Beauty

The importance of warming up before exercise

Indeed, most gym goers neglect to perform a full warm-up before training, at best they will sit down a couple of times and hang on the horizontal bar a little. If we pay attention to mother nature, we will notice that only an awakened cat, yawning widely, slowly and gracefully stretches all four paws, and, having risen, arches its back in an arc in order to take the raised pelvis back in a few moments, at the same time pressing its body to the ground. With these simple movements, the animal prepares every muscle, ligament and tendon for further active actions.

The essence of any warm-up is to warm up and stretch the target muscles, as well as prepare the cardiovascular and nervous systems for intense work, so that the training is as effective and safe as possible. Performing simple sets of exercises, you can ensure that the necessary muscles are stretched and warmed up, which means they are prepared for hard work.

Why is stretching necessary?

Our muscles, ligaments, tendons and articulations of the joints have a certain flexibility. Under the influence of various factors, they can become more rigid, limiting the range of motion, or vice versa, they can stretch, increasing the area of ​​\u200b\u200bmotion and the ability to contract additional muscle fibers. Therefore, warming up before training can improve its quality.

In addition, stretching makes the workout safer. By lifting heavy weights, you force the muscles to contract. Whereas any careless movement can lead to their stretching under the weight of the projectile. Therefore, by regularly warming up, you stretch your muscles and the body has time to prepare for a heavy load, and the risk of stretching the muscle fibers will be minimal.

Why is warming up necessary?

Warming up the muscles during the warm-up process makes them more flexible and elastic, which increases their strength potential and protects against injuries.

Also, warm up:

• accelerates the heartbeat, which smooths out the transition to large loads for the heart
• increases blood flow to muscles
• prepares the nervous system for work
• improves coordination of movements

Warm-up recommendations

• Do not tighten the warm-up, 5-10 light exercises for 10 minutes are enough
• Warm up until the muscles feel “warmed up” or the first sweat appears.
• Always warm up in cold weather, as you age, or after an injury.

What exercises to do during the warm-up

It is better to start the warm-up with light exercises: slowly turn your head to the sides, stretching the neck muscles, make several series of swinging movements with your hands (to the sides and alternately up and down), then turn the torso in different directions. Then do 10-20 squats. General principle: move from top to bottom.

The next step is general light stretching:

forward bends

Execution: Stand up straight, feet together. Lean forward trying to touch the floor in front of your feet with your fingers or palms. Bend your head as close to your legs as possible. Hold this position for 15-30 seconds to stretch your hamstrings and lower back, then slowly straighten up and relax.

Tilts to the side

Execution: Stand straight, legs slightly wider than shoulders, arms lowered along the body. Raise your right arm above your head and slowly lean to the left, lowering your left arm along your thigh. Bend over as much as possible and hold in this position for 15-30 seconds to stretch the oblique muscles of the abdomen. Return to the starting position and lean to the other side.

Hang on the horizontal bar

Execution: Grasp the bar with a comfortable grip and lift your legs off the floor, bending them at the knees. Hold this position for 30-40 seconds to stretch your spine and entire upper body.

Butterfly exercise

Execution: Sit on the floor and fold your legs in front of you so that your feet touch. Grasp your toes with your hands and try to move your legs as close to your groin as possible. Relax your leg muscles and try to lower your knees as close to the floor as possible. If you cannot do this with leg strength, then help yourself with your elbows by pressing on your knees. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds to stretch your inner thigh muscles.

Stretching exercise for the quadriceps femoris

Execution: Kneel down so that you can sit between your feet. Rest your hands on the floor behind your back and lean back as much as possible, feeling the sipping of the outer thigh muscles. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds, then slowly get up.

And you can finish the warm-up with a 3-5 minute aerobic exercise, say jumping rope or pedaling an exercise bike. You can also go for a run on the track, but if only after that there will be no “strength” training.

This is just a small part of the exercises so that you can warm up properly, so you can safely replace them with others. Much more important is not a set of exercises, but the very fact of a high-quality warm-up. Just 10 minutes and your body will be ready for training, and sprains and injuries will bypass you.

Author: Alexander Kuznetsov

Article protected by copyright and related rights. When using and reprinting the material, an active link to the healthy lifestyle portal hnb.com.ua is required!