Warming Up is vital. At times it may feel like a waste of time and seems unnecessary but that is not the case. Let me give you 5 quick, simple reasons why the warm-up is one of the most underrated parts of your workout.

 

1. Blood and Muscle Temperature Rises – The temperature of blood increases as it travels through the body. Which makes oxygen readily available to working muscles and puts less stress on the heart. Both of which will help with endurance. As muscle temperature increases, the muscle will contract with more force and relax quicker. In turn, that will reduce the risk of over-stretching the working muscle.

2. Increased Range of Motion (RoM) – Strength, mobility and flexibility all improve as RoM increases.

3. Reduced Risk of Injury – As most people know, injuries have a special way of reversing results and destroying any motivation you may have. Warming up will improve muscle elasticity, meaning the chance of accidentally injuring yourself is minimized.

4. Reduced “D.O.M.S” – Have you ever felt sore after a workout, hike, or even moving furniture? That’s called D.O.M.S (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), a proper warm-up (cooldown and enough protein) will help reduce that tightness or pain you may feel.

5. Gets You “In the Zone” – The warm-up can help you clear your mind by increasing focus and gives you an opportunity to envision how this workout will be. As if you were speaking a GREAT workout into existence.

Now, with that in mind, how do you warm-up? My recommendation is going on a treadmill, bike or even just moving your body for 5-10 minutes before strenuous activity.