Wellness Wednesday: Proper Warm-Ups

When getting ready for any sporting event or activity that involves the body, one of the most common things to do is to put your body through a “warmup.”

A warmup is any physical exertion done before putting stress on a particular muscle or muscle group within the human body. Warmups are extremely important because they increase the body’s temperature, allowing better blood flow back to the muscles that are beginning to engage within the person. This not only helps boost flexibility and performance but also helps reduce the chances of injury by allowing the muscles to have greater range of motion.

The most common types of warmups are dynamic and static stretching, with many people strongly preferring one or the other. Dynamic stretching, which is more commonly due to its quick and somewhat bouncy stretches, helps loosen the muscles and joints before a workout. In contrast, static stretches involve stretching a muscle to near its furthest point and then holding that position for at least 15 or 20 seconds. Dynamic warm-ups have been found to have a greater success rate on the body when warming up over static stretching because it allows the muscle to increase the motor neurons within the muscle, increasing the firing rate, which also gives the person or athlete a better performance.

For those of you who don’t heed this piece of advice, make sure to stop into Recovery Day when your muscles are struggling!

Recovery Day, where everyone is an athlete.