Should I warm-up before exercise?

I am often asked “Should I warm-up before exercise?” and “What should I do to warm-up before exercising?” It shouldn’t come as any surprise that my answer is – it depends. Let’s explore the details of what, why, and how to understand the evidence about the warm-up that works best.

First, what is a warm-up?

A good warm-up means preparing your muscles for your activity. This includes warming the muscle through activity and increasing blood flow to the working muscles while gradually increasing your heart rate.

Does stretching count as a warm-up?

Foam rolling or other passive, flexibility exercises are not a warm-up.

In fact, flexibility prior to exercise reduces the power the muscle can produce limiting your ability to maximize your workouts potential. A study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness showed static stretching before exercising causes a temporary decrease in muscle strength and power. This is known as the “stretching-induced strength loss” phenomenon. (Which is why you shouldn’t stretch between sets during a resistance training workout.)

Static stretching also doesn’t prevent injuries, most studies show that flexibility before exercises doesn’t prevent injuries and may increase the likelihood of muscle damage. Save the stretching for after your workout.

What about dynamic stretching?

Dynamic stretching simply means moving while stretching,  doing movements that extend muscles, while static stretching involves extending a set of muscles and holding it. However, they both extend the muscle which can result in the same strength and power loss.

Second, popular ≠ performance.

Dynamic stretching is currently a popular option. Go to any gym and watch people walk and stretch their hamstrings or lunge and twist or any number of other contortions. I have always suggested that this is not particularly effective, but now I have proof.

Unless you are a professional athlete, I am guessing you spend a lot of your time sitting in front of a screen. Unfortunately, this leads to muscle weakness and imbalances that decrease the range of motion in many joints, leading to reduced mobility. In my experience, starting an exercise program with dynamic stretching while having a limited range of motion leads to poor technique and more injuries.

For the record, I don’t recommend that people warm up with either type of stretching.

Third, show me the evidence.

Research published this week from Elizabeth Cowan University in Australia proves that my suggested warm-up works. This is what I normally tell my clients about warming up, do some light cardio, walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes, ride the stationary bike, or if you walk to the gym you have done your warm-up. Then, you can do your first set of each exercise with a lighter weight to prepare your muscles for resistance training, especially if you are doing a power or strength program.

The new research shows that increasing muscle temperature improves the speed and force of muscle contractions.

How did the researchers increase muscle temperature?

Through passive methods, like a heating pad or hot shower and active methods, either 10 minutes on a stationary bike or a going through the exercise with lighter weights.

What did they find?

Contrary to their expectations the researcher found that either method worked. Increasing muscle temperature by 1% improved performance by 3.5%. A 3.5% gain is not to be discounted.

Author and PhD student JP Nunes states,

While both active and passive warm-ups result in better speed and power, a lot of research shows that the warm-up exercises should be similar to the exercise you will be doing. If you are lifting weights, starting out by doing the exercise with lighter weights, because the practice actually helps us to activate our muscles more and to use more efficient movement patterns — the nervous system can learn on-the-spot.

What does this mean for you?

Warming up before a workout has benefits. Increasing the temperature of your muscles by doing a light cardio workout or starting your set with a lighter weight can result in greater benefits from your workout. There is no advantage to spending time doing complicated dynamic stretching routines especially if this means you spend less time doing the exercises. As lead researcher Dr. Cody Wilson says,

Any warm-up is important, whether that’s just walking to the gym or doing a ten-minute cycle before your work-out. But there is some indication that warm-ups not related to the exercise being performed do not have as great an effect on performance as just ‘practicing’ the performance.

In my experience, keep it simple to get the maximum benefit.

Change your mind, change your health,

Shayla