AT BSI we, of course, stress the ‘warm-up’ before we start our training. IF you are not a client, our training is multifaceted meaning the sessions involve multiple stations of power, coordination and stamina demands (We are NOT a CrossFit gym). This is how I have been training clients for about three decades. Our warm up, like our training, is functional based. This is based on my years in the treatment, assessment, and management of sport-related injuries. Besides the ‘loosening’ up feeling you get from warming up, did you know there are interesting things happening in the blood and to the nervous system when you do this?
Oxygen
You ever wonder why you get winded the first few moments of a workout? Most likely because you did not warm up! The blood contains, fat, plasma, red cells, white cells, natural killer cells, sugars etc; it is an impressive concoction that it is truly awesome when you consider the function of each blood component. Anyhow, there is hemoglobin, (HG) that circulates in the blood. The HG carries oxygen, (O2) throughout the bloodstream. Now, this is where the warm-up gets interesting: When you begin to do the treadmill, Versa climber, Xbike, jump rope, etc the HG ‘gives up’ its O2 so it, the o2, can get shuttled to the muscle where it gets used to prepare the muscle for the intense work ahead. If the HG does not give up its O2 then there is no oxygenated blood for the muscle and you feel yourself breathing harder than normal. When you jump right into an activity the muscles are actually ‘starved’ of O2 because the muscles have not warmed up enough.
Nervous System
Another interesting thing happens in the muscles during a warm-up. The nervous system sends a volley of impulses to [afferent] and away [efferent] from the brain all day. When you begin to warm up, these impulses speed up and adrenaline begins to flow, the muscle and bone joint nerve endings prepare to distribute loads that are then transmitted to the tendon which is attached to the bone then the session begins! Of course I have simplified things a bit, but basically, that is what is happening. So if you want to reduce your risk of injury: WARM UP THE BSI WAY!!!!!
Fat Burning Machine
Perhaps the most important feature of a warmed up muscle is its capacity to burn fat more efficiently than a cold muscle. Fat is released during stress. The stress of sudden intense exercises deluges the bloodstream with fatty acids. A cold muscle won’t ‘burn’ the fat and therefore that fat ends up in places it is not wanted: the arteries!
So in summary, just know a warm-up is important because:
- Provides O2 to muscle
- Enhances coordination
- Reduces risk of injury
- Speeds up combustion of fatty acids and glucose