Is Warming Up Even Worth It?

Is Warming Up Even Worth It?

By: Dr. Matthew Cifelli

Far too often, when a fitness goer shows up late to a workout, group class, or run they are quick to avoid warming up in preparation for higher level activities. Because it is already difficult to find time in the day to exercise, the first thing to be pushed aside is the warm-up. The main set of the workout is most important anyway, so why waste critical minutes in the day; right? Wrong! Skipping this critical step in your fitness routine could result in some serious and even dangerous adverse reactions such as muscle strain, joint compression and associated joint pain. In fact, a proper warm-up actually serves to prevent injury and enhance overall performance.

You may be asking, “how much is enough?” There is no exact research that supports a specific time frame before a workout. Typical recommendations range between 10 – 20 minutes, depending on the activity, and some people may find that they need more time spent warming up. A warm-up is generally lower intensity movement patterning that prepares your body for the upcoming activity. Your choice of movement is completely up to you and based on your level of fitness. If you don’t know where to start, I would suggest beginning with more global movements such as squats, lunges, crawling or a lighter version of your upcoming workout. Make sure not to overextend yourself if you are new to exercise and always remain in your comfort zone. Remember that the main purpose should be to gradually increase your heart rate and raise your core body temperature, which ultimately increases blood flow to your muscles. This will result in muscles and connective tissue becoming more pliable, yielding faster muscle contractions and nerve transmission. What does this mean? Simply put; better performance and better results.

As part of your warm-up be sure to also spend some time addressing areas of tightness and restriction with a foam roller or self-massage stick. These problems areas would be considered areas of poor tissue quality where scar tissue and adhesions have built up due to overuse, extended periods of intense training, or a sedentary lifestyle. Typical causes for knee pain are related to tightness in the calves and the front/inner/outer thighs. Shoulder pain is often associated with restrictions to the thoracic spine (mid-back), chest and lats. Some of you reading may fall into those two examples and could never figure out why or where the pain was coming from. Your body is tight for a particular reason, not just because it wants to be. If the level of pain is severe when you apply pressure to your muscles, imagine how much compression your joints must be experiencing?

You can now see that the warm-up is an integral part in the training process and yields greater returns in your exercise routine. How important is 10 minutes to you in your chase for fitness success?