Why Warm Up?
Sometimes you’re in a hurry to get your workout done so is
it okay to skip the warm up? NO! Here’s why:
it will make your workout unpleasant and maybe even dangerous! If you skip your warm up you could suffer joint
pain during your workout or worse muscle strain or injury. Not to mention it’s harder on your heart if
you just jump into your workout without a proper warm up.
Still not convince?
Well check this out: warming up properly
will actually improve your workout
performance!
performance!
The Purpose Of The Warm Up
The warm up is meant to increase overall body and muscle
temperature and also increase blood flow to the muscles you’ll be using most in
your workout.
Your warm up will include low intensity moves that are
specific to what you plan to do in your workout. For example, you don’t need to do pushups
before a run. Walking for 5-10 minutes
before your run would be more appropriate.
Let’s Take It A Bit Further
For anyone who participates regularly in physical activity there
is nothing more frustrating than an injury.
Taking your warm-up to the next level might be what you need to do.
Taking care of the pain source.
Did you know that
chronic joint pain and overuse injuries are caused by tightness in the muscles
above and below that joint? Knee pain is
often caused by tightness in the calves and quads. Got back pain? You probably have tight glutes, hamstrings
and hip flexors. Shoulder pain can be
caused by tight pecs and lats.
If you’re active, especially if you’re doing a lot of high
intensity training, over time you’ll develop scar tissue, adhesions and knots
that will eventually present itself as joint pain. What to do?
Self-massage! Self-massage is a
great way to loosen up muscles and prepare them for your workout. You can also do a little self-massage after
your workout just before you stretch.
Focus on your weaknesses.
We all have them. Maybe it’s a lack of flexibility, or bad
balance or imbalance in muscle strength from one side of the body to the
other. Knowing where your weaknesses are
is a very valuable thing – once you know what’s wrong you can take measures to
fix it.
One way to discover where you’re lacking is by going through
a Functional Movement Screen (FMS).
Basically it’s a ranking system used to identify limitations and asymmetries
that have been linked to an increased risk of injury. Once you know what these limitations and
asymmetries are you can focus on the proper exercises to improve these issues.
If you’d like to get one done and you’re in the Vancouver
area you can go see my favourite chiropractor Dr. Tony McDougall at Armitage& Associates in Kits or downtown at Performance Health Group. I’ve had it done….I was surprised by
the results!
Activate with mobility.
Mobility is just the
ability of a joint to move through a certain range of motion. Mobility requires a certain amount of flexibility
as well as strength, stability and neuromuscular control. Mobility exercises will often activate key
and often dormant muscles in your hips, core and shoulders.
Never Skip The Warm Up!
So as you see the warm up is an integral part of your
workout. If you skip it you run a huge
risk of injuring yourself or at very least not performing at your best during
your workout. Either way it’s worth the
5-10 minute time investment before you start your workout.
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