stretching can increase blood flow to your muscles and allow your body to increase flexibility in both the short and long term – always a plus when performing a workout properly. Stretch after you have completed the warm-up, as stretching when the muscles are not correctly warm can lead to injury.
You will be ready to tackle the powerful machines in the gym
Using machines to build muscle is a great way to spend time at the gym, but they should not be used until you have had a chance to loosen your joints. Warm-up will ensure that both body and mind are in the proper condition to handle exercise equipment, reducing the risk of injury.
In addition to a good warm-up, training preparations should also involve ensuring that you have the appropriate equipment for the exercises you are going to do. Crossfit, for example, can be improved by the use of accessories; beneficial for today’s workouts are resistance bands and palm protectors.
Popular warm-up exercises you may want to try include jogging on the spot for several minutes, cycling, or even just performing the workout at a much slower pace to prepare your body.
The benefits are obvious, and warming up will help you reach your gym goals; therefore, it is clear that exercisers should not overlook warm-up exercises at any level. When you have warmed up, you are ready to get the most out of your workout.
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