What do you do before running? Warm-up! How? Stretch? NO. This is the
misconceptionof warm-up. I once joined a group of runners for their morning run. Before we began, we were told to warm-up. What did we do? Stretched our hamstrings & calves. Stretched arms overhead, bend to the sides, lunges, etc... Then we started jogging round the park.
To cool down, we did mostly the same.. Most of it was done half-
heartedly, in my observation. Even the seasoned runner. I guess, due to their fit physique, they don't really feel any difference.
Is this the correct way?When should we stretch?"The best time to stretch a muscle is after it has an increased blood flow and has increased temperature to avoid injury. Stretching a cold muscle can increase the risk of injury from pulls and tears. So you are better off doing gradual aerobic exercise before stretching.
Keep in mind that the best time to stretch is after exercise because your muscles are warm and pliable with the increase of blood in them.Make sure your warm up begins gradually, and uses the muscles that will be stressed during exercise" ttp://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuryprevention/a/aa071001a.htm
This is why I (and billions of users) love Google! I just type WARM-UP and I am introduced to another favorite site, Wikipedia. You can learn so much from it. However, commonsense should prevail as we know, we can't always believe all that we read. Wikipedia encourages those well versed on the topic at hand to critique & edit what they read, so that info on it goes through 'peer review'. However, 'facts' may some times vary or change over time, as new research emerge. Some are controversial and challenged 'established' knowledge. Wikipedia gives us all sides and bibliography for further enquiry if we wish. Another site, About.com gives us a more straightforward, easy to follow version. Their content is reviewed by a Medical Review Board comprised of physicians from prominent medical institutions who review content for medical accuracy.
With this in mind, I proceeded to learn more about "Warming-up before performing a specific sport", eg. running.
Two points I feel are crucial :
- It is important that " warm ups should be specific to the exercise that will follow, which means that exercises (of warm up) should prepare the muscles to be used and to activate the energy systems that are required for that particular activity."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warming_up
Why do we have to Warm-up? How necessary is it ? What happens inside our body?
Simply put, Warming up prepares the body mentally & physically.
Benefits of a Proper Warm Up
DIRECT PHYSICAL EFFECTS
Releases the hormone - adrenaline
- Increases heart rate -> enabling oxygen in the blood to travel faster along the blood vessels. It will also increase production of synovial fluid in the joints which is necessary to reduce friction. This then allows joints to move more efficiently. ( reduce injury )
- Dilation of capillaries -> Enabling oxygen in the blood to travel at a higher volume
Increase of temperature in the muscles
- Decreased viscosity of blood -> enabling oxygen to travel faster & removes lactic acid (so muscles fatigue slower )
- Facilitates enzyme activity
- Encourages dissociation of oxygen from haemoglobin (carrier of oxygen)
- Decreased viscosity within the muscle -> so that there is greater extensibility and elasticity of muscle fibres, which will increase the force & speed of contraction ( greater performance )
Increase of muscle metabolism
- Breakdown of glycogen, thus releasing energy
Increase in speed of nerve impulse conduction
MENTAL PREPARATION
"The warm-up is also a good time to mentally prepare for an event by clearing the mind, increasing focus, reviewing skills and strategy. Positive imagery can also relax the athlete and build concentration" http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuryprevention/a/aa071001a.htm
Additional benefits listed inhttp://www.exrx.net/ExInfo/WarmUp.html
I once joined a group of runners for their morning run. Before we began, we were told to warm-up. What did we do? Stretched our hamstrings & calves. Stretched arms overhead, bend to the sides, lunges, etc... Then we started jogging round the park.
To cool down, we did mostly the same.. Most of it was done half- heartedly, in my observation. Even the seasoned runner. I guess, due to their fit physique, they don't really feel any difference.
Is this the correct way?When should we stretch?
"The best time to stretch a muscle is after it has an increased blood flow and has increased temperature to avoid injury. Stretching a cold muscle can increase the risk of injury from pulls and tears. So you are better off doing gradual aerobic exercise before stretching.
Keep in mind that the best time to stretch is after exercise because your muscles are warm and pliable with the increase of blood in them.Make sure your warm up begins gradually, and uses the muscles that will be stressed during exercise" ttp://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuryprevention/a/aa071001a.htm
This is why I (and billions of users) love Google! I just type WARM-UP and I am introduced to another favorite site, Wikipedia. You can learn so much from it. However, commonsense should prevail as we know, we can't always believe all that we read. Wikipedia encourages those well versed on the topic at hand to critique & edit what they read, so that info on it goes through 'peer review'. However, 'facts' may some times vary or change over time, as new research emerge. Some are controversial and challenged 'established' knowledge. Wikipedia gives us all sides and bibliography for further enquiry if we wish. Another site, About.com gives us a more straightforward, easy to follow version. Their content is reviewed by a Medical Review Board comprised of physicians from prominent medical institutions who review content for medical accuracy.
With this in mind, I proceeded to learn more about "Warming-up before performing a specific sport", eg. running.
Two points I feel are crucial :
Why do we have to Warm-up? How necessary is it ? What happens inside our body?
Simply put, Warming up prepares the body mentally & physically.
Benefits of a Proper Warm Up
DIRECT PHYSICAL EFFECTS
Releases the hormone - adrenaline
Increase of temperature in the muscles
Increase of muscle metabolism
Increase in speed of nerve impulse conduction
MENTAL PREPARATION
"The warm-up is also a good time to mentally prepare for an event by clearing the mind, increasing focus, reviewing skills and strategy. Positive imagery can also relax the athlete and build concentration" http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuryprevention/a/aa071001a.htm
Additional benefits listed inhttp://www.exrx.net/ExInfo/WarmUp.html