Do I need to warm up before I exercise?
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Dr. Mehmet Oz answered:Before beginning any exercise, warm up your muscles for about 5 minutes to prevent injury. Remember, your muscles are like spaghetti strands, and they're pliable when they're warm (and more injury-prone if they're not). Jogging, brisk walking, cycling, or doing exercises with light or no weight will help prepare your muscles for activity.
One good rule: Do the same exercise you will be doing but at a slower pace or with lighter weight. Your goal is to move your joints through the same range of motion as they will do with exercise—to raise your heart rate and to increase the temperature of your muscles (which will make them more viscous and less likely to be injured).
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Before beginning any exercise, warm up your muscles for about 5 minutes to prevent injury. Remember, your muscles are like spaghetti strands, and they're pliable when they're warm (and more injury-prone if they're not). Jogging, brisk walking,... More -
UnitedHealthcare answered:Warming up for five to 10 minutes before you begin exercising helps raise the core temperature of your body and your muscles. This prepares the muscles and joints for more intense activity. Warm-ups also help:
•Improve the elasticity of your muscles
•Promote circulation
•Give you better muscle control
•Reduce muscle fatigue
A general warm-up can be any light, continuous movement using the large muscle groups. This might be marching or jogging in place. Your warm-up should produce a little sweat, but not leave you feeling fatigued. Some people opt to include flexibility or stretching exercises after they have finished the aerobic activity.
Before you start any fitness program, talk to your doctor about what activity is right for you.
Warming up for five to 10 minutes before you begin exercising helps raise the core temperature of your body and your muscles. This prepares the muscles and joints for more intense activity. Warm-ups also help: •Improve the elasticity of your... More -
Dr. Dean Ornish answered:If you begin exercising too quickly, without warming up, you'll draw too heavily on your anaerobic system. As a result, you'll fatigue quickly and build up a lot of lactic acid. Likewise, cooling down for a few minutes after exercising allows your body time to return to normal.
Regular activation of the aerobic energy system causes it to become more efficient. In order to get a training effect, the type of exercise you choose must use large muscle groups (such as your arms and legs), be rhythmical, and be continuous. Examples of aerobic exercise are brisk walking, biking, jogging, rowing, swimming, cross-country skiing, and aerobic dance. Activities, in which you move only intermittently, such as golf, baseball, or bowling, tend to activate the anaerobic system and thus do not help to achieve as much of a training effect.
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If you begin exercising too quickly, without warming up, you'll draw too heavily on your anaerobic system. As a result, you'll fatigue quickly and build up a lot of lactic acid. Likewise, cooling down for a few minutes after exercising allows your... More -
National Academy of Sports Medicine answered:To minimize the risk of injury, you should prepare your body for movement each time you get ready to exercise. You can do this by foam rolling muscles that feel tight, and following the foam rolling up with static stretching. After stretching, do a full body exercise to get all of your muscles working in unison again. A great exercise for this would a simple lunge or squat followed by an overhead raise.
Once finished, your body is ready to move and complete the rest of your workout!
Helpful? 1 person found this helpfulTo minimize the risk of injury, you should prepare your body for movement each time you get ready to exercise. You can do this by foam rolling muscles that feel tight, and following the foam rolling up with static stretching. After stretching, do a... More -
American Diabetes Association answered:Warm-ups help get the blood flowing a little more quickly, which helps your body prepare for more vigorous work. You should warm up gradually by walking slowly, doing light calisthenics, or dancing. You want to gradually increase your heart rate to within 20 beats of your target range. The warm-up also gives your muscles and joints a chance to loosen up.
End your warm-up with stretching each part of your body. No single stretch can take care of your whole body. Begin at your neck and work down to the ankles. Start with neck rotations, move to shoulder rolls and arm swings, do a gentle knee bend, and finish with ankle rotations. Stretch the tendons that support your major joints to the point of tension, but not to the point of pain. Do NOT bounce as you stretch because it is hard on joints and muscles. Breathe deeply and relax into the stretch. Each joint and muscle group should be stretched for 5–30 seconds. You are prepared now to get the full benefit of your aerobic exercise without injury.
Warm-ups help get the blood flowing a little more quickly, which helps your body prepare for more vigorous work. You should warm up gradually by walking slowly, doing light calisthenics, or dancing. You want to gradually increase your heart rate to... More
