Benefits and Importance of Warm Up | Body Fitness and Health

Properly preparing the body prior to a game, practice or training/conditioning session is very importance in assuring maximum performance and reducing the risk of injury. Many coaches and players underestimate the value of warming up prior to the activity. Therefore it is essential to understand the importance of proper warm-up.

Warm up

Following are the benefits of warm up -

1. Muscles relax and contract faster.

2. Haemoglobin gives up more oxygen at higher temperature.

3. Metabolic rate increases with increasing temperature and thus warm up speed up energy production in the muscles.

4. Loosening of muscles, ligament and joints and thus it reduces muscle soreness

5. Makes muscles more supple and warmer, and thus reduces incidence and likelihood of musculoskeletal injuries.

6. Decrease in resistance to viscosity in muscles.

7. Delays onset of fatigue and accumulation of lactic acid. Warm up pervents early lactic acid buildup and fatigue that could shorten your workout.

8. Increase cardiac output and blood flow to the skeletal muscles to be used during the training session

9. Mental preparation for an event by clearing the mind, increasing the focus, reviewing skills and strategy. Positive imagery can also relax the athlete and build concentration. Increase alertness, readiness for training or activity.

10. Improves strength by stimulating the motor units of the muscles and prepared for a heavy work load.

11. Improves efficient cooling down by activating the heat-dissipation mechanism in the body and thus an athlete can cool efficiently and help prevent overheating early in the event or race.

12. Hormonal changes – Body increases its production of various hormones responsible for regulating energy production. During warm-up this balance of hormones makes more carbohydrates and fatty acids available for energy production.

Article Source - Body Fitness Blog.