Warm-up exercises reduce the risk of injury during exercise. Warm-up exercises should not be neglected before running or using exercise equipment, as they help reduce stress on the heart and other muscles.
Definition of the concept of warm-up
According to expert opinions and scientific studies, warm-up is a preparatory process in which the player is prepared and physiologically, psychologically and physically by means of a set of general and specific exercises, and by means of another set of motor activities of varying intensity, which are carefully selected according to scientific studies.
Warm-up exercises help raise muscle temperature, which leads to increased muscle contraction and relaxation. Warm-up exercises also help prevent injury, tears, or strains in muscles, tendons, and ligaments, as well as achieving the best level of athletic training.
The purpose of warm-up exercises
The main goal of warm-up exercises is to prepare and condition the individual from all sides, as the warm-up aims to prepare the individual's organs in an organized manner to bear the burdens of the upcoming effort.
Benefits of warm-up exercise
Practicing warm-up exercises before exercising provides a person with many benefits, including the following:
1. Warm-up exercises help slow down a person's pace during exercise, reducing the risk of injury.
2. Warming up helps avoid injury.
3. Warm-up exercises help the body by raising body temperature and increasing blood flow to the muscles.
4. Warming up reduces muscle soreness and reduces the risk of injury.
5. Therefore, cooling exercises allow for the restoration of heart rate and blood pressure.
6. Warm-up exercises give your heart and blood vessels a chance to start and end your exercise session easily.
Different examples of warm-up exercises
There are many different warm-up exercises that an athlete can do before exercising to protect his muscles from tearing. Examples of these exercises include the following:
1. During warm-up exercises, the person should focus on doing some exercises that focus on the large muscles.
2. Warm-up exercises can be started by reducing the exercises that the athlete usually performs to a smaller number of repetitions and for a shorter exercise time.
3. While performing warm-up exercises, a person may experience slight fatigue and a slight increase in sweating.
4. An example of this is when doing warm-up exercises before doing brisk walking. If a person usually walks for a full hour during warm-up exercises, he starts walking in groups starting with five minutes, then increases them to ten minutes, then a quarter of an hour.
5. Also, before practicing swimming exercises, if a person is accustomed to swimming for ten hours, he should start with a quarter of an hour, then half an hour, then two hours, with rest periods between the sets. This is done by walking while moving the arm up and down, alternating with the movement of the foot.
6. You can also perform warm-up exercises by raising the knee to the left palm in groups with rest periods in between.
7. Another popular warm-up exercise is to move your shoulder clockwise, then move your entire arm clockwise once and counterclockwise once.
8. Moving the neck to the right and left is an important warm-up exercise, in addition to placing the hands on the waist and turning the body to the right and left.
The importance of warm-up exercises
Preparing the body before doing any type of exercise is important, by doing warm-up exercises. The importance of doing warm-up exercises is due to the following:
1. Warm-up exercises help increase a person's flexibility, as increasing flexibility contributes to increasing the flexibility of movement and facilitates performing the sport correctly.
2. Warm-up exercises reduce the risk of injury, as warming up the muscles helps relax them.
3. Warm-up exercises increase blood flow and oxygen, as increased blood flow provides the muscles with nutrition before starting to exercise intensely.
4. Warm-up exercises help improve an individual's athletic performance and help them perform exercises more efficiently.
5. Warm-up exercises provide a better range of motion, as having a greater range of motion helps move the joints better.
6. Warm-up exercises reduce muscle tension and pain by increasing muscle temperature and relaxing it, facilitating movement and reducing pain and stiffness.
Warm-up exercises for children
Many people wonder if there are warm-up exercises for children or if they are dangerous to their health. Experts and specialists answer that there is no harm in doing warm-up exercises for children, provided that they are appropriate for their age, and that warm-up exercises for children do not exceed five to 10 minutes.
Warm-up exercise steps for children
Children do warm-up exercises to avoid injury during exercise, including the following:
1. The child begins with simple forward movements that are easy and slow.
2. The child then begins to speed up this same movement and add another accompanying movement (such as jumping).
3. The child then adds angles or curves to transition into a side-to-side movement pattern.
4. Some muscle stretches are then included.
Warm-up exercises to avoid tendon tears
There are several warm-up exercises to protect against tendon and muscle tears, including the following:
1. The first exercise is done by leaning against the wall with your back supported, placing your heels away from the wall and resting your body on the wall itself, then extending your toes to their maximum extent and repeating the exercise 10-15 times.
2) There are heel stretching exercises. In this exercise, the body is standing and a step is taken forward, repeating the movement 10-15 times, and switching between the legs.
3) Hamstring stretching exercises are important exercises. You start by sitting on the floor and raising your legs forward alternately. Repeat the exercise 2-3 times for each leg for a period of time not exceeding 10-15 seconds.
4) Stretching exercises for the lower front part of the leg, to reduce pain that occurs in the lower leg. This exercise begins by sitting on the floor and placing a towel around the table or any fixed object, then you stretch your leg.
Stages of the ideal warm-up
1. To warm up the legs, run and move one leg forward and backward, while touching the extended foot with your hand.
2. Warm up the knees by shortening the person’s stride and bringing the knees towards your chest alternately for one minute.
3. Warm up your hips by running on one side and then rotating your waist in the opposite direction.
4. Side loops are made by changing the direction of an object from right to left and vice versa.
Warm-up exercises before lifting weights
If you have weight lifting exercises, you must first do warm-up exercises, special warm-up exercises, such as the Bench press.
- The first exercise must include a set of warm-up exercises. For example, if you have three sets of bench press exercises before starting them, we do five sets of warm-up exercises as follows:
- You prepare a weight that is 50 percent of the maximum weight you can lift. If you are lifting 30 kg, you lift 15 kg in the warm-up exercises for 16 lifts.
- You then rest for three minutes and then do 10 reps again.
- Rest for another minute and then increase the weight to 70 percent of the 15 kg weight and lift it four times.
- Rest for another minute and increase the weight to 90% for one rep, and that's the end of your warm-up set.
- Rest for three to four minutes and start your set with 30 kg.
Examples of warm-up exercises
Below are some warm-up exercises that can be done:
- Walk for 3 minutes, moving your arms up and down in coordination with your steps.
- Raise your knee 30 times for 30 seconds, by raising your right knee and touching it with your left hand, and vice versa.
- Perform 20 small shoulder rotations, including clockwise and counterclockwise.
- Perform 20 large arm circles, including clockwise and counterclockwise.
- Do 20 neck rotations, including clockwise and counterclockwise rotations.
- Place your hands on your pelvis and perform 10 wide rotations of the pelvic area, including clockwise and counterclockwise rotations.
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