Warm up before sports and exercise

November 19, 2:29 PMCharleston Sports Medicine ExaminerSheryl McCutcheon, A.T.C.

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Warming up before baseball.  AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Whether you are a collegiate basketball player or someone who plays golf twice a week, warming up before engaging in any form of exercise can help prevent injuries and help you perform at your best.

A proper warm-up can prevent and/or reduce strains and the tearing of muscle fibers from their tendinous attachments. A proper warm-up can also reduce or prevent muscle soreness.

The main purposes of warming up are to raise both the general body and the deep muscle temperatures and to stretch tissues to permit greater flexibility. This reduces the possibility of muscle tears and ligamentous sprains and helps to prevent muscle soreness.

The physiological processes that occur during warm-up are somewhat complicated, but the result is an increase in blood flow, an increase in metabolic rate, improved oxygen supply, and faster transmission of nerve impulses.

It takes about 15 to 30 minutes of gradual warm-up to bring the body to a state of readiness. The time needed for satisfactory warm-up varies with the individual and tends to increase with age. On cool days, warm-up should be increased.

Warm-up generally falls into two categories:

1. The general warm-up – this consists of activities that encourage general warming of the body. Activities can include walking, jogging, and general stretches. These procedures should mobilize the body for action. They should last long enough to raise body temperature but not long enough to cause fatigue. As a general rule, once sweating starts, internal temperature has reached a desirable level.

2. The specific warm-up – this consists of activities that are similar to or the same as skills to be used in the sport to be played.  For example, after a light jog, a baseball player would start light throwing exercises and then swing a bat several times. Another example would be a golfer gently swinging a club and working on trunk rotation and upper body stretching exercises.

As you can see, warming up is vital prior to exercise or sports. Not only does it prevent injury, but it also gets the body ready to engage in physical activity. This is also the time when athletes mentally prepare themselves for the upcoming competition.