A warm-up increases your core body temperature, which helps to make your muscles more pliable. You’ll get a fuller range of movement, have more control, perform better and be less likely to get an injury.
The best way to warm up is to perform dynamic stretches, such as big arm circles and marching knee lifts, for one to two minutes – especially crucial in cold weather when muscles are stiffer.
Never rush through warm-up and cool-down sessions
You might want to push straight to your desired speed while out running, or you think it’s ok to sneak into your workout class after warm-up or leave without doing the cool-down.
However, it’s important to warm up and cool down properly to prepare your muscles for the workout ahead, and to speed up recovery and avoid injury.
This is one of the biggest controversies in fitness.
Will stretching help you get a better workout? Probably.
Does it matter how you do it? For the average person, probably not.
Research shows that long static stretches, in which you hold the area still for 60 to 90 seconds, can cause a decrease in force and power, but by only about 3-6%.
And if you hold the stretch for a shorter duration, there’s not much difference at all.
Regardless, according to a majority of studies, dynamic stretching – moving while you stretch – doesn’t negatively affect performance, therefore this form of stretching is recommended after a warm-up.
A dynamic warm-up is much more efficient at preparing your body for a workout, as well as preventing injury.
Dynamic stretching sends blood to your muscles without inhibiting their strength. It allows the muscle to stretch through its full range of motion without holding the stretch point too long.
Static stretches, which hold the stretch point for longer, promote relaxation. Try some dynamic stretches that replicate the movements you’ll be making in your workout. For example, think high-knee marches before a run.