• ENG

Why those warm up exercises before rigorous workouts are so important

Why those warm up exercises before rigorous workouts are so important

Those simple exercises that you avoid doing, may actually be the game changer for you.

Written by Aishwarya Iyer |Updated : July 20, 2018 12:22 PM IST

When you hit the gym in the morning, probably you tend to skip those easy warm-up exercises so that you can save time and rush for your 10 am meeting. But here is a bad news for you. Those sessions that you have been missing or wanting to skip are actually the game changers. Every gym instructor or trainer will tell you to do a minimum of 30 seconds of muscle stretch, which may go up to a maximum of 3-5 minutes of overall stretching.

What are stretching exercises?

Stretching regimes are those that include a deliberate lengthening of muscles in order to improve joint range movement as well as muscle flexibility and decrease muscle soreness. These are generally done before and after a workout session.

Also Read

More News

A study named 'Stretching Before and After Exercise: Effect on Muscle Soreness and Injury Risk' published in the 'Journal of Athletic Training' concluded, "The data on stretching and muscle soreness indicate that, on an average, individuals will observe a reduction in soreness of less than 2 mm on a 100-mm scale during the 72 hours after exercise."

The significance

"Stretching exercises are done to warm up and cool down too. During an exercise session, there are chances of lactic acid accumulation or so. To avoid this as well as to avoid the delayed muscle sourness, we recommend warm-up sessions. They help in improving the blood circulation before activity. And after the activity, they help in relaxing the muscles," said Pooja Udeshi, Sports Nutritionist, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute. These stretches could include hamstring stretch, calf-muscles stretch, biceps stretch, upper-body stretch etc.The kind of stretching exercise that may benefit you the most will vary from person to person. Therefore, these are advised to be performed under expert's supervision.

A study named Current Concepts In Muscle Stretching For Exercise And Rehabilitation published in the journal 'International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy' observed, "Stretching is a common activity used by athletes, older adults, rehabilitation patients, and anyone participating in a fitness program. While the benefits of stretching are known, controversy remains about the best type of stretching for a particular goal or outcome."

References:

Andersen, J. C. (2005). Stretching Before and After Exercise: Effect on Muscle Soreness and Injury Risk. Journal of Athletic Training, 40(3), 218 220.

Page, P. (2012). CURRENT CONCEPTS IN MUSCLE STRETCHING FOR EXERCISE AND REHABILITATION. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 7(1), 109 119.

Image Source: Shutterstock