Do I Really Need to Warmup?

Have you ever seen what happens to a cold rubber band? It’s not pretty. Cold and elasticity don’t go well together.

But do you know your muscles are essentially large (more complex) rubber bands? Just like with elastic bands, when they aren’t in the mood to stretch, they tear. Leaving us with an unpleasant injury.

I suffered my fair share of injuries. Some were just bad luck, but I later realized many came from a slack focus on injury prevention. Not with the workout itself, but my pre and post-workout routines (or lack thereof). A result of me foolishly trying to save a few minutes a day, at the expense of my health and gains.

The focus here is on a simple routine that could have prevented much misery over the years: warming up.

But what is it about warmups that make a difference? Why should you emphasize them? Did our ancestors pay attention to injury prevention? How do we know we’re warmed up?

Cold Muscles & Risk

Go into a workout cold and you put yourself under excess risk. Why? The elastic band concept.

Our muscles do not like to perform cold. The term “cold” in this scenario encapsulates many different variables, not strictly temperature (although it does play a role). Some of these additional variables include our circulatory system and central nervous system (CNS).

When cold, your musculoskeletal system is less prepared for movement and more prone to damage. Our circulatory system is also not functioning at it’s peak, especially if you’ve been sitting all day (think of starting a sluggish car on a cold morning). Likewise, our CNS isn’t expecting any high performance or quick reactions when mostly sedentary. It needs to be revved up as well.

Without preparing all these systems, our body is not ready, nor can it perform safely under increased physical performance. This opens the door to greater risk of injury. Throw in an ageing body, a reality for us all, and the risk only increases further.

History

Well what about our ancestors? Did they limber up before the need to sprint? Unlikely. I doubt they took a moment to stretch and loosen up as that threat came from around the corner.

However they did live a much different lifestyle than us. Often on the move, and certainly not sitting in a chair 16 hours a day. Sprinting or high intensity exercise for them was limited primarily to brief periods during a hunt or imminent threat. But they also spent several hours a day performing low intensity exercise like walking.

It just so happens this low intensity exercise is a great element to a well rounded warmup. So it’s likely our ancestors were already “warm” most of the day for those few moments they needed it.

Surely they still faced injuries. It’s just an unavoidable fact of life. Though it likely wasn’t as common as we’d think, and in their case it was for good reason: survival.

When Am I Warmed up?

Most of us don’t work a physically active job or spend most of our day moving around. We sit for long hours and our body slows down to adjust. When it comes time to exercise, we have more ground to cover.

This is why it’s critical to warmup before you exercise. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, just so long as you get blood circulating and raise your heart rate slightly.

There are a few markers to pay attention to. Breaking a sweat is the most obvious sign you’re ready to go. But look for additional markers, since you can sweat simply from a hot climate.

Another sign is when minor aches go away, usually after a few minutes. This can be a sign of improved circulation and joint flexibility.

Lastly, pay attention to the ease of your warmup. When you first start warming up your body doesn’t want to move, and you have to battle more resistance. Over the course of the warmup your muscles and joints become more flexible, your circulation improves, and you’ll find exertion becomes easier.

Incorporate a warmup into your workouts and pay attention to these clues. You’ll notice a boost in performance and a decrease in injuries.

Your body will thank you.

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Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash