warming up for exercise

Chapter lead author: Seth Rinehart

“The main goal of the warm-up is to improve muscle temperature, VO₂, neuromuscular control and flexibility and minimize fatigue.” (ACSM, 2021)

Reasons to Warm-Up

Both the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), leaders in exercise programming, agree that an effective warm-up (typically dynamic) is necessary for reducing the risk of injury.

The mechanisms in which this can be accomplished include:

• Elasticity: A proper warm-up can increase body temperature. By warming the muscles up, elasticity of the muscles improves and risk of injury decreases.
• Range of motion: Stretching improves range of motion, which can be beneficial for aspects of exercise such as proper technique and improved mobility.
• Coordination: Warm-ups also allow the body to improve reaction times, and prime neural transmitters for fasted activation. This can be a critical aspect of quick speed and high-agility movements.
• Blood flow: A proper warm-up improves circulation, which improves nutrients and oxygen delivery to muscles. This can help to benefit the continuation of exercise and lessen soreness.

Warm-Up Guidelines

General Warm-Ups: These are the all-encompassing exercises typically intended for general increase of overall body temperature or heart rate

• Gentle jogging, swimming, biking
• Jump rope or jumping jacks

Specific Warm-Ups: These are the exercises specific to the sport or movement, such as:

• High-knees or leg swings to warm-up the leg muscles before a track workout.
• Arm circle-swings to warm up the shoulders for swimming.

Time: Varies by exercise. For example, the ACSM recommends 5-10 minutes of light-to-moderate intensity “warm-ups”. The NSCA recommends a warm-up that “matches the intend and intensity”.  The warm-up should also match the types of movements.  For example, a runner would warm-up with a light run, then move to high knees, skips, leg swings, and butt kicks. These movement patterns mimic the movements for their sport. A power lifter could warm up with dynamic light exercises like upright  high pulls and weight-free clean and jerk motions, building to match the intensity of their starting point for that clean and jerk workout.

Type: Both the ACSM and NSCA typically recommend a dynamic, movement-based warm-up that emphasized increasing general blood flow and also primes the correct muscles to safely move for that workout. Static stretching, while popular, has become more of a recommendation as part of cool-down movements. This can reduce injury, while also improving recovery and range of motion. Note: Starting with a dynamic cooldown is still often recommended to allow the heart rate and blood flow to slowly return to normal, before moving to static stretching.

Example Warm-Ups

For A Runner:

• General: 5-10 min of light-to-moderate paced running to warm up the heart and skeletal muscles
• Specific: 15-30 meters/seconds of high knees, butt kicks, lunges, leg swings

For Strength Training:

• General: 5-10 minutes of walking/jogging/running, elliptical, or rowing ergometer
• Specific: Arm swings or circles, around-the-world, back and chest expansions. air squats, light bar movement practice prior to loading on weight.
• Note: For heavy weightlifting, build up by starting light and increasing to 50% over 1-3 warm-up sets for that movement..

CoolDown Overview

Although cooldown is not the emphasis of this chapter, it should be noted that a proper cooldown can be just as beneficial to skeletal muscle and overall health as a warm-up. There are notes above that mention a cooldown, as a good warm-up and cool-down tend to be essential to an effective exercise training program.

General Cool-Down Guidelines:

• Decrease exercise gradually: Utilize similar ideals to a general warm-up when cooling down. 5-10 minutes of low intensity running, walking, biking, etc. is recommended to prevent a sudden decrease in blood flow that may impact arm, leg, or heart muscles. This will help to return the body to a resting state, and prevent injury or medical incident by switching the physiological systems to rest too quickly.

• Goal (Type): Both dynamic and static stretching are recommended, dependent on the event. The emphasis should be on improving flexibility and allowing the muscles to relax. This is often accomplished through a recommended 15-30 second stretch per muscle group that is utilized during a workout. Static stretching is recommended as part of cooldown to reduce soreness and muscle tension, but slow, gentle dynamic stretching may have similar effects.

• Refuel: The cooldown phase after a workout is an optimal time for physiology to absorb nutrients. Hydrating, as well as ingesting simple carbohydrates and then protein soon after exercise (within an hour or two), have shown to reduce muscle repair times, refill lost energy stores in the body that were used during exercise, and improve overall recovery.

Legs

High knees

• March in place, bringing one knee up to the chest with the opposite arm. Switch legs. Repeat.

• Air squats/Frog jumps: Start with feet and hands flat on the ground, with a flat back (similar to a frog stance). Stand or jump directly up, landing with both feet. Repeat.

• Leg lunges: Start by standing, feet together. Bring one leg forward, stepping and lunging into a 90 degree angle. The back leg should be (gently) touching the ground at the knee, with the front leg parallel to the ground. Gently lift up, returning to standing. Switch legs. Repeat.

• Calf raises: Start with feet flat on ground, together. Slowly lift off your heels, shifting the weight up onto your toes. Slowly return to heels. Repeat.

Arms/Neck

• Arm circles (Shoulders): With arms stretched out wide, slowly rotate your arms in a circle and gradually increase circle size. Reverse circles. Repeat.
• Neck circles: Starting in a standard standing position. Grab one wrist (behind the back) with your other hand, and slowly bring it towards your opposite hip. Bend the torso slightly and bring your ear towards that hip, towards the shoulder. Try not to raise the shoulder to accomplish this. Return. Reverse. Repeat.

• Bench dips (Triceps): Sitting on the group to start, have arms facing forward at shoulder distance and knees to the side. Slowly lift the arms and legs, until arms are stretched out. For additional stretch, use a bench or secure surface to increase arm range of motion.

• Up-Down Planks (Biceps): Start at the extension phase of a push up (high plank). Slowly move onto your elbow with forearms facing forward (low plank).
  Gently use your biceps and shoulders to press up, returning to high plank. Repeat.

Chest/Back/Core

• Push-Ups: Start in the down position (plank), with arms shoulder width apart and legs stretched out. (Optional: Start on knees). Press up until arms are near-fully extended, then return Keep a flat back and neck through the full movement.
• Supermans/Swimmers: Flat on your stomach, raise your arms and legs off the ground simultaneously, trying to keep both off the ground so the quads and shoulders aren’t touching. Hold. Repeat.
  (Optional: Continuous swimming movement)

• Sunrise/Side Lunge: Standing (or sitting) tall and stretching out (sunrise).
  Raise one hand straight up, bend to one side reaching toward your hip, then switch sides.
• Cobra or Seal (advanced): Begin in a standard push-up position from the bottom (low plank, hands directly outside the shoulders). Raise your head and shoulders, with your knees and legs remaining on the ground, so your body looks like the shape of a seal. Hold. Return to the ground (slowly). Repeat.

• Cat: Begin with knees and hands flat on the ground, and back flat. Breathe out, arching the back (like a cat). Breathe in, curling the back slightly. Repeat.