Why Warm Up Before Exercise is Important?

Preparing your body for exercising is necessary. And we have to do it both inside and out. Fuel in the body with good nutrition, as for me what works best before workout is Protein Intake. Thats for the inside, for the energy.
Let’s talk about the outside, which is warm up.

Several times, i would mention how important it is to come to my class earlier so they could do a proper warm up. Now it’s not only about discipline or mandatory by rules, its for the sake of the client’s safety.

Warm up is essential. It is work to prepare your body for dynamic, energetic activity. It reduces the risks of injury, and it also improves the potential performance and maximising the health benefits for you selected workout.

The purpose of Warm Up itself is to ease both body and mind from the state of rest into a state of strenuous activity

Warm Up routine should consist of

• A gentle loosening exercises
• Dynamic Strecth
• Work-Out Specific Movement/Exercise that will increase core and muscle temperature. This will helps muscle loose, supple and pliable.

A warm up should increase heart and respiratory rate to boost blood flow and supply of oxygen and nutrients to muscles. In which, helps to prepare your muscles, tendons and joints for actions.

Few Examples of Warm Up you can do

Cardio Work : Brisk Walk for few rounds till it leave your breath and heart rate slightly increase. Jogging, Skipping. Or any light 10 mins Cardio workout.

Gentle Loosening Exercise : Light Core Rotation, Light Neck rotation. Up and down movement like rolling down to fold and rolling up to stand.

Dynamic Stretch  : In warm up, its better to minimise the static stretch in which will let your muscles warm enough.

Workout Specific Exercise : For example, if you are doing a one hour dance workout, then your warm up should consist a light routine to get your muscles, joints ready. Practice your workout plan for few reps in a lighter way/or with lighter weight if you plan on weight lifting.

Even if you are not working out, you can still add warm up routine to prepare your body for the day. Try to do light jog, dynamic stretches as you woke up every morning.