Warm ups are intended to increase blood flow to the muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments to help them get ready for the stress of the upcoming workout. Warming up also elevates your body temperature and fires up the neuromuscular system, preparing the body to move in a variety of different ways.
Walk into a gym, and you will usually see people warming up mindlessly on their favorite cardio machine. The most popular warmup is five minutes of cardio.
Is five minutes of cardio really the way to best warm up for most activities? The answer is often no. Your warm up should be designed according to the movements you intend to perform in your workout. You should include moves that mimic the exercises you will be doing in your main activity. Your warm up constituents should be purposeful and challenging.
For example, if you are going to do a lower body lifting session it makes little sense to do cardio. Your main move is going to be the squat. Thus, your warmup should have a lot of squatting movements in it. This is called the principle of specificity. You are warming up the specific muscles and movements you will use in your workout. This leads to decreased injuries and better performance.
If you are involved in a specific kind of aerobics like step, your instructor should include some step patterns as part of the warmup. You will be less likely to injure your knees if you have a step specific warmup and you will be able to step with greater intensity and better form.
Many sports and fitness activities involve twisting motions. A straight cardio warm up would leave you very unprepared for these types of movements. You should perform a warmup that includes twisting motions, perhaps with a medicine ball, and a good core warm up.
Besides the physical benefits of an activity specific warm up, there are mental perks too. Warming up in a way that is physically and mentally challenging
gets your mind focused on the upcoming workout. You become aware of what lies ahead and you start to plan. Many experts say thet 75% of a workout is mental. Doing the proper warm up helps put you in the right frame of mind.
Next time you get ready to workout think about what types of exercises and movements you will be doing. Instead of performing the usual five minute cardio, incorporate movements that mimic those you will be doing. Be sure to warm up the muscles you will be using the most. An activity specific warm up will not only spark your interest but will reduce the chance of injury and improve overall performance.
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Dr. Lanny Schaffer is an Exercise Physiologist and the President of The International Fitness Academy. For more cutting edge fitness ideas go to
http://www.aerobic-exercise-coach.com
