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Warming
Up Properly
Copyright Tanja Gardner
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When fitness experts talk about ‘doing a warm up’,
they generally mean doing some kind of general activity
that gradually raises the heart rate. They will happily
tell us that doing so reduces the risk of injury during
the following workout – but don’t often explain
exactly how. In fact, a good warm-up should involve more
than just this ‘general activity’. The second,
less commonly described aspect is the ‘dynamic stretching’
we mentioned in last week’s article. And there are
many more reasons to warm up than simple injury risk reduction.
WHY WARM UP?
When you start moving in any way that raises your heart
rate, certain changes start to take place in your body.
Your respiratory rate increases. Bloodflow throughout your
body increases, which means that the levels of oxygen and
nutrients that are delivered to your cells also increase.
In effect, all your body’s systems are warned you’re
going to be making demands on them, and primed to meet those
demands.
Once you’re at this point, you’re ready to
move onto dynamic stretching. This, you’ll remember,
involves slowly performing the same kinds of movements you’ll
be making in your workout, and gradually increasing the
speed. As specific muscles, tendons and joints follow the
movement patterns they’ll be expected to complete
later, they become used to the movement, and less likely
to tear when the movements are made at higher speeds. This
stage also works as a cue for your nervous system to ‘switch
on’ the specific neuro-muscular connections it will
need for those movement patterns. Lastly, this two-stage warm-up helps you to prepare you
mentally for the coming workout. Regardless of what that
workout might be, you’ll do it better, and enjoy it
more, if you’re able to bring your full focus into
it. By taking the time to warm up before you start exercising
‘for real’, you’re giving yourself the
mental space to switch your focus to where you need it to
be.
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HOW SHOULD I WARM UP?
The general part of the warm-up can be done in any way that
gets your heart beating faster. If you have a piece of cardio
equipment available– a bicycle, rowing machine, or
stepper – feel free to use it; or simply walk and
then jog. Whatever you use, start very gently, and gradually
increase the intensity until you can feel your body getting
warm, and your heart rate starting to rise. The specific
intensity will depend on your current fitness level –
but it should have you working at a level where you’re
energised, not exhausted.
Some people continue until they feel a light sweat, but
because this can be more reflective of humidity than body
temperature (and because some people sweat more easily than
others), it may not be the most useful measure. Experts
suggest 3-5 minutes, but if your exercise environment is
particularly cold, it may need to be longer.
Once you’re feeling warm, it’s time to bring
in the dynamic stretching. What you do here will depend
totally on what kind of exercise you’re planning.
For a martial art, it might involve light sparring at ¼
speed, or simply performing some of the techniques in slow
motion. For a sport, it could involve mimicking the same
kinds of movements you’ll be using on the field or
court, in a slow, controlled way. There are no specific
time guidelines for how long this should take – but
allow enough time for repeating each movement, starting
slowly and gradually increasing the speed until you’re
working at the level you expect during your workout
Finally, once you’re warm, stay warm. Especially
if the workout that follows will be particularly vigorous,
don’t stop to do a static stretching routine. This
will give your body a chance to cool down again, and undo
much of the good you’ve done by warming it up in the
first place. If you have any questions about either kind
of warm up mentioned in this article, please don’t
hesitate to e-mail me on tanja@optimumlife.co.nz. Otherwise,
may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life.
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About the author
Optimum Life's Tanja Gardner is a Personal Trainer and
Stress Management Coach whose articles on holistic health
and relaxation have appeared in various media since 1999.
Optimum Life is dedicated to providing fitness and stress
management services to help clients all over the world achieve
their optimum lives. To find out more about how you could
benefit from online personal training, please visit http://www.trainerforce.com/optimumlife/ . To find out more about holistic fitness and stress management
please visit http://optimumlife.co.nz, or contact Tanja
on tanja@optimumlife.co.nz.
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