When you first get to the gym I understand how tempting it might be to jump right into the heavy weight or that long run but you are missing a very important step that is easy to overlook; warming up. There are many people (myself included) who neglect this part of their workout because it’s too easy or they don’t want to put in the extra time to do it but understanding the importance of warming up might be what saves you an injury and help take your workouts to the next level.
A good comparison that we are far too familiar with is a car during winter, you would much rather have your car warm up before driving it on a cold day, right? Well the same goes for your body, you need to increase body temperature and circulation, so you can perform optimally! As your body temp increases it loosens your joints and tendons which means less stress is put on them during your training. This will reduce the likelihood of injury while you’re putting your body through a strenuous workout! With increased blood blow caused by a good warm up, your muscles also have less of a chance to become injured due to overuse.
Proper warm ups are a great way to get into that so called “zone” that many of us need during a high intensity workout. While warming up visualizing how you are going to perform the workout helps prepare mentally so you can enjoy the exercise more! Investing time into warmups will also help you perform your workout with more flexibility, speed, and strength so you can hopefully break through plateaus and handle the heavy workload with less soreness.
Just because the temperature outside is hot does not mean your body is ready to go straight into a tough workout. A simple 5-10 minute warm up is what your joints muscles and tendons need to perform with less risk of injury while also giving you the mental edge you need to achieve new personal records and get the most out of your workouts!
