Cheetahs don't warm up in the wild, why should I?
Do we actually need a warm up? Cheetahs don't warm up in the wild! (A saying I have heard on a few occasions now)
Yes, it's true, cheetahs don't warm up in the wild. But believe it or not, we are built very differently from cheetahs. For starters, they are chasing food to survive, we are generally going for jogs and lifting barbells.
Warm ups are certainly something we would encourage, but you might be wondering what they actually do on a physiological level? Below are a list of some of the main benefits a warm up will have on your performance:
Increase in heart rate allowing for greater blood flow to working muscles and opening up the blood vessels/capillaries. Small blood vessels that supply blood to muscles are often constricted at rest, these blood vessels then open up to supply the muscles with oxygen and nutrients (Brooks, 1985).
Increase body temperature - a warm muscle has increased nervous transmission speeds which can improve body movements - especially in respect to complex body movements (Enoka, 2002)
Increase the movement of synovial fluid in joints which helps 'lubricate' them and feel less creaky, a feeling I'm sure we are all familiar with (Law, 2007).
A potentiation effect on muscles we are about to use due to increased activity in the central nervous system via motor neuron recruitment, you might hear of people 'firing up' their glutes to help improve your squat (Enoka, 2002).
Improve range of motion, albeit briefly, but this can help get your body into better positions in your training, for example allowing you to get a slightly deeper squat will have benefits as more muscle fibres will be used (Stewart & Sleivert, 1998).
Mental switch on - this is more anecdotal, but warming up can give confidence psychologically, not all athletes would feel ready to jump into a game without a warm up if you asked them!
So, while the overwhelming evidence suggests that it increases performance, as far as injury prevention (or risk reduction) goes, that is less clear. More research obviously needs to be done, however, the weight of evidence is slightly in favour of a decreased risk of injury.
Again, certainly there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest warm ups help with injuries. How many times have you heard someone say they pulled their hammy when running after something without warming up? Realistically, if you improve blood flow, range of motion and CNS motor unit firing and potentiation, there is going to be less likelihood for things to go wrong.
Keep an eye out for part 2 where I separate the fact from the fiction and go through exactly what you should be doing to warm up appropriately!
