Warm up and Cool down Too Are a Part of Your Fitness Regime

Doing warm-up exercises is an important part of any exercise regimen. It may not seem like it at first, but you’ll notice that persisting with it (and doing it before your workouts) helps you achieve better results in lesser time. It is the key to releasing your body’s full energy potential in a workout session because it pumps your ability to get your muscles all “warmed-up” before any exercise routine.

Warming-up can make a huge difference in how you perform your workout. Whether you are a newbie that’s still starting your health program or already a fitness buff who is a pro when it comes to exercise and working out, a warmup is a mandatory part of your routine.

10 Benefits of Warm-Up

Importance of warmup

We are presenting the top ten benefits of warming up, and just why you should take to these easy no-equipment workouts< before you commit yourself to the more strenuous exercises of the day. Here they are:

Warming up conditions your muscles for the workout:

The main idea of the warm-up is to get your muscles fired-up for your routine. Most of your muscles are in a period of stasis before the workout and it’s important to do warm-up exercises o “wake” them up. If you don’t do it, you’ll feel sluggish doing your workout only after a few reps or so.

Warm-up is essential to prevent injury:

It is not only in an exercise that warm-up matters greatly, for athletes too get their bodies all warmed-up before they work on their game. Why? Because when you warm-up properly, the muscles can stretch further without breaking.

It releases tension:

Warming up before any type of fitness drill gradually increases the strength of the joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Without proper warm-up (especially for athletes), physical injuries are imminent and can hinder good performance.

Easy to be made into a schedule:

It is the same principle when it comes to your routines. A warm-up won’t injure your muscles and can keep you away from days of pain resulting from abrupt workouts.

Increases flexibility:

A bit of stretching reduces the probability of injury by increasing the maximum load that the body can take and by boosting the flexibility of muscles. You could push yourself further to get better results.

It conditions you psychologically:

While pre-workout stretching prepares the body for the strain, it can also tell your brain that you are going to take on a physical challenge. This can help you push harder in the same time.

Prepares you for exertion:

When you start to warm-up, the body sets the appropriate conditions for your body needed for the upcoming minutes of exertion during your routine. As the heart rate gradually increases and the muscles become warm, the brain is reminded that you are going to expend energy.

Caution:

This is especially important for the newbies because the right mindset can help you to finish your workout. Even if it is so much tempting to leave out warming-up from your workout schedule altogether, you should not make this mistake.

Several workouts require expert guidance and if you don’t have someone to guide you through, you may consult an online fitness coach through video conferencing. You may choose your trainer, avail of his or her guidance on-demand anytime and anywhere on your smartphone, no matter where you are!

Improved performance:

You can get yourself physically and mentally charged for the challenge ahead. This would translate into a better performance over time by keeping you away from regular pains and cramps that might plague you if you start unprepared.

Better range of movement:

As one of the main benefits of warmups, a better range of movement can’t be overlooked. It always pays to start with some pre-match practice because it aligns the body for a better range of movement, even after you are done with the exercises.

More blood flow and oxygen to the brain:

This is crucial to keep working with the same steam as when you had entered the gym. As you work out, you prepare your body and mind with an increased flow of blood and oxygen to your brain, thus helping it act faster and better.

Smart tip: Wearing a premium fitness device is also recommended.

The most successful people in the sports and fitness industry know about warming up at the beginning. So if you want to do better in your work-outs, you should do a proper (and appropriate) warm-up as advised by your fitness trainer.

Just as important it is to cool down after the practice sessions are done. We are next discussing why you should go this way once you are done with your daily routine of lifting irons.

Dynamic Warmup Exercises

It is important to prepare yourself physically and mentally before you going to the gym. Dynamic warmup exercises bring you closer to that and can also help you get the best of your upcoming workouts. The same is applicable for something as basic as stair climbing or something as advanced as HIIT and Pilates.

A dynamic warm-up stretching is nothing more than just a minor flexing of one’s muscles and tendons through a wide range of motions. It prepares the body for the more intense and strenuous exercises that are coming up. It helps the brain get more oxygen by increasing blood pressure and blood sugar levels, besides preventing physical injuries and sprains, and boosting your overall performance.

Here are some simple dynamic warmup exercises you can do right now:

Knee Hugs or Knee to Chest Walks

Carioca
Backpedal Jog
Heel Walks
Toe Walks
Inverted Hamstring Stretch
Walking Quad Stretch
Spiderman Lunge
Rotational Lunge
Lateral Lunge
Walking Knee to Chest
Lunge Walk with Twist

Importance of Cooldown

Why are cool down sessions important?

An equally important but polar opposite concept is cool down. Just as warm-up tunes your body into the more strenuous activities ahead, a session of cool down brings your body and mind from a state of exalted motion in due course.

Here are some reasons why you should consider cool down as an important part of your daily regimen:

1. Slows down breathing and heart rate

2. Relaxes your body and mind

3. Helps you know that you have done your best today

4. Prevents blood from pooling

5. Prevents injury, allows tendons to control any strain

6. Reduces muscle stiffness and soreness

7. Maintains blood pressure, blood oxygen, and pulse rate

Looking for Some Easy Warm-up or Cooldown Exercises That You Can Do at Home?

These were some easy ways to do warmup exercises that you can pursue to get the max out of your workouts. You can consider doing planks, squats, side lunges, pushups, and triceps warmups. You can also jog your way to the gym if it is located nearby- it would also serve the same purpose. We recommend that you consult a personal trainer and have a fitness-centric diet for the best results.

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