2. WARMING UP
1. DEFINITION
The warming up is the initial part in any session of training. It
prepares the body for later efforts.
The warming up will favour the performance and will avoid injury.
Some questions to think about:
2. WHY WARMING UP?
It avoids injuries in the locomotor system such as sprains or fibre
fractures. It favours the rise of muscle temperature improving the
muscle elasticity, the coordination, the rhythm and the attention.
It avoids injuries in the respiratory system rising the heart and
respiratory rate and blood circulation. Therefore the body is
prepared for a greater effort.
It improves the performance: strength, endurance, speed and
elasticity are improved after an adequate warming up.
It improves motivation and concentration. The person starts to
know the sport facilities, to adapt to our environment…
3. HOW TO WARM UP?
A complete warming up has several stages:
A. General part.
5’ starting up: activities such as walking, long distance running, riding
an exercise bike…
5’ stretching of the main muscles
5’ joint mobility. Different joints are worked on from the neck to
the ankle
B. Specific part
10’ exercises related to the activities we are going to carry out. For
example, in basketball we will make ball exercises: dribbling, throw the
ball… Before the training or game we will rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. SHOULD EVERYBODY WARM UP IN THE SAME WAY?
No. The warming up should be individualized because every person is
different. There are different factors:
THE AGE. Kids and young people need more time.
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3. THE SPORT. The warming up will be different for an aerobic sport
such as running or for an anaerobic one such weight-lifting.
THE PHYSICAL CONDITION. A person who trains little time will
become tired in a faster way so he or she will warm up with less
intensity.
THE TIME OF THE DAY. In the morning the body needs more time
to adapt to the effort.
THE ROOM TEMPERATURE. When it is cold, the warming up takes
more time.
5. HOW LONG IS AN IDEAL WARMING UP?
There is no ideal time. It varies from 15 and 50 minutes depending on the
previous factors.
6. WHICH SHOULD BE THE INTENSITY OF THE WARMING UP?
It varies from 90 to 100 beats a minute and from 120 to 140 with harder
exercises. Exercises should be made in a gradual way. As a rule, we shouldn’t
exceed the 70% of our maximum heart beat (= 220 minus the age of the
person). A 40-year-old person (220-40=180, the 70% of 180 is 126) won’t have
more than 126 beats.
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