IS WARMING UP NECESSARY? IS THERE A SPECIFIC WAY TO WARM UP? WHAT EVEN IS A WARM UP EXERCISE? WHAT ABOUT STATIC STRETCHES?

In this blog post, I will answer the questions above and provide you with some examples of warm ups you can complete on your own!

WARM UP INTENTION

Short answer is yes, performing some type of warm up is necessary prior to physical activity. The purpose of the warm up is to prepare the body for exercise by “raising the internal temperature and enhancing neuromuscular efficiency” (ACE). When the body is at a higher temperature, “blood flow is shunted away from the internal organs and redirected to the working muscles, and the release of oxygen to the muscles begins to increase” (ACE). A good goal to have when warming up is raising the body’s internal temperature enough that you begin to sweat. Breaking a sweat during your warm up is a good indication that you have raised your internal temperature enough. When you perform your warm up keep this in mind - BREAK A SWEAT.

EXERCISES

Many different types of movements can be considered warm up exercises. There is not one single warm up routine that is considered standard. Over the years, I have developed different warm up routines depending on the type of physical activity I’m about to perform. However, in an effort to keep workouts quick and efficient I have my go to total body warm up no matter what type of exercise I will be performing. Here are some examples of warm up exercises I perform:

• small arm circles clockwise and counter clockwise

• large arm circles clockwise and counter clockwise

• glute bridges

• several rounds of cat/camel yoga poses

• cross legged simple seated twists

• laser beam squats

• easy down dog, slowly shifting weight onto each leg

• push ups

• jumping jacks

• ankle rotations

Generally, I spend AT LEAST 5 minutes warming up but if I am feeling sore from previous workouts I will double the amount of time. If you are new to working out, do not rush through the warm up. The warm up is a great opportunity for your body to give you feedback on what feels tight, sore, or even painful. You can use this feedback to modify your workout for that day.

STATIC STRETCHING

Static stretching as part of the warm up is . . . controversial. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), “most athletes should perform static stretching during the cool-down.” Generally, it is best to avoid static stretching in the warm up phase and focus more on dynamic movements. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) echoes this sentiment but they mention that “static stretches can be included [in the warm up] if they are limited to brief periods (5 to 10 seconds)”. Keep in mind that static stretching is not all bad, it improves flexibility but it is better to save the static stretches for the cool down portion of your exercise routine.

CONNECT

If you are completely new to exercising, I would recommend performing a warm up almost every day even if you are not doing any other type of exercise that day. This begins to get your body used to moving on a daily basis, plus it provides your brain with a reminder to connect with your body.

Remember, its not all about losing weight or getting “swole” its about developing healthy habits. Habits that include changing a mostly sedentary lifestyle into a lifestyle where you begin to appreciate your body. If you currently don’t have an exercise routine set into your daily life, I encourage and challenge you to begin a daily at-home warm up routine for at least 10 minutes a day. This will raise your body temperature and certainly warm you up in the dead of winter. Thank you for reading!

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Citation

Bryant, C. X., Galati, T., Green, D. J., Matthews, J., & Merrill, S. (2018). Chapter 2, Chapter 5. In ACE Group Fitness Instructor Handbook: The Professional's Guide to creating memorable movement experiences. essay, American Council on Exercise.