Most people go to the gym and start working out with high levels of intensity and heavy weights and skip the always-important warm-up. The warm-up starts out slow and gradually involves all muscles and body parts that prepare the individual for exercise. In addition, warming up can help in preparing an individual mentally. Essentially, it is best to start with an easy and gentle activity first, building on this with more energetic activities until the body is at a physical and mental peak. An effective warm-up has a number of elements that should all be working together to minimize the likelihood of injury from physical activity. That said, warming up before exercise helps prepare the body’s cardiovascular system, nervous system, and muscular system for up-coming physical activity.
The first effect that warming up has on an individual’s body is the preparation of the body’s cardiovascular system for physical activity. The warm-up stage is particularly important to those with cardiovascular problems. The older people become, the weaker their heart gets, and the more important it becomes to warm-up before exercise. With jumping straight into rigorous activity, the likelihood of a heart attack occurring increases. Preparing the cardiovascular system gets the heart and lungs ready to engage in exercise, which helps to deliver oxygen to working muscles more efficiently. Warming up reduces the workload on the cardiac muscle (heart muscle) and helps to provide it with sufficient amounts of blood supply, thus, preparing it for up-coming physical activity.
The second effect that warming up has on an individual’s body is the preparation of the body’s nervous system for physical activity. Warming up wakes the nervous system and stimulates the body. The individual becomes more awake and aware of his/her surroundings, boosting coordination. Preparing the nervous system gets the brain talking to the muscles, allowing your muscles to work more efficiently. During a...