BY RYAN HAUGHEY
FITNESS
Stretching works Proper stretching can enhance your workouts
W
hen it comes to working out or any physical activity, it is important to make sure your body is properly warmed up. A warm-up routine has multiple benefits that can help reduce the risk of injury and increase your body’s function and performance, including the following. An increase in muscle temperature: Muscles that are warmed up will be able to contract with more force and relax at a faster rate after the contraction; this will increase overall strength and speed. Increase in body temperature: Warming up will increase your body’s temperature making your muscles more elastic, reducing the risk of muscle pulls. Improved coordination: With a warm-up, your body’s central nervous system gets ready to go and will increase the communication of nerve-tomuscle pathways. Your body will be able to respond with quicker reaction times and agile movements.
“Help your body out by performing a warm up and watch the improvement in workouts and other physical activities.”
Increase in blood temperature: Just as your muscles and body move more effectively when warmed up, your blood operates the same way. When blood temperature rises, blood oxygen levels rise creating more oxygenated blood in the blood stream. Thus, muscles will be able to receive larger volumes of nutrients and function at a greater level. A warm-up should consist of simple movements such as walking on a treadmill, jogging in place, jumping jacks, jumping rope or core rotation move-
ments, and take five to 10 minutes to perform. Making the time to incorporate a warm-up before your workout or physical activity should become part of your regular routine. If you jump right into working out or any other physical activity without warming up there is a greater risk of injury as well as lower body function and performance. When muscles and joints are “cold,” the range of motion is not as great and the elasticity of your muscles is much tighter. Without a proper warm-up, you run the risk for muscle and joint strains, tears and sprains. Ryan Haughey B.S. CPT ACE, SASTM is the fitness manager and personal trainer at the University Club of Michigan State University. Call him at (517) 353.5113.
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