The Purpose Of A Warm Up Before Exercising

Anyone who has worked out before or participated in a sport knows that its important to spend some time warming up their bodies before they begin. However, many people are unaware of the exact reasons why it is important to do so. After all, doesn’t it sound logical that if you dive straight into your workouts, you might actually save time that could be utilized in doing a few extra reps? Well, it doesn’t, and here’s why.

Warm up exercises are extremely important if you wish to reduce the risk of injury to your muscles while you engage in intense workouts or strenuous physical activity. Warm up exercises serve to increase the flow of blood to the muscles, which prepares them for the oncoming onslaught of strain and help them deal with it better.

Some more benefits are as follows:

Increased Muscle Temperature: When a muscle is warmed, it tends to contract more forcefully and then relax faster. Warm up exercises serve to help increase muscle temperature, which help you reduce the risk of injury caused by the overstretching or strain.

Mental Preparation: The period of the warm up is a very crucial time for you to prepare your mind and make you alert.

Hormonal Changes: The period of the warm up allows your body to produce more energy by making carbohydrates and fats available.

Increased Blood Temperature: This is because as you warm up, the temperature of the blood increases, which in turn decreases the amount of oxygen it can hold thus making more of it available for your muscles. When muscles are able to obtain more oxygen from your blood, their capacity for workouts increases.

So you see, spending a few minutes warming up can actually increase your overall efficiency and help you get better results out of your workout sessions. Therefore, even if you’re running late and have only a few minutes to spare in the gym, you’re better off doing fewer sets rather than compromising on your warm up time.

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