Why you MUST warm up before exercise
Warming up is arguably THE most important part of your exercise session or sporting competition.
But why, and what should you do?
First, the why
The purpose of warming up before your exercise session or sporting competition is to prepare you mentally and physically for whatever activity you are going to be undertaking.
An effective warm up should increase your heart rate and blood flow, thus allowing more oxygen to reach your muscles, as well as readying your connective tissues (tendons and ligaments) and increasing your ROM (range of motion).
All the above will not only allow you to perform better during the activity, but also lessen the likelihood of injury. None of us want to get injured so anything we can do to prevent it is a massive win.
So, what should your warm up look like?
As an absolute bare minimum, your warm up should include some form of heart raising activity such as light jogging, bike, rowing machine etc, as well as some form of dynamic movements, mimicking the movements you will be doing during your activity. Some examples of dynamic movements include arm circles, bodyweight squats and lunges, but there are countless more.
For a more comprehensive warm up, following the RAMP protocol is perfect.
R – Raise – Increase your heart rate, body temperature, blood flow, breathing rate and muscle elasticity.
A – Activate key muscle groups in preparation for the upcoming activity.
M – Mobilise key ranges of movement.
Options for the A & M sections include arm circles, lunges, twists, reach overs, single leg deadlifts, glute bridges, crab walks etc and you can incorporate bands.
P – Potentiate – This is where you prime yourself for the task ahead and fine tune any movements you are about to perform. The two main aims here are too,
Increase intensity to a comparable level you are about to undertake.
Improve subsequent performance utilising the effects of post-activation potentiation.
This is where you will include your sport specific drills or plyometric type exercises. These types of exercises help with your post activation potentiation.
In total, your warm up should last around 15-20 mins, split roughly as follows:
R – 5 mins
A & M – 5 mins
P – 5-10 mins
So, the next time you walk into the gym or onto the field of play, think RAMP and get it done. None of this, 2 mins on the bike or straight into the heavy stuff malarky.
Warm up properly and with purpose and your body and performance will thank you.