Whether you're an athlete or someone trying to get into shape, you've probably been told to warm up before you begin a workout or play a game. Warmups and cool-downs generally involve doing your activity at a slower pace and at reduced intensity. Warming up helps prepare your body for aerobic activity. A warmup gradually revs up your cardiovascular system by raising your body temperature and increasing blood flow to your muscles.

Warming up may also help reduce muscle soreness and lessen your risk of injury. Although warm-ups probably won’t help much with burning calories or building muscle, they’re crucial to the success of a workout! Before you even think about running or using the machines at the gym, you ought to make sure you complete a warm-up and do a few stretches, but what makes them so important? 

Potential benefits

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Here are the specifics of what happens to your body during a warm-up:

Promotes hormonal changes

Your body increases its production of various hormones, including cortisol and epinephrine, which are responsible for regulating energy production. During a warm-up, this balance of hormones makes more carbohydrates and fatty acids available for energy production.

Increases body and muscle temperature 

The temperature of blood increases as it travels through the muscles. As blood temperature increases, oxygen binding to hemoglobin weakens, so oxygen is more readily available to working muscles, which may improve endurance. As your muscle temperature increases, oxygen becomes more available to your muscles, allowing them to contract and relax more easily, so you’ll be able to perform more strenuous tasks easily. Your heart is also given a chance to prepare, meaning it won’t be too strained during your workout. 

Increases muscle temperature

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The last thing you need when you’ve been faithfully attending the gym and reaching your goals is to become injured. Warming up will improve muscle elasticity and allow for efficient cooling, meaning less chance of accidentally hurting yourself or overheating during your workout and ruining your day.  Warm muscles both contract more forcefully and relax more quickly, reducing the risk of overstretching a muscle and causing injury. Your overall body temperature also increases, improving muscle elasticity, enhancing speed and strength.

Increases your range of motion

Using machines to help build muscle is a great way to spend your time at the gym, but they shouldn’t be used before you’ve had a chance to loosen your joints! Warming up will ensure that your body and mind are in the right state to handle gym equipment, reducing your risk of injury.  This also allows your large joints (such as your shoulders and knees) to reach their maximum movement potential.

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They can help you mentally prepare 

Jumping straight into a workout without adequately preparation can throw you off completely, especially if the preparation is mental rather than physical. It’s easy to give up when working out gets difficult, but you’ll be much less likely to do so if you’ve given yourself time to remember why you’re working out. Use your time warming up to think about what you’re about to do, guaranteeing that both your body and mind will be ready to succeed.