Warming up the body before exercising is very important and is one of the main actions before exercise, of course, warming up has other benefits for the body.
Benefits of warming up before exercising
You definitely know that warming up is one of the main actions before exercise and it is an inarguable issue. Some people believe that warming up only prepares their minds for exercise, but this is not the case. Warming up has so many benefits for your body that if you ignore it, your body may get injured.
1. Increasing the body temperature
Hemoglobin and myoglobin are proteins that are responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body, and increasing body temperature makes it easier for oxygen to reach different parts and people can better perform effective activities.
2. Increasing blood flow to muscles
The blood flow to the muscles helps muscles bend in the right position and have more flexibility, and it also absorbs more energy, and this makes the muscles and joints more efficient, and the proper blood flow makes it easier for muscles to move, therefore you can do a wide range of exercises
3. Improving physical movements
Warming up before exercise in particular improves your range of motion and prevents injury.
4. It makes your nerve more sensitive
An increase in nerve sensitivity occurs after warming up, and in fact, nerve messages increase more, and this means that warming up can improve your motor skills.
5. Preparing the heart
When you warm up before exercising, your heart becomes prepared and the heart is responsible for supplying oxygen to the blood, and when the heart plays its role well in this stage, you will definitely experience a more effective and healthy exercise.
6. Reducing the possibility of injury
Warming up before exercising prevents injuries and when you lift a weight, your muscles gain a lot of strength and also if you have warmed up before, the muscles will stretch better than before and in fact, warming up softens your muscles and prevents any dryness and tear in them.
7. Increasing flexibility
Stretching exercises are exercises that you should do regularly during warm-up exercises. By increasing the blood flow in the muscles, stretching exercises allow you to increase the flexibility of your body in the short and long term. Remember to do stretching movements after warm-up exercises; stretching when your muscles are not properly warmed up can lead to injury.
8. Preparation of mind
Just as we should prepare ourselves physically for the exercises, it is necessary to prepare mentally by doing warm-up exercises. A good workout bridges the gap between the mind and muscles and helps improve mental-muscle memory. Use your warm-up time to think about the exercises you are going to do.
The duration of warm-up in sports is determined according to the following factors:
1.Environmental conditions
The colder the weather, the longer the warming-up time should be, so 10 to 15 minutes in hot or moderate seasons and 15 to 25 minutes in cold weather is recommended. Of course, it must be said that an exact time cannot be determined because other conditions will also affect the duration of the body warm-up.
2- Athlete’s clothes
The clothing of the athlete is effective on the warm-up time, so it is better for the athlete to warm up with warm clothes when the weather is cold so that his body warms up better and faster, and he can also reduce the number of clothes he wears during exercise or competition, but he must put on the sweatshirt again after exercise or competition.
3- The level of preparation of the person
The more prepared a person is, the shorter the warm-up is, and on the contrary, professional athletes should not ignore the importance of warm-up.
4- Type of exercise
The longer the duration of the main exercise, the longer the duration of the warm-up should be.
5- Age
As the age increases, softness and flexibility decrease, so the warming-up time should be increased.
6- Amount of injury
If the athlete has had injuries and bruises in a certain area, it is necessary to warm it up more.
7- Intensity of warming up
The intensity of the warm-up depends on the level of preparation of the person. For example, warming up enough in terms of duration and intensity for an Olympic swimming champion causes fatigue and helplessness for a normal and recreational swimmer.
Different ways to warm up before exercising
Warm up before exercising to inhibit injury and make your workouts more efficient.
1.Static Stretching
In these exercises, you should hold a sports position for 30 to 90 seconds. Research has shown that doing these stretches after exercise is more effective and helps reduce muscle pain.
2.Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretching includes active exercises that prepare the body for sports by simulating functional movements and future activities and leading to muscle stretching, for example, runners often use walking lunges to warm up before their races.
3.General body warm-up exercises
Some warm-up exercises are useful for most physical activities and in many cases, it is necessary to do them before doing more specialized exercises.
3 general and simple exercises to warm up
The following general and simple exercises are very effective and practical for warming up the body before exercise. Doing these exercises help prepare your muscles for sports activities.
1. Squat
The squat is a versatile exercise that targets many muscles in the lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.
2. Planks
Plank is one of the best warm-up exercises that improve balance and posture by strengthening the spine muscles.
3. Side lunges
This exercise also warms up the lower body and is effective for strengthening leg and hip muscles. This exercise also helps to improve the level of physical fitness.
