The warm-up phase is one of the most important parts of a workout regimen. The benefits of a proper warm-up, and how to do it properly, will be explained in this article.
WHY WARM UP IN RUNNING
Training should not be seen as an unimportant part of the equation. It is an important part of any athlete’s preparation, and must be given the attention and time that it deserves. If you don’t pay attention to your warm-up, you could suffer injuries that could easily be avoided.
The stresses you impose on your body are what training is all about. Don’t think that it won’t hurt if you overtrain a certain muscle group just because you’ve been slacking off during your warm-up.
Injury-prone athletes often say they don’t feel the need for a proper warm-up because they work out hard anyway. That may be true in the short term, but over time it can lead to injury. In fact, one of the major causes of injury is not the activity itself, but rather how an individual responds to the activity.
And there is no activity that an individual can do too much of without risking long-term injury. The first half of your workout is the most important part. It sets the tone for the entire session.
GRADUAL INCREASE IN BODY TEMPERATURE
Stretching before and after exercising can help prevent injury by increasing muscle flexibility and preparing the body for exercise. Athletes who are stretching perform better. An immediate improvement in performance is experienced by non-athletes who stretch.
Stretching should not be painful. You should not feel a pull, a stretch or a tug when you do the stretches. If you do, stop and try again later. The idea is to become aware of any discomfort and then to eliminate it. When you are done stretching, you should feel much more flexible and limber. There are several different kinds of stretching exercises.
IMPROVEMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND RESPIRATORY DYNAMICS
Your body uses more oxygen when it exercises harder or for longer periods of time. You’ll use more oxygen when you exercise, and your maximum oxygen consumption will go up.
IMPROVEMENT OF BIOMECHANICAL DYNAMICS AND NEUROMUSCULAR TRANSMISSION
Over time, the athlete improves his or her ability to control and direct muscular contraction throughout the whole movement, increasing its speed and efficiency.
IMPROVEMENT OF JOINT EFFICIENCY
At the level of the articulations, heating promotes the production of synovial fluid. The results are better lubrication and less wear of the articulations. Warming up allows us to mentally prepare ourselves better for the effort.
At the muscular level, warming up promotes vasodilation (dilation of blood vessels) which increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.
HOW TO WARM UP IN RUNNING
The warm-up is the most important part of any exercise routine. If you don’t have a properly executed warm-up, you can increase your risk of injury. No matter what your goal is, without a proper warm-up you will not achieve it.
The best warm-up is a long, low-intensity jog that increases your heart rate but doesn’t elevate it to the point of making you uncomfortable. As the minutes go by, you will increase your speed until you achieve your desired intensity.
Running sprints can be used for improving neuromuscular transmission and for finding agility in running action. The length of each sprint is 100 meters, and the recommended number of sprints is between 4 and 8.
The speed recommended by R. Albanesi is the following:
– First extension: 30 seconds slower than the 10,000m pace
– Second extension: 10,000m pace
– Third extension: 5000m pace
– Fourth to eighth extension: 1500m pace.
The warm-up is the most important part of any exercise routine. If you don’t have a properly executed warm-up, you can increase your risk of injury. No matter what your goal is, without a proper warm-up you will not achieve it.
The best warm-up is a long, low-intensity jog that increases your heart rate but doesn’t elevate it to the point of making you uncomfortable. As the minutes go by, you will increase your speed until you achieve your desired intensity.
Running sprints can be used for improving neuromuscular transmission and for finding agility in running action. The length of each sprint is 100 meters, and the recommended number of sprints is between 4 and 8.
Do not do more than 8 unless you are an experienced runner. Sprinting helps develop fast twitch muscle fibers which are essential for faster running. Once you are done with your warm-up, you should feel limber and loose and be ready to start your run.
Start your run at a slow pace and keep it easy for the first 5-minutes. During this time you should become accustomed to the running surface and get yourself loosened up. After 5-minutes, begin to pick up the pace.
Your goal is to reach 70% of your maximum heart rate as determined by your age. For example, if you are 40 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 180 beats per minute. If you jog at a 7:00 per minute pace, you would be jogging at (7 x 60. or 420 meters per minute.