WARmups - what are they good for?

WARmups – what are they good for? Absolutely everything.

Exercise can be a very effective way of keeping that vital feeling. But not if you injure yourself in the process.

A simple 5 minute walk around the block, beginning slow and easy for one minute, increasing speed and intensity for another three minutes and a slower last minute is a great, cheap and effective warm up. Arm pumping along the way working into punching movements will assist in warming up the upper torso.

But it’s raining, it’s too cold, too hot, what to do?

Running on the spot, starting slow for 1 minute, faster for another minute, and slower for the last minute with arm pumps and punches.

Running on the spot can create pain and/or soreness with certain individuals. For these people, leaning forward and supporting themselves on the back of a kitchen type chair may be better. The time spent doing this is the same as above, with the same rules. With leaning running you will have to do the arm movements independently. Pumping, punching and general large arm swings for 2 minutes. To prevent the lower torso from cooling down during this stage, try doing knee lifts as you work the upper body.

Why do we need to get and keep warm prior to our main exercises? Not only before but during our exercises. Before each major separate exercise it is a good idea to do one or two of the movements slowly and not to the fullest extent of that exercise.

Warm ups prepare the body for work by gently infusing the blood throughout the muscle tissue, the long muscles of the body and the heart muscles. It begins the stretching of the muscles and tendons, it begins to prepare the joints by gently moving them. It prepares the mind for the task ahead.

After your exercise program, you are feeling hot, full of vim and vigor, and you probably just want to stop.

Not a good idea.

You need at least another 5 minutes to cool down. Cooling down allows the body to glide to a halt rather than slamming on the brakes. Some literature indicates that cooling down will lessen the effects that lead to muscular soreness. Recent scientific sources indicate that this may not be so. Whatever, cooling down is still valuable. It seems to be a good exercise for the heart allowing the heartbeat to slow to normal. It also helps avoid light headedness which can occur when vigorous exercise ceases suddenly.

Cool downs can be as easy as warm ups. Fast walk for 2 minutes, slow walk for 3 minutes. Vigorous arm pumps for the first few minutes slowing the action in the last 3 minutes.

There are many ways to warm up and to cool down. These are offered as the bare minimum.

Tags: Exercise, Flexibility, Posture, warm-up