Why it’s important to warm up before your exercise routine?
Why spend time on a warm-up before your training session?
Cliffnotes: Injury prevention and better access to functional physiological movement so you can be Better, Faster, and Stronger!
Before we dive into the details and benefits of implementing a warm-up routine that serves you and your training, I want to pose a statement I recently encountered that opposes the notion of a warm-up. “Most, if not all mammals in the wild like a lion, do not warm-up before catching its prey”. I agree with that statement but its relevance and context to the human body is NOT the same. A lion does not go to the gym and load 225lb on the squat rack without a warm-up simply because that is not what lions do nor are they capable of it.
We, as human beings over the course of humanity, have outgrown the daily activities and postures of our ancestors. The things we do today in our daily lives and especially in the gym, far outweigh the stress and loads that our paleolithic ancestors were subjected to. For this very reason, we should take the necessary steps to prevent injury and promote better access to functional movement. We can do so by incorporating a warm-up routine that serves your needs in the gym, field, or sport. Keep in mind, a warm-up routine does not need to be more than 10 minutes if you are strategic about which ones to prioritize.
If you spend a lot of time sitting for work or being sedentary, it is important for you to incorporate a warm-up before any ballistic-type movements like plyometrics in sport or weight lifting in the gym. This is because your tissues (muscles, ligaments & tendons) require a gradual stimulus and load if they haven’t been used in a while to adequately warm up. This brings more blood to the area which carries a host of good nutrients and fuel for the cells and muscles to perform at their best. It is also common for our muscles to be tight or shortened after being sedentary for a while which can limit our access to full range of motion. If you are not able to access your full range of motion for say a squat or an overhead press, you’re effectively training in the mid-range of your normal range of movement and not on the ends of your range of movement. Many muscular strains and tendon tears happen at the ends of your range of movement; this is because you may have not adequately trained stability in those ranges but rather only trained in the mid ranges.
Benefits to warming up prior to ballistic and heavy loading exercise:
Increase body temperature through vasodilation which results in increased blood flow to the tissues, ample fuel and nutrients for specific actions, and general tissue versatility and adaptation to increased loads.
Gradual loading of the tendons through its full range of motion. This helps promote the proper distribution of stress and load through the tendon and the surrounding tissues.
Priming the musculoskeletal system for a specific movement or action like jumping, running, lateral bounding with your bodyweight to increase neuromuscular activation of all tissues prior to loading (adding weight).
Performing a good warm-up gives you a kinesthetic sense and awareness of how your body is feeling that day, what areas are tight, sore, and what areas feel good. This is by far one of the more important benefits of incorporating a warm-up routine prior to exercise because it helps direct your training for that day, especially if you’re dealing with a chronic injury.
For example, if during your warm-up routine your legs are feeling quite sore from the last session, you might decide to decrease the volume or load on that area and focus on the upper body instead. This gives the tissues adequate rest and recovery before your next leg day.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading and I hope you learned something that can benefit your future training sessions and your journey in building a more resilient mind and body.
Check out my YouTube channel for the Dynamic Warm-up series tutorial and other training tips and tricks.
Do you have questions about your injury? Book your complimentary 15min phone consultation with Dr. Yap via email to determine if chiropractic care is appropriate for your specific condition.
Send inquiries to: drnickyap@gmail.com
