If you have ever had a sports related injury then you know first-hand just how crippling its effect can be. If you haven't had one then just take my word for it; it's not fun. One little injury can easily flush months and sometimes years of hard work and solid gains down the toilet. Starting over is not only psychologically painful but sometimes outright depressing so please save yourself the time and headache by learning about the importance of warming up.

What is a warm up?

A warm up is any activity or combination of movements which help minimize the likelihood of injury by preparing your mind, muscles tendons and joints for exercise and strenuous activity.

Thanks to middle school gym class many of us have come to believe that stretching is warming up. According to the Stretching Institute, this is one great misconception. Yet the institute does agree that although stretching is not the warm up, its a critical part of it.

Benefits of warming up:

1. Mental Preparation - Clear mind and increased focus on workout.
2. Increased Body Temperature - The muscles become more elastic to reduce the risk of strains and pulls.
3. Increased Blood Temperature - Warm blood equals weakened binding of oxygen to hemoglobin which means increased oxygen and endurance boost
4. Increased Muscle Temperature - Warm muscle contracts more forcefully and relaxes faster.
5. Hormones - Body increases production of various hormones which makes more carbs and fatty acids available for energy production
6. Range of Motion - Range of motion around joints are increased
7. Blood vessels Dilate - Reduces blood flow resistance and lowers stress on the heart

 Important

• Start with a general warm up of light physical activity like walking or jogging. The aim is simply to elevate the heart and respiratory rate. ( I personally prefer to jump rope)
• Perform  Sport specific warm ups - This simply means that you do light sets to prepare the exact muscles you will use for the workout.
  
• For those who weight train, start out with the light weight but gradually increase the intensity of the warm up by adding a little more weight and then take a 2-3 mins rest before jumping into your actual working set.
  
• Stretch- stretching can be very dangerous so refrain from stretching until you have already warmed up the muscles.  I usually leave stretching for the end of my workouts when the muscles are fully engorged with blood and they feel tight.
  

Source- http://tinyurl.com/78docg