Everyone agrees that it is important to warm up before exercise, but there has been a lot of disagreement about what should be included in a warm-up. Many of these disagreements are the result of research done over the last 10 to 15 years, which has provided new insight into many of the old assumptions about warming up. At this point, the specific physiological effects of different types of warm-ups are becoming clear and I want to summarize recent findings and explain what you need to include if you want to experience all the benefits associated with warming up.
It is important to note that different people have different goals, exercise routines, etc., so they will naturally require different things from a warm-up. For instance, warming up for a challenging and high impact workout or athletic competition requires a more complete warm-up than going outside for a leisurely walk. This post will focus on the requirements for demanding workouts or activities, but it also provides suggestions about what to do in other situations.
This post is inspired by a study I recently read in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research,* where the authors examined numerous well-designed research studies and essentially looked for similarities between the warm-ups that were most effective in preparing the body for activity and improving performance. Towards the end of the study, they nicely summed up the design of an effective warm-up by saying:
“Physical activity participants should therefore be encouraged to perform a period of aerobic exercise, followed by stretching, and ending with a period of activity similar to the event they are to perform before beginning any activity. These activities should focus on the body segments that will be used in the subsequent performance and should not be too intense in nature so as to fatigue the participant.”
This study, as well as many others conducted over the years, points out that there are 3 different stages of a warm-up and they each play a specific role in preparing your body for an upcoming activity. Again, you may not need to incorporate all 3 stages into your workouts, depending on your situation, but it’s worth taking a brief look at the stages to find out how each one gets your body ready for activity.
The first stage of warm-up should be aerobic exercise (cardio) or really any activity that elevates your heart rate and increases your body temperature without causing significant fatigue. This stage literally warms up your body and makes your muscles more elastic, increases blood flow, lubricates your joints, and generally reduces the risk of being injured during your workout. It should also always be the first stage, because it gets your body ready for the other two stages of warm-up.
The second stage of warm-up is stretching and this is the stage that people often have disagreements about. Much of the disagreement centers around static stretching, which it the most basic type of stretching that involves stretching a muscle and holding the stretched position for a specific amount of time (typically 15-30 seconds each). Most of the debate is about whether or not static stretching decreases performance or should even be included in warm-ups.
Many studies have found that static stretching causes decreases in performance, especially when the stretches are held a long time or they are performed right before the exercise or competition. However, studies have also shown that when more exercises are done after static stretching, the performance decrements disappear. This is why stretching should always be the second stage. The first stage loosens your muscles so they stretch better and the exercises in the third stage will get rid of any performance problems that could have resulted from the stretching.
Another thing about the stretching stage is that static stretching is not the only type of stretching that can be used. Most knowledgeable fitness professionals now believe that dynamic stretching is a better form of stretching to use during warm-ups. Dynamic stretching basically involves performing easy exercises designed to move your muscles through their entire range of motion. This stretching is considered active as opposed to static stretching, which is considered passive.
As far as the research is goes, studies have found that active stretching before exercise either has no effect on performance or it can actually improve performance. On the other hand, research on static stretching has found that it either has no effect on performance or as stated previously, can cause a decrease in performance under some circumstances. This information has led many fitness professionals to replace the traditional static stretches with dynamic stretching during warm-up. Static stretches are still a preferred method of stretching after your workout is over.
The final stage of warm-up is often referred to as specific or sport-specific exercises. Basically this is the stage where you perform movements or exercises that are technically similar to those used during your upcoming activity. Some examples include baseball players who perform throwing or bat swinging motions or powerlifters who perform light to moderate weight bench presses, squats, and deadlifts. The closer these movements are to those of the actual activity, the better effect they should have on performance.
As previously stated, one reason for these exercises being the third stage of warm-up is to negate any performance declines caused by static stretching, but it is not the only reason. The other primary reason for including these activity specific exercises is to increase your neurological drive. In other words, performing exercises similar to those in your workout or competition will better prepare your body to perform those specific movements and should improve your performance from a neurological standpoint.
While this information does provide a good general description about what should be included in a comprehensive warm-up, specific recommendations are more elusive. Factors like the ideal intensity and duration of each stage of warm-up have not been determined and they probably never will, because the ideal warm-up will vary from person to person and activity to activity.
Unfortunately I cannot give you a specific warm-up to use in every situation, but I do have some general rules to help you figure out the best warm-up for you. First, when your workout is challenging or you are going all out, such as in an athletic competition, then you should spend more time warming up. Also, if your environment is cold, warm-up should be longer (especially the first stage), because it will take your muscles longer to loosen up.
When it comes to stretching, people have many different opinions and if you have a routine that works for you, there is not much reason to change it. However, if you are experiencing aches, pain, or stiffness in specific muscles or joints, then you should spend more time stretching those areas both before and after your workout/competition. Regardless of what type of stretching you use, the most important thing is for your muscles to feel loose and easily moveable through their full range of motion before your activity begins.
As far as the specific exercises are concerned, they really just depend on the activity you will perform. Some activities are rather straight forward, such as endurance running, where a specific warm-up can simply include some light jogging. On the other hand, a sprinter will likely need to include different exercises, such as drills to help prepare for the getting out of the blocks quickly or transitioning from a horizontal to vertical running position. Another idea is to use the specific exercises to work on technical aspects of the activity that need improvement.
In general, when it comes to warming up, my best advice is to listen to your body and figure out what type of warm-up routine works best for you and your specific activity. Personally, I found that my performance during resistance training workouts always suffered when I did cardio during my warm-up and I was much better off just using light weight resistance training exercises and various stretches, depending on how my muscles and joints were feeling. The most important thing is to make sure you include some type of warm-up, because it will help your body feel better and probably improve your performance as well.
*Fradkin, AJ, Zazyn, TR, and Smoliga, JM. Effects of Warming-up on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. J Strength Cond Res 24(1): 140–148, 2010.
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