Personal trainer Antony Gray on how warming up helps muscles perform at their best and resist injury.
Any athlete will tell you that the importance of a warm-up prior to exercise cannot be overstressed and should be the first part of every training session. It raises the body temperature and prepares the muscles, nervous system, tendons, ligaments, joints and cardiovascular system for the exercise ahead. Thus, reducing the risk of injury through greater muscle elasticity and increasing the heart rate.
It is not advisable to rush straight in to a run as this tends to shock the body and increases the risk of injury and muscle tears. Think of your muscles as sticks of chewing gum - when you take it fresh out of the packet it tends to be very brittle, but once popped into the mouth and chewed for a few minutes, allowing it to warm up, it becomes pliable and stretchy. (I should emphasise, never eat chewing gum while running!)
Taking 10 to 25 minutes, your warm up should be carried out immediately before the run – starting slowly and gradually involving all the muscles and body parts used.
Walk the Walk
Walking should be the first exercise of your warm-up routine. Just walk slowly for three to five minutes. This circulates the blood through all the muscles, warming them and providing greater flexibility for stretching and exercise.
It is a good idea to accompany this with arm circles or shoulder rotations. This helps promote flexibility in the upper body, gets the cardiovascular system to get into gear effectively and prepares for the movement of the arms when running.
Run, Don’t Walk
After walking, warm the muscles further by running slowly for three to five minutes. The run should start out slowly and gradually increase in speed. Remember, the sole objective of this phase of the warm-up is circulating the blood and warming the muscles in preparation for more strenuous activity. Athletes never reach even 50 percent of their maximum effort by the end of the warm-up run.
Prep Stretches
Prep stretching aids the transfer of blood to specific muscles and a critical part of the warm-up. A flexible muscle is a stronger and healthier muscle. Strong, healthy muscles respond better to exercise and are better able to resist injury.
Prep stretches only need to be held for five or so seconds as that’s all it takes to get the flow of blood into the muscle. The muscle groups to stretch before running are the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, hip flexors, neck, shoulders and triceps. Simply hold your stretches at the point of tension (where it feels tight, but not painful) for about five seconds before moving onto the next muscle group.
Optimising Performance
Warming up properly will ensure that your body is optimised for its best performance and will ultimately make running more enjoyable. Remember, it’s not meant to be easy – but it doesn’t have to hurt either!
By Antony Gray, Morph Fitness & Health
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