Warm Up Exercises

Warming up properly is important, so having a few good warm up exercises to choose from can help keep dullness -- and the temptation to skimp -- at bay. Here are some basic facts about the benefits of warming up and what you can do to really get the blood flowing.

As the name implies, warming up elevates the body temperature. This makes the muscles more flexible and less prone to pulls and tears. It also makes them more "springy" in that they get more efficient at rapid contraction, as in the case of jumping or tossing something, for example.

If you have a family history of cardiovascular health problems, you'll be interested to know that a proper warm up opens up the blood vessels. This in turn means the subsequent workout will put less strain on the heart. Finally, those in hot climates should note that warming up prior to exercise also starts the heat regulation process. This means the body can dissipate excess heat more efficiently rather than hit that early-onset feeling of overheating that can strike if you emerge into the baking sun from an air-conditioned environment.

So, without further ado, let's look at a few basic warm up exercises:

• Jogging

Simplicity has its benefits; almost everybody can do it. You can either jog on the spot or use the distance between the parking lot and the basketball court, for example. The key is to make it a continuous thing so that you actually start puffing and sweating a little -- don't let yourself get stuck cooling off while waiting for a red light or similar, so keep jogging in place.

• Free squats and other calisthenics

Squatting without weights still activates a whole bunch of muscles from the calves to the back. Fold your arms and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground and push yourself back up, making sure to keep your back straight at all times. This is a no-impact warm up exercise that doesn't tax the joints nearly the same way running or jumping does. Likewise, assisted chins, kneeling push-ups, lunges and similar weight-free exercises work well as long as you're some ways from the effort poured into actual, working sets.

• Stretching

The best way to include stretching into your warm up routine is to make it a finisher, i.e. when you've already gotten the blood flowing a bit. Even then, go easy -- save the full-on stretches for after the workout. The idea here is not to actually extend the muscles and increase lasting flexibility, but to limber them up for the workout ahead.

Suppose you're about to play tennis. It's a nice summer day and you're playing outdoors.

• Jog to the tennis court and jog a couple laps around it.
• Do a quick set of squats, kneeling push-ups and abdominal crunches.
• Lightly stretch your legs, back and arms.

It really doesn't have to be more complex than that. The total time for a thorough warm up should be about 10 minutes including stretching. Pace yourself so as not to overly tap your strength; if you need to rest and catch your breath after the warm up, you may have pushed it a little too hard. Conversely, it's also important not to lose the momentum by dilly-dallying between the warm up and the actual exercise. Good luck!

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