Warm up or stretch before physical activity? These two terms are often confused, along with when you are supposed to do a warm-up and when you should be stretching. Therefore, we have prepared this article to try to clarify everything.
The term is obvious… The warm-up is used to literally “warm up” our machine, namely our body, to prepare for any sustained effort that may be required for whatever sport we may be doing.
The warm-up has specific goals: To raise body temperature, and to increase heart rate and breathing. Moreover, it prepares the joints to perform movements requiring a greater range of motion. All of these factors affect the body’s reaction speed.
What is the main goal of warming up? To reduce the risk of injury! When the muscles and joints are warmed up through the increase in body temperature, they become more efficient in carrying out quick and larger movements. As well, the increase in body temperature causes the blood vessel to dilate, which can then deliver more blood and more oxygen to the stressed muscles and body overall. This supplies more energy to the muscles. Add to that the fact the synovial fluid in the joints becomes more liquefied, which increases lubrication and further protects joint health.
Since the main objective is to increase the body temperature and work the cardiovascular system, here are some tips for a good warm-up:
Note that certain disciplines may require more specific warm-ups, such as performing rotational movements of the trunk or certain joints. For example, before a soccer game, you should specifically warm up the lower back, hips and thighs. This can be done through a series of dynamic movements like squats or knees lifts.
Stretching should be done after the period of training or playing a sport. Their goal is to improve the elasticity of the muscles to prevent stiffness and muscle pain, i.e., the famous cramps!
Generally a few minutes are enough after training in order to properly stretch a few targeted muscles:
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