How to Warm Up Before Exercising

An appropriate measure of warm up is mandatory for any workout to take effect. The practice so dispensed helps you avoid any internal pulls or injuries and prepares your body for any heavy workouts that you are going to undertake shortly. In the following are some techniques that you can adopt for a thorough warm up before proceeding toward any exercise:

Warm up workout aiming at ‘LOOSEN UP’

Workouts intended at warm-ups ought to be carried out steadily and in small steps; it, therefore, becomes very sensible that you take a humble start with a set of simplest of the physical activities:

• Inhale long and deep drafts of air as the first step of your warm-up activity. An accomplished breathing activity has a lot to do with nourishing your body and enhancing resilience. Continue the practice for a little while by standing motionless ensuring that your lungs fill with air to the maximum.

• A couple of seconds later exhale and take your arms back progressively to their original location. Keep on repeating this raising and lowering of arms’ exercise in sets of 4 -5 times.

• Once again assume the original position — your arms loosely hanging on both sides. Take your arms over the head after inhaling while embracing both hands. Pull your abdominal muscles and turn your back slowly. This will lift your buttocks a little while your arms remain in line with your ears. Hold the position for a few seconds and exhale after resuming original posture. The step is to be repeated four to five times.

• Gently turn your head around both sides some eight times. Then roll your shoulders back and forth for eight times. Each activity to be done steadily but at will.

Warm up workout aiming at ‘STRETCHING’

Stretching slackens your joints, enabling them to be able to respond to the higher impact of strenuous workouts. Below are some basic stretching movements for you to attain warm-up:

• Extension Leg Stretch:

Stand straight, both feet apart, in the line of your shoulders. Take out one foot half a step forward and bring your hands over hips. Exhale while progressively bending your rear leg, keeping your folded arms over the frontal leg. Pull the forward leg as straight as you can, but the foot remains pasted on floor and buttocks in raised position. Now slowly lift your forward foot to carry your toes in the direction of the ceiling. Keep it for a couple of seconds and bring it back flat on the ground. Hold the posture before straightening up and revise the same steps for the other leg as well.

• Quadriceps Standing Stretch

Having stood in upright position, inhale and gradually bend one leg backward, while your hand gripping at your foot. Pull your abdominal muscles and maintain the posture for a while and revise it for the other leg.

• Shoulder Strangle

While standing straight extend one arm and cross it all horizontal over your chest. Grasp the elbow of the extended arm with the help of your other hand firmly. Keep this posture for ten counts and carry out the same step for other arm.

Proper warm ups keep your body strong enough to prevent any muscle pulls.