Many gym instructors and personal trainers tell you to warm up for your workout by doing a set of gentle stretches. The theory behind this is that the stretching lubricates muscles and raises their temperature, making you less prone to muscle tears.
However, the latest scientific thinking refutes this. A study published recently in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise Journal suggested that this type of warm up should be abandoned.
The research showed that those subjects who performed flexibility exercises before a workout had no greater protection against injury than those who did no warm up at all. It also had absolutely no effect on performance. This research has now led to some sports organisations advising against stretching before training sessions. In fact, stretching with poor technique can actually do more harm than good. When a muscle is stretched to its limit, it triggers a reflex that causes the muscle to contract. Push beyond that point and the muscle can tear. Dr Ian Shrier, a prominent sports physiologist believes that stretching should be abandoned before and during workouts. "New evidence firmly suggests that stretching immediately before a workout does not ward off overuse or acute injuries."
So how should you warm up? Expert opinion is that the critical thing for warm up is to raise your body temperature. This boosts circulation and triggers chemical reactions in the body that makes muscles ready for additional strain. The best way to raise body temperature is to do at least 10 minutes cardiovascular activity. This could be 10 minutes on the treadmill, rower or cross trainer. If you are doing exercise at home, you could gently jog on the spot, or go for a brisk power walk. Start slowly with your warm up and gradually either speed up or increase the intensity.
It is important to remember that whilst stretching may not work well as a warm up, most exercise specialists recognise that stretching is still important as part of your overall fitness regime. Stretching helps to increase mobility and improves posture. Making sure that you retain flexibility can really help maintain healthy joints, reduce stiffness and keep you moving in your old age. If you want to keep a stretching routine as part of your workout, the best time to do it is at the end of a workout as a cool down. It will help to reduce stiffness in your muscles the following day, and as your body will already be warm, there will be less chance of muscles tears. Alternatively, you could make a stretching routine a workout in itself, by doing Pilates or Yoga.
If you want to find more exercise information, you can find them in the exercise section of feelingOK.
