How important is a warm-up?
You want to quickly finish a workout at the gym and then you often skip the warm-up. Yet, it is extremely important to complete a warm-up to allow your body to get used to the high heart rate.
Benefits of a warm-up
When you are training, your heart rate can go up to 180 beats per minute (bpm). A warm-up ensures that your body gradually gets used to 180 bpm. A warm-up consists of several exercises that improve your performance.
- Stimulation of blood circulation.
- Increase in muscle temperature.
- Improvement of coordination.
- Airways become larger, allowing more oxygen to be absorbed.
- Gradual increase in heart rate and heart muscle capacity.
- Body temperature in the muscles rises, speeding up metabolism.
- Brain functions can better switch from rest to exertion.
Example warm-up
Is a warm-up really necessary?
Because a good warm-up quickly takes up a lot of time, many people tend to skip it. Yet, it is extremely important to do a warm-up. It not only helps to achieve your physical goals faster, but it also reduces injuries. A warm-up doesn't have to take very long. On average, you can have your body ready for a workout within fifteen minutes.
Cooling down
It is well known that starting with a warm-up is important. But a cool-down is still unfamiliar territory for many. A cool-down, as the name suggests, is the opposite of a warm-up. After a workout, it is important that the body is gently brought back to a resting level. If you stop abruptly after a workout, it results in muscle stiffness, tense, and tired muscles. With a good cool-down, you prevent this.
