Warm Up Exercises

Which is the first step towards fitness? This question is probably the first question that comes into our minds when we start working towards fitness.

The answer is warm-up sessions. Warm-up exercises are a crucial part of any workout routine. It is the first step that everyone should do before starting a workout.

Many people like you wanted to know what warm-up exercises? One-stop solution for all the doubts is here.

Here we have mentioned all you need to know about warm-up exercises. Let’s get started with what is a warm-up?


What are warm-ups?


Warm Up Exercises

Warm-up exercises are physical activities that prepare your body for moderate to intense workout sessions.

It prepares your body for different exercises. It increases your body core’s temperature and body’s muscle temperature.

Engaging in the right warm-up exercises before a workout can help in proper blood and oxygen flow to the working muscles. All these activities help your muscles to engage in strenuous activities.

But still, why warm-up exercises are necessary for our health? Dive into the next section to know it.


Why is Warm-Up Important For Your Health?

Warm-up exercises which help in preparing your body for workout sessions. Doing a warm-up workout is important for the following reasons:

Warm-up exercises help in increasing the body and muscle temperature

Before starting with any workout session, you must make your body ready for it. This workout session is necessary because your body is in a relaxing mode.

The warm-up schedule prepares your body for workout sessions by increasing its temperature.

Warm-up exercises help in reducing the risk of injuries

If you engage yourself in workout sessions, then there are chances that you might hurt yourself.

Warm-up exercises will help you reduce muscle soreness. These warm-up exercises help in preventing injuries during workout sessions.

Warm-up exercises prepare you mentally for a further workout

Without warming up your body, your mind will not be ready to process the upcoming workout sessions.

Warm-up exercises improve your flexibility

Various warm-up exercises can help you improve the flexibility of your body.

You can try out these exercises before a workout for adding to your flexibility.

Following a warm-up routine helps in improving performance

A daily warm-up can add to your exercising performance. It helps in bringing uniformity to your routine. Because of this, you feel fresh and motivated all day long.

All these factors add to your performance in a workout and other fields as well.

Warm-up allows for increased blood flow and oxygen

Daily warm-up sessions rev up your cardiovascular system by increasing the blood flow to your body.

With this, there is a proper flow of oxygen to the body. In the long term, all these factors ensure the improved functioning of your body.

It helps in reducing muscle tension and pain

Warm-up gradually reduces the muscle tension in your body. It helps in preventing pain during intense and moderate workout sessions.

With daily warm-up sessions, your body will become habitual to exercises. As a result, you won’t face any pain during exercising.

Now you know how to warm-up sessions can help you stay fit. But to have these benefits, you need to do different warm-up exercises.

Let’s know about these warm-up exercises.

Different Warm-up Exercises

Warm Up Exercises

There are many warm-up exercises which you can easily do at your home.

Warm-up exercises do not require any equipment or set up.

Some of the most common and beneficial warm-up exercises are listed below:

Arm Circles

Arm circle is a great warm-up exercise. It could help you tone your shoulder muscles, biceps, and triceps.

They also add to the blood circulation in the body. Thus, whenever you start your warm-up session, include arm circles exercise.

Butt Kicks

Butt kicks are the most common form of warm-up exercises. You must have noticed many sportsperson, athletes, etc. doing butt kicks in their warm-up sessions.

Butt kicks are also known as butt kickers and bum kicks. Name can change without changing its meaning.

High Knee

The high knee is a cardio-intensive, warm-up exercise. High-knee exercise is done at a fast pace.

High-knee exercise can be a part of other workout schedules also.

They help you strengthen the muscles of your legs, your core, and improve flexibility.

Thus, including this exercise can provide you many fitness benefits.

Jumping Jacks

It is a beginner-level, cardiovascular exercise. You can easily do this warm exercise in a limited space.

It has many fitness benefits. Benefits include toning your arms, helps in weight loss, etc.

Head Circles

This head circles exercise works on your upper body. It helps in stretching your shoulder and neck muscles.

Head circles help in avoiding the problem of poor posture and shortening of the muscles.

Shoulder Stretch

Do you want flexible shoulders? Then include shoulder stretch in your warming up routine.

Shoulder Stretch exercise helps you improve the flexibility of your shoulder joints. It also helps in preventing any kind of injury during workout sessions or sports activities.

Jogg in Place

It is a great warm-up exercise for burning calories. This exercise is beneficial for both experts and beginners.

It will help you get in improved cardiovascular conditioning. You can easily do this exercise at your home.

You do not require much space for doing this warm-up exercise.

Knee Circles

This warm-up exercise will help you improve joint position awareness.

Not only this, but it also helps you to increase the tolerance power of your knees for rotational movements.

Scissors

Scissors are one of the best warm-up exercises to work with your legs. This exercise helps in improving the strength of your thighs and hips.

You can increase the difficulty level of this exercise at your own pace. You can try different variations of this exercise.

Don’t forget to include this warm-up exercise in your warm-up routine.

Swing Left & Right

This warm-up exercise can be useful for warming up your complete body.

This exercise is right for preparing you for further sports activities, workout exercises, etc.

It helps in improving the flexibility of your body.

You have come a long way about knowing the different warm-up exercises. These exercises are correct and can help you achieve personal fitness goals.

How Can Warm-Ups Help You Live A Better Life?

Warm-up exercises are easy-to-do cardiovascular exercises. You should do these exercises before an intense workout and sports activities.

The reason behind this is that your muscles are cold before any workout sessions. Skipping warm-up in this situation can lead to muscle strains, pain, and injuries as well.

Thus, including warm-up sessions can help you stay fit without any problems.

By now,  you must be thinking about how long you should do warm-up exercises. The answer lies within your planning. The duration depends on your workout plan.

Based on your strength and capacity, you can decide the duration of doing warm-up exercises.

As you will increase the intensity of your workout plans, the duration of your warm-up session will also increase.

The majority of people should warm-up for about 5-30 minutes.

The Best Ways To Utilize Warm-Up Exercises

Warm-up exercises are the form of exercise that you can easily do. The best way to utilize warm-up exercises is to start with an easy warm-up exercise.

Don’t harm yourself by jumping over intense warm-up sessions.

For having the best results from your warm-up activities, you can break down your warm-up schedule into the following four parts:

  • General warming up session
  • Engage in static stretching
  • Specific warm-up exercises
  • Engage in dynamic stretching

Let’s dive into these parts one by one.

General Warming Up Session 

This stage includes engaging yourself in basic and easy to do warm-up exercises.

Examples of basic warm-up exercises include walking, jogging, swimming, aerobics, etc.

The duration of these exercises can be around 5-10 minutes. This duration will be enough to result in a light sweat.

The sole aim of this step is to increase your respiratory and heart rate.

It also helps in the proper circulation of blood and oxygen to the working muscles.

Static Stretching

It is a basic form of stretching. It helps improve the flexibility of your body.

Static stretching makes your body less prone to injuries. You can continue doing static stretching for 5-10 minutes.

Once you have completed these two stages completely, you can move to the next two steps.

If you complete the above mentioned two steps, then you are ready to move to intense warm-up exercises.

Specific Warm-Up Exercises

In this stage, you can try different warm-up exercises. Choose the warm-up exercise that fits best to your requirements and goals.

Engaging in specific and goal-oriented warm-up exercises can help you achieve your fitness goals.

You can refer to different warm-up exercises that are listed above.

Dynamic Stretching

Finish your warm-up session with dynamic stretching.

Do take precautions while indulging in dynamic stretching. You can face injury if you do dynamic stretching incorrectly.

The intensity and duration of dynamic stretching depend upon your limits and capabilities.

After dynamic stretching, you will be ready for moderate to intense workout sessions, sports activities, etc.

Conclusion

Warm-up exercises give your body enough time to adjust to the upcoming workout sessions.

Daily warm-up sessions will help you reduce the risks of injuries during workout. It will help you improve your performance and will make exercising a fun activity. 

It will help you handle the daily workout sessions more efficiently. Thus, make warm up a fixed part of your workout schedule.

Go ahead and start warming up.

Finally, what is your warm-up schedule? Feel free to share it with us in the comment section.

Stay fit, healthy, and keep warming up!!!!!