Why Should I Warm Up??
Do you normally warm up prior to starting your exercise routine?? Most people know that they should be, but believe it or not a lot of people skip the warm part of their workout. Most athletes perform some form of warm up and cool down during their training regimen. A proper warm up will increase blood flow to the working muscles resulting in decreased muscle fatigue, lessoning the chance of injury, and will increase your ability to operate at peak performance.
A proper warm up has both physiological and psychological benefits
starting with the elevation of your muscle/body temperature. Elevating the temperature of your muscles will allow them to contract with more force and relax in a shorter duration of time. Furthermore, this will decrease the chance of overstretching and limit the likelihood of a set back due to injury. Improved range of motion is also among the benefits of properly warming up, and in turn allow you to do things the body would not normally allow, especially in sports. The warm up process increases the body's blood temperature as it travels through the muscles. As blood levels elevate, the binding of oxygen to hemoglobin weakens resulting in oxygen being more readily available to your muscle. This essentially can lead to greater endurance levels and improved range of motion around the joint. An individuals range of motion is crucial in preventing the over exertion of a muscle which may cause a strain or tear. Mental preparation is a key component to a successful workout and warming up can help.
During the warm up process, you may also use that time to mentally prepare yourself to conquer that days allotment of exercises.
Imagining accomplishing your goals prior to starting your routine and picturing yourself setting new limits will allow your state of mind to be positioned positively for a stellar workout. Your warm up doesn't have to be long it just has to be done. Depending on the specific event and/or exercise routine, a warm up may vary anywhere from 5 to 15+ minutes. Traditionally, for the average individual simply looking for results at their gym a 7 minute walk/jog works great. The key is to engage all muscle fibers during this process. Imagine warming up on some pearly white sand while watching dolphins swim past!!! This is how the experts and guests from 1TeamFitness warm up! Check out pictures, testimonials, and the many activities that 1TF has to offer. 1TeamFitness is the newest, most extravagant beach boot camp in the sunshine state. Check us out at 1TeamFitness.com.