Warming up

Geschatte leestijd: 21 minuten To prepare your body for the upcoming exertion and to keep yourself free from injuries in the future, a warm-up is essential when starting strength training. In addition to keeping your body free from injury, a warm-up can help improve blood circulation in the muscles and tendons and can initiate motor skills. This article discusses the physiological effects of a warm-up, the different ways to perform a warm-up, and how long and intense it should be according to research. It also examines the actual influence of a warm-up on subsequent activities. Will you actually perform better and reduce the risk of injuries? Furthermore, we’ll delve deeper into the role of the central nervous system, stretching, and doing cardio exercises as part of a warm-up.

The Warm-Up

Many people perform a warm-up because it’s a habit from their youth sports activities that traditionally start with a warm-up. Some do it to prevent injuries, while others aim to improve athletic performance during subsequent activities. However, some skip the warm-up due to time constraints in favor of “real training.” Exactly why a warm-up is necessary, how long it should be, how intense it should be, what exact effects it has, and whether and how it contributes to better results or fewer injuries are unclear to most. Understanding this can help make your warm-up more effective and motivate those who neglect or pay insufficient attention to warm-up. I used to be an example of this latter group. You know the drill: always busy and still wanting to train 4 to 6 times a week. Then it’s about finding the hours you can train, and in the limited time you have, you want to do as much as possible. Spending another ten minutes or so on a warm-up can quickly seem unattractive. However, if injuries prevent you from training optimally for weeks or longer and this could have been prevented by a warm-up, then those ten minutes actually seem like a very good investment.

English Definition of Warm-Up:

• “a period or act of preparation for a game, performance, or exercise session, involving gentle exercise or practice” (http://oxforddictionaries.com)
• “To prepare for an athletic event by exercising, stretching, or practicing for a short time beforehand.” (www.thefreedictionary.com)
• “the act or an instance of warming up; also : a preparatory activity or procedure” (www.merriam-webster.com)
• ” to exercise in preparation for and immediately before a game, contest, or more vigorous exercise” (www.collinsdicitionary.com)

The (shown) Dutch definitions are not very uniform, nor do they cover all relevant points. Stating “to loosen the muscles” doesn’t really say anything. It’s not like I detach my biceps from my arm and hang it on a coat rack. Most people may have their ideas about this, but what exactly is the process in the body that “loosens” the muscles? The definition from nederlands-woordenboek.com is more precise, but it describes only one of the effects of warm-up while there are more. The English definitions are more uniform in the sense that all emphasize “preparation.” A better definition could be: “The individual optimal psychophysical preparation for strenuous motor exertion in training and contests” [1].

The main reason for a warm-up is to prepare the body for the heavy load that follows.

The rest of this article discusses the different ways this happens and the various methods by which this can be done. Regarding stretching: TheFreedictionary.com also mentions “stretching” in the definition. Although stretching is often done as part of the warm-up, these are two different activities with different purposes, the effects of which have been demonstrated to varying degrees. Stretching will thus be the subject of the fifth part in this series on muscle function and growth.

Effects of a Warm-Up

The main effect of a warm-up is that the body temperature increases [2]. This occurs mainly due to the friction generated in the muscles when the myosin and actin filaments slide past each other. Increasing the temperature has various effects on the body. American researcher Frank Shellock published his research in 1983 on the effects of a warm-up, most of which are caused by the increased temperature. He found the following effects [3]:

1. Improving Oxygen Supply to Muscle Cells by Breaking Down Oxyhemoglobin

Oxyhemoglobin is formed by red blood cells binding with oxygen. This binding with oxygen occurs in the capillaries of the lungs. Via the blood in the arteries, it is transported to various parts of the body, including the muscles. To make the oxygen available, the bond between oxygen and globin must be broken again. A warm-up accelerates/increases this breakdown.

2. Improving Oxygen Transport from Cell Membrane to Powerhouse of Muscle Cell

Once at the muscle, the oxygen still needs to be transferred from the cell membrane (“shell”) of the muscle cell to the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the muscle cell. This occurs via myoglobin. Myoglobin is an oxygen-binding protein that can transport oxygen. The release of oxygen by myoglobin to the powerhouse of the muscle cell is improved by a warm-up.

3. Reducing the Required Amount of Energy for Metabolic Processes in the Muscle Cell

Chemical reactions in the muscle cell require energy. As described in earlier sections, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is an important energy source in the muscle cell. This energy is needed for connecting and releasing the myosin and actin filaments, but also for the release of calcium via the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The amount of ATP required for this is reduced by a warm-up. For every degree the body temperature rises, the speed of metabolic processes in the cell increases by 13% [4].

4. Mechanical Efficiency

Viscosity refers to stickiness, the resistance of and/or caused by a liquid or a gas. If you pour water into a bucket and stir it, this gives less resistance than when you stir putty in a bucket. However, the terminology is confusing in this context. In the case of muscles, resistance is not caused by a fluid that should become thinner to reduce resistance (as when you add water to the wine paint). When using muscles, resistance is actually caused by the friction between the attachments of muscles and the surrounding capsule. Within the joint capsule, there are bursae. Under pressure, for example during training, these release synovial fluid which serves to lubricate and reduce friction. Think of it as motor oil in a car. The better the lubrication, the more efficiently the muscles work because less energy needs to be wasted on friction. When there is little lubricant but heavy loading occurs immediately, the risk of irritation and potential inflammation of the joint due to friction is greater. In this case, it is indeed the fluid that reduces friction rather than causing it.

5. Nerve impulses travel faster and sensitivity of nerve receptors in muscle cells is increased.

The brain controls muscles through nerve impulses, signals that travel from the brain to the receivers on the membrane of the muscle cell. A warm-up ensures that these signals travel faster, and also that the receptors (the receivers) are better able to process them.

6. Blood supply to muscle increases

This provides more oxygen, water, and nutrients to the muscles.

7. The cardiovascular response to sudden, intense exertion is improved.

The chance of abnormally high heart rate in response to sudden, intense exertion is reduced by a warm-up. In a study simply called “The heart needs warm-up time”, researchers looked at heart rhythm after moderate-intensity running on a treadmill without warming up. Abnormal heart rhythms were found in 30% of cases afterward. With just two minutes of warming up, this was not the case [5].

Warming up, the heart, and the autonomic nervous system

First, some information about the heart and heart rate in general to understand the role of warming up in this and how. The heart is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. This means that it is unconsciously controlled, and we cannot (directly) control it. Control occurs via two parts of the nervous system. The parasympathetic nerve (or parasympathetic nervous system) is the part that brings the body into a “rest and recovery” state and slows down the heart rate. The sympathetic nerve (sympathetic nervous system) is the part of the autonomic nervous system that affects the organs in such a way that the body can perform work and is responsible for, among other things, accelerating the heart rate. The sympathetic nervous system also widens the blood vessels in the muscles (leading to better blood flow) and increases the breathing rate (leading to more oxygen intake) but inhibits digestion, reducing the need for blood in the intestines. Also, under the influence of the sympathetic nervous system, the contraction force of the heart increases, leading to increased blood pressure. Your heart rate is the result of the operation of these two parts of the nervous system. During sleep, the parasympathetic nerve predominates, and the heart rate can drop to below 40 to 60 beats per minute. The sympathetic nerve dominates during activity, emotional stress, and excitement, and can raise the heart rate well above 100 beats per minute. There can be significant individual differences in heart rate from person to person. In general, women’s heart rates are faster than men’s. Also, the heart rate of young people is generally higher than that of older people.

Low heart rate, high heart rate, and maximum heart rate

Bradycardia is a slowed heart rate that is lower than 60 beats per minute. Tachycardia is an accelerated heart rate that is higher than 100 beats per minute. Maximum heart rate is expressed as 220 minus your age. This is important because the intensity at which you train cardio (or should/want to train) is usually expressed as a percentage of this maximum heart rate. As the heart rate increases, the sympathetic nervous system works harder, and the parasympathetic works less. From a heart rate of about 120 beats per minute, the parasympathetic nervous system is generally completely deactivated. By increasing your heart rate, you allow the autonomic nervous system to adjust to action with all the consequences mentioned (widening blood vessels, increasing breathing rate, increasing blood pressure). This is achieved through a warm-up.

Different types of Warm-up: Passive and Active

You can distinguish between different types of warm-up. One distinction you can make is:

• Passive warm-up: Warm-up is done by external heat sources such as a sauna, warm bath, etc.
• Active warm-up: Warm-up is done by internal heat sources through activity

Differences between passive and active

Various studies have been done on the difference between passive warm-up and active warm-up with, unfortunately, different outcomes. Researchers at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria had volunteers do cardio as active warm-up and lie in a warm bath as passive warm-up [6]. They measured oral temperature. Normally, rectal temperature is a better indication of temperature within the body. However, they measured oral temperature because apparently the Nigerian subjects preferred not to have rectal measurements done (in Nigerian, this is called “Geh gmeet ah mreet”). Other Nigerian researchers encountered this problem as well: “described the rectal method of temperature measurement as unhygienic, distressing and embarrassing to adults and capable of spreading infection.” [7]. As a half Nigerian (as a half-blood, not as someone missing half the body), I fully agree with this. The researchers therefore took into account that oral temperature is about half a degree lower than rectal temperature [8]. The Nigerians found no significant difference between the temperature of people who had done active warm-up and those who had done passive warm-up. Australian researchers did see a difference in temperature rise between passive and active warm-up [9]. The Nigerians themselves mention this in their research, but point out that the Australians only heated the legs and the Nigerians the whole body, which could explain the difference in research results. Incidentally, the Australians did measure rectal temperature (the Aussies apparently have less trouble with that). The Nigerians did see that the temperature did not differ significantly, but they also saw that the effect on the heart did differ. After a passive warm-up, they did not see an increase in heart rate, blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic), and the so-called rate-pressure product (total heart load due to heart rate and blood pressure). This indicates that many of the positive effects of an active warm-up do not occur with a passive warm-up. This was also the conclusion of Austrian researchers who measured the differences between no warm-up, passive warm-up, and active warm-up. They mainly looked at differences in the recovery period and saw that after an active warm-up, the total oxygen uptake was greater, the amount of lactate was less, and the heart rate recovered more quickly.

So active or passive warming up?

You could deduce from this that the temperature rise is only partly responsible for the various benefits of a warm-up. An active warm-up is therefore recommended over a passive warm-up. A passive warm-up is, however, interesting for patients where the load must be kept as low as possible. In that case, however, you should consider which activity the warm-up should prepare for if an active warm-up itself is already too heavy. Voor wat betreft de effecten door een hogere lichaamstemperatuur geldt in beide gevallen dat deze met 1° tot 2° celsius moet stijgen [10].

Verschillende soorten warming up: Algemeen en specifiek

Een ander onderscheid is die tussen een algemene warming-up en een specifieke warming-up. Een algemene warming up bestaat uit oefeningen die niet gebaseerd of gericht zijn op de training die volgt. Bijvoorbeeld wanneer je een warming up doet op een roeibank terwijl je hierna borst en triceps traint. De duwende beweging in de benen en de trekkende beweging van de armen heeft niets te maken met de duwende beweging met de armen die je maakt bij de borst en triceps oefening. Je profiteert in dat geval vooral van de gestegen lichaamstemperatuur, maar niet van bijvoorbeeld de verbeterde verbinding tussen de hersenen en de spieren. Een specifieke warming up is juist wel gericht op de hierop volgende training. Het roeien zou wel een vorm van een specifieke warming up zijn wanneer je hierna rug of biceps traint waarbij ook van een trekkende en arm-buigende beweging gebruik wordt gemaakt. Nog specifieker is wanneer je gewoon begint met je eerste rugoefening, maar deze met een lichter gewicht uitvoert om warm te worden. Hierbij kan het effect op de lichaamstemperatuur weer niet of langzamer optreden afhankelijk van o.a. de snelheid waarmee je de oefening uitvoert. Bij een specifieke warming up verbeter je vooral de hersen-spier-verbinding waardoor je mentaal en fysiek nog beter bent voorbereid op de specifieke belasting die volgt. Meer hierover verder in het stuk onder “Warming up in de praktijk”.

Minder blessures door warming up?

Aantonen dat een warming up leidt tot minder blessures is moeilijk omdat blessures kunnen ontstaan door een groot aantal verschillende variabelen. Of ik een warming up gedaan heb of niet maakt waarschijnlijk weinig uit als ik een halterstang van 200 kilo op m’n grote teen laat vallen. Bovendien komen we hier weer het probleem tegen dat sommige onderzoekers kijken naar het effect van een warming up in combinatie met stretchen en dit niet los van elkaar bekijken. Het is dan ook niet vreemd dat er verschillende resultaten uit deze onderzoeken naar boven komen. Onderzoeken bij dieren hebben aangetoond dat er grotere druk en grotere rek nodig is om warme spieren geblesseerd te laten raken [11].  In een ander onderzoek keken ze of er een verschil was in blessures bij activiteiten na een warming up met stretchen of een warming up zonder stretchen. Ze zagen geen verschil. Dit zou een mooie aanwijzing zijn dat de warming up hieraan bijdraagt en niet het stretchen ware het niet dat de onderzoekers “vergaten” een controlegroep geen van beide te laten doen. Hierdoor kan er dus niet vergeleken worden met het aantal blessures zonder warming up. In Chicago lieten onderzoekers van de Northwestern University 1492 vrouwelijke scholieren die aan sport deden (vooral voetbal en basketbal) een specifieke warming up doen die gegeven werd door 90 coaches die hiervoor opgeleid werden [12]. De warming up was in dit geval neuromusculair en bestond uit kracht-oefeningen, plyometrische oefeningen en wendbaarheidsoefeningen. Zij zagen dat in de groep die een warming up had gedaan er minder gevallen waren van knie-, enkel en kruisband blessures [12]. Australische onderzoekers vergeleken meerdere onderzoeken op dit punt en vonden vijf kwalitatief goede onderzoeken [13]. Van deze vijf onderzoeken waren er drie die aangaven dat een warming up de kans op blessures verkleint. De andere twee toonden geen (significant) verschil aan. Ook de leden van de “Joint Services Physical Training Injury Prevention Work Group” (zeg dat maar eens snel, drie keer achter elkaar) kwamen tot dezelfde conclusie na vergelijking van 13 onderzoeken [26]. Deze taskforce van het Amerikaanse ministerie van defensie vergeleek de onderzoeken ter optimalisatie van de trainingsmethodes in het leger. Zij zagen dat vooral een specifieke warming up, gericht op de sport die volgt, de kans op blessures verlaagt. Zoals gezegd, kunnen er vele oorzaken zijn voor een blessure. Het lijkt aannemelijk dat deze beperkt kunnen worden voorzover deze veroorzaakt worden door beperkte elasticiteit in de spier, beperkte doorbloeding, beperkte zuurstofopname etc. Met andere woorden voorzover deze te wijten zijn aan die lichaamsprocessen die verbeterd worden door een warming up (wat erg logisch lijkt). Een goede warming up zal je niet in staat stellen een dumbell van 50kg te koppen zonder hier last van te krijgen. Dat lijkt een zin met een zeer hoog “Duhhh-gehalte”, maar deze dient ter illustratie van het feit dat ondanks al je voorbereidingen, poep nog steeds kan gebeuren.

Minder spierpijn door warming up?

Voorop gesteld: De meesten die zich bezighouden met bodybuilding hebben geen enkel probleem met “goede” spierpijn, ook wel de delayed onset muscle soreness. Het wordt juist gezien als een teken van een training die heeft geleid tot hypertrofie, de groei van spieren door herstel van beschadiging (“No pain, no gain”), hoewel er niet altijd een één op één verband is. De Australische onderzoekers Law en Herbert verdeelden 52 vrijwilligers over vier groepen [14]. Een groep deed een warming up en cool down, de tweede groep deed alleen een warming up, de derde alleen cooling down en de vierde groep deed niets (controlegroep). De warming up en cooling down bestonden uit 10 minuten lopen op een loopband, zo’n 5 km/uur en 3 graden helling. De training zelf werd excentrisch uitgevoerd omdat hiervan bekend is dat dit het snelst leidt tot spierpijn. Ze kwamen tot de conclusie dat een warming up een kleine beperking van de spierpijn kan veroorzaken (13%). Toen onderzoekers van de University of  Tennessee  een vergelijkbaar soort onderzoek deden, kwamen ze in 1986 tot een andere conclusie [15]. Ze keken naar de combinatie warming up en stretchen of alleen stretchen. Uit hun onderzoek bleek dat geen van beide leidde tot minder spierpijn in de drie dagen volgend op een training. In Utrecht onderzochten ook Roodenburg en collega’s de beperkende invloeden op spierpijn, maar combineerden een warming up van 15 minuten met stretchen en massage [16]. Zij zagen een beperking in spierpijn van 1 punt op een schaal van zes. De vraag is dus echter in hoeverre de warming up, het stretchen of de massage aan dit resultaat heeft bijgedragen. Bovendien gaven de onderzoekers zelf aan dat er te grote verschillen waren in de resultaten van de groep die een warming up gedaan had en gestretched had om te stellen dat dit effect heeft. Als je dus al kan stellen dat een warming up eventuele spierpijn kan beperken dan lijkt dit effect beperkt. Aangezien het beperken van spierpijn voor vele serieuze sporters op zich al geen doel is, zal dit voor hen geen reden zijn een warming up te doen.

Psychologisch effect warming up

Een groot voordeel van een warming up is dat je geestelijk bent voorbereid op de training. Zittend op de fiets of lopend op de loopband kijk je bijvoorbeeld over het gedeelte van de sportschool waar krachttraining gedaan wordt en kan je niet wachten om met “de echte training te beginnen”.  Net als dat je tijdens het sporten op de bank moet zitten en je zit op te vreten terwijl je team het verprutst. Je zit dan te popelen om aan de slag te kunnen. Vooral wanneer je zo iemand bent die de warming up het liefst zou overslaan is het net als eten van je groente voordat je aan je toetje mag. Niet alleen krijg je zin in de krachttraining, maar je voelt je hier na de warming up ook klaar voor. In plaats van stijfjes met je oefening te beginnen heb je je systeem al ingesteld op “standje actie!”. According to researchers from the University of Illinois, this psychological effect was even the most important effect of warming up that contributes to better athletic performance [17]. They hypnotized their subjects so that they would forget they had done a warm-up. Subsequently, it turned out that their performance was no longer better than the group that actually had not done a warm-up. This was also demonstrated in reverse seven years earlier (1954) by researchers who used hypnosis to make people think they had done a warm-up and saw that this improved their performance [18].

Warming up increases testosterone, but not cortisol

A warm-up increases your testosterone level, but not that of the catabolic stress hormone cortisol. This was revealed in a study at Emory University in Atlanta where they examined the saliva of volleyball players and tennis players [19]. They were curious about the effect of a warm-up on the muscle-building and strengthening hormone testosterone and on the muscle-breaking stress hormone cortisol. It is known that intensive training increases the levels of both. However, in this study, the researchers found that testosterone increased, but cortisol did not. This is exactly what you want, of course. Furthermore, the researchers observed that during the subsequent match following the warm-up, testosterone levels remained higher and thus were benefited from from the beginning of the match. The level of cortisol only began to rise during the match. So, you can argue that testosterone rises during the warm-up and you benefit from this throughout the further training. For cortisol, it is less clear whether it rises during a warm-up because studies on this topic show contradictory results. This may be caused by the type of warm-up. In the case of the study among volleyball players and tennis players, only a warm-up one hour before the match was mentioned. If this is a warm-up like in many game sports, then a large part of the training is focused on skill and improving the connection between the brain and the muscles. For example, a tennis player will serve some balls, hit from the baseline, and stand at the net. This does not necessarily have to cost a lot of energy, which would cause cortisol to be produced (to provide energy through the breakdown of proteins in muscles). In Brazil, researchers also looked at the hormonal effects, but they compared the effects of cardio followed by neuromuscular training/strength training and vice versa [20]. In both groups (recreationally trained young men with an average age of 23), they saw that testosterone increased, although this was more the case when aerobic training was done first and then strength training (the order you apply when you do a warm-up) instead of the other way around. Unlike the study in Atlanta, cortisol increased in both cases after the first part of the training and then dropped again after finishing the second part (regardless of the order). In the Brazilian study, training was done at 75% of maximum heart rate. In terms of energy systems, this can occur in two different energy systems (aerobic and anaerobic) depending on the trainedness of the subjects. In any case, there is a good chance that training was done at an intensity higher than during preparation for a tennis or volleyball match. This could explain why cortisol is elevated. If that is the case, you could prevent this by training at an intensity no higher than 70% of your maximum heart rate (or even 60% if you are untrained). However, more research would need to be done in which the warm-up is done at different intensities and the effects are compared. Cortisol is always a personal concern of mine when it comes to combining any form of cardio with strength training because your strength training is extended by this, while no more food comes in. The chances are high that your body remains in a catabolic state until you take in food after training. This was also shown in the two-part article I wrote about combining strength training with cardio. It turned out that this almost always comes at the expense of optimal results from strength training because glycogen is depleted earlier, the fuel for your muscles. This leads to an energy deficit more quickly, causing your body to increase cortisol more quickly, which then leads to more fat being burned for energy, but also to proteins in the muscles being broken down into amino acids which can then be converted back into fuel.

Better athletic performance through warm-up?

You have read enough to reasonably assume that a warm-up leads to better athletic performance. However, you first need to consider what “better performance” means. When it comes to muscle growth, a good performance is when you have stressed your muscles “beyond the point of failure.” For muscle growth, it is important that you exhaust the muscles in the right way to stimulate growth as described in the article: hypertrophy and muscle growth. How much weight or repetitions you need for this is of secondary importance. Good bodybuilders know how to find ways to make a weight heavier through technical execution (large “range of motion”, keeping muscles tense, forced repetitions, etc). This is a completely different principle than, for example, powerlifters who like to see that they can move more weight with as little effort as possible. Furthermore, many bodybuilders use the principle of “pre-fatigue”. They do this by using a relatively light weight to do a few sets with relatively many repetitions to fatigue the muscle before the actual training begins in order to have a greater chance of exhausting it. They know that during the actual training they are less strong than without pre-fatigue, but again, it is about how much the muscle is stressed and not what number is written on the dumbbell. The athletic performances, as will be further described in the research into the effectiveness of a warm-up, are therefore less applicable to anyone focused on muscle mass as a result than to other sports.

Research results effectiveness warm-up

Researchers from New Zealand compared performance during cycling after a warm-up and without a warm-up [21]. They found that there was no significant difference in both average power and peak power, although the latter did tend to be a bit higher after a warm-up. With strength training, especially with exercises such as the bench press, squat, and deadlift, there is evidence that a warm-up with lighter weights increases the subsequent performance [22,23]. The same applies to plyometric training. After doing a warm-up, which consisted of 10 minutes of cycling at 75% of maximum heart rate, the athletes jumped on average 5% higher than when they did not warm-up [24]. An extensive warm-up among experienced runners led to a 1% higher average speed during a race, while the finish time was 0.7% faster [25]. This may not seem like much, but if you calculate this to a marathon time of 3 hours, this means a difference of 2 minutes and 6 seconds. In running, every second counts! But also in ball sports, such as basketball and volleyball, a warm-up leads to better performance [26]. In the case of basketball players, a warm-up led to 4% more accurate throwing while there was no difference for volleybal players. Nevertheless, the warm-up is advisable for both groups, partly because the incidence of injury is also lower with a warm-up. Furthermore, in a study among soccer players, a warm-up was shown to lead to a 3% higher sprint speed and 3% greater agility [27]. As you can see, the effects are modest, but the numbers all add up. Moreover, you cannot really lose much by doing a warm-up, because even if you do not see the numbers, it does contribute to the connection between your muscles and your brain (neuromuscular adaptation). Even if the effect is only 1%, if you add up all the different aspects of the warm-up, the effect can still be quite significant.

What makes a good warm-up?

A good warm-up not only prepares your muscles for the workout or match that follows, but it also prepares you mentally. Furthermore, it helps you prevent injuries and ensures that your body is ready for the activity you are about to perform. Moreover, it should be specific to the activity you are going to do. A warm-up for a strength training session looks different from a warm-up for a running session. A good warm-up therefore consists of a general part, a part for the muscles to be trained, and a specific part for the activity to be performed. In the case of game sports, the specific part often consists of exercises to improve the connection between the brain and muscles, such as dribbling, passing, or hitting a ball. For explosive power, exercises such as jumps and sprints are added. A good warm-up also starts slowly and then gradually increases in intensity. Depending on the sport and the level of the athlete, a warm-up can take 15 to 30 minutes. If you are someone who exercises for half an hour or less, then you will have to determine for yourself whether you want to warm up for 15 minutes (which means you will still only be exercising for 15 minutes). This is often the reason why people do not do a warm-up, although there are also enough people who do not warm up because they find it boring and unnecessary. As a rule of thumb, if you notice that your first exercise set or sports performance is less than usual, then you have not warmed up enough. In this case, it may be advisable to extend the warm-up with a few sets of the first exercise with a relatively light weight or a few minutes of cycling, running, or jumping. To make the warm-up more fun, you can also play sports games. With this, you not only warm-up but also stimulate your competitive spirit. Many sports clubs use this to ensure that everyone warms up before training begins. A warm-up does not have to consist of fixed exercises. There are different ways to warm-up. You could warm up with light weights and then do the first exercise with a lighter weight before increasing the weight. Or you could warm-up with light weights and then immediately start with the first exercise with heavy weights. Or you could do the first few sets of the first exercise with light weights before going to the weight you would normally use. There is no fixed rule for this. Try what works best for you. As I mentioned before, there is evidence that you can increase the effectiveness of a warm-up by incorporating cardio into it. This is especially true if you are going to do strength training later on. This can also be seen in the last Brazilian study. However, this only applies if you are going to do intensive training afterward. If you are going to do strength training, it is best to first do cardio and then strength training. If you are going to do cardio training, it is best to first do strength training and then cardio. This has to do with the fact that strength training requires more concentration and technique than cardio training, which is often done on “automatic pilot”. In the case of the latter, it does not matter if you are tired.

Conclusion

A warm-up is an important part of your workout or sports session. It not only prepares your muscles for the activity to follow but also your mind. A good warm-up can increase performance and reduce the risk of injury. It should be specific to the activity you are going to perform, gradually increase in intensity, and last about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the sport and your level of training. Incorporating cardio into your warm-up can further enhance its effectiveness, especially if you are going to do strength training afterward. Remember to listen to your body and adjust your warm-up accordingly if you feel it’s not sufficient. Hopefully, this comprehensive overview of the science behind warming up has provided you with valuable insights that you can apply to your training routine or sports practice. Warm up properly, stay safe, and enjoy your workouts!

1. Krejie V., Koch P. Warming-up as a preliminary to training and competitive sport. Muscle and tendon injuries in athletes. Stutgard: Georg Thieme Publishers, 1979; 76.
2. Asmussen E., Boje 0. Body temperature and capacity for work. Acta Physiol Scand 1945;10:1-22.
3. Shellock F.G. Physiological benefits of warm-up. Phys Sportsmed 1983; 10:136-9.
4. Astrand P., Rodahl K. (1977): Textbook of Work Physiology – Physiological Basis of Exercises. New York,
5. Barnard R.J. The heart needs warm-up time. Phys Sportsmed 1976;1:40.
6. Adegoke B.O.A. et al. ORAL TEMPERATURE AND CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES OF APPARENTLY HEALTHY SUBJECTS TO PASSIVE AND ACTIVE WARM-UP. African Journal of Biomedical Research, Vol. 7 (2004); 51 – 57Ganong, W.F. (1995)
7. Akinbami, F.O; Sowumi, O (1991): Body temperature in the Nigerian neonate – comparison of axillary and rectal temperature. Afr. J. Med. Sci. 20, 49-51.
8. Ganong, W.F. (1995): Review of Medical Physiology. 17th Ed, USA, Appleton and Lange, 195
9. O’ Brien, B; Payne, W. (1977); A comparison of active and passive warm-up on energy system contribution and performance in moderate heat. Australian J. Sci Med. Sport. 29, 106-107.
10. Brunner-Ziegler S, Strasser B, Haber P. Comparison of metabolic and biomechanic responses to active vs. passive warm-up procedures before physical exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Apr;25(4):909-14.
11. McArdle, W.D; Katch, F.I; Katch, V.I. (1996): Exercise physiology: Energy, Nutrition and Human performance, 4th Ed,Philadelphia, Lip
12. LaBella CR, Huxford MR, Grissom J, Kim KY, Peng J, Christoffel KK. Effect of neuromuscular warm-up on injuries in female soccer and basketball athletes in urban public high schools: cluster randomized controlled trial. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2011 Nov;165(11):1033-40
13. Fradkin A.J. et al. Does warming up prevent injury in sport? The evidence from randomised controlled trials? J Sci Med Sport. 2006 Jun;9(3):214-20.
14. Roberta YW Law and Robert D Herbert. Warm-up reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness but cool-down does not: a randomised controlled trial. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 2007 Vol. 53
15. High DM, Howley ET, Franks BD (1989) The effects of static stretching and warm-up on prevention of delayed-onset muscle soreness. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 60: 357–361.
16. Rodenburg JB, Steenbeek D, Schiereck P, Bar PR (1994) Warm-up, stretching and massage diminish harmful effects of eccentric exercise. International Journal of Sports Medicine 15: 414–419.
17. MasseyBH,JohnsonWR,KramerGF. Effect of warm-up exercise upon physical performance using hypnosis to control the psychological variable. Research Quarterly1961;32:63-71.
18. Edwards DA, Kurlander LS. Women’s intercollegiate volleyball and tennis: effects of warm-up, competition, and practice on saliva levels of cortisol and testosterone. Horm Behav. 2010 Sep;58(4):606-13.
19. Cadore EL, Izquierdo M, dos Santos MG, Martins JB, Rodrigues Lhullier FL, Pinto RS, Silva RF, Kruel LF. Hormonal responses to concurrent strength and endurance training with different exercise orders. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Dec;26(12):3281-8.
20. J A Hawley, M M Williams, G C Hamling, and R M Walsh. Effects of a task-specific warm-up on anaerobic power. Br J Sports Med. 1989 December; 23(4): 233–236.
21. Inbar,0.andBar-Or,0.The effects of intermittent warm-up in 7-9 year old boys Eur IAppl Physiol 1975, 34,81-89
22. Andrea J Fradkin, Tsharni R Zazryn, James M Smoliga. Effects on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res, Pages: 140-148
23. Ajemian R, D’Ausilio A, Moorman H, Bizzi E. Why professional athletes need a prolonged period of warm-up and other peculiarities of human motor learning. J Mot Behav. 2010 Nov;42(6):381-8
24. Takahashi T, Okada A, Hayano J, Tamura T. Influence of cool-down exercise on autonomic control of heart rate during recovery from dynamic exercise. Front Med Biol Eng. 2002;11(4):249-59.
25. Joint Services Physical Training Injury Prevention Work Group. Interventions Evaluated to Make Recommendations for Physical Training-Related Injury Prevention. JSPTIPWG Interventions Supplement, May 2007
26. R. Stalker. Warm-Up Techniques and their Place in Patient Education. Can Fam Physician. Jan 1988; 34: 177–181.