Why Warming Up Matters
As I’ve got older, I’ve come to realise why warming up matters, and I have become much less inclined to jump straight into a workout.
These days, I actually enjoy that first few minutes of moving. It gives me an opportunity to find out how my body feels that day. Is anything particularly stiff? Am I feeling energetic? Does something need a little more attention?
Because a warm-up isn’t simply something to get through before the “real” workout begins.
It’s part of the workout.
What Does a Warm-Up Actually Do?
The clue is really in the name.
As you begin moving, your heart rate and breathing gradually increase, more blood is directed towards your working muscles and your body begins preparing for the activity that’s coming next.
Rather than going from sitting at a desk or on the sofa directly into squats, lunges or an energetic aerobics routine, you’re giving your body a transition.
A good warm-up can also take your joints and muscles through some of the movements you’re about to use, but at a lower intensity.
If you’re about to squat during your workout, for example, you might begin with shallower, slower squats. Before an aerobics session, you might march on the spot and gradually increase the size and speed of your movements.
You’re essentially giving your body a preview of what’s coming.
Warming Up Doesn’t Have to Mean Stretching
This is something that’s worth clearing up.
When many of us hear “warm-up”, we immediately picture somebody standing still and stretching their hamstrings.
Stretching can certainly have a place in a fitness routine, but before exercise I generally prefer to move.
Think marching, shoulder circles, gentle rotations, heel raises, controlled squats or gradually increasing the movements you’re going to perform during your workout.
This is often referred to as a dynamic warm-up.
The idea isn’t to exhaust yourself. Quite the opposite. By the end of your warm-up, you should feel more prepared to exercise, not as though you’ve already completed half the session.
Your Warm-Up Should Match Your Workout
There isn’t one perfect warm-up that works for everything.
If you’re about to complete a lower-body strength workout, it makes sense to spend some time moving through your hips, knees and ankles and gradually introducing movements such as squats or lunges.
If you’re doing an upper-body session, you might give more attention to your shoulders, arms and upper back.
Before cardio, you can gradually raise your heart rate with movements such as marching, side steps or gentle versions of the exercises you’ll be doing later.
And before Pilates or yoga, your warm-up might be slower and focus more on controlled movement and mobility.
The important thing is that it prepares you for what you’re actually about to do.
Don’t Rush Because You’re Short on Time
This is probably when most of us are tempted to skip it.
You’ve only got 20 minutes, so surely it’s better to spend all 20 minutes working hard?
I don’t think so.
If time is limited, I’d much rather do a slightly shorter workout and still give myself a few minutes to prepare properly.
And warming up doesn’t have to take forever. For many everyday workouts, a few minutes of progressive movement can be enough to make the transition into exercise feel considerably better.
In fact, many InstructorLive classes already include preparation within the session, so if you’re following one of our programmes, don’t be tempted to fast-forward through the beginning to reach the harder exercises!
Those first few minutes are there for a reason.
Pay Attention to How You Feel
This is one of the things I value most about warming up now.
Your body doesn’t feel exactly the same every day.
Some mornings I can start moving and everything feels great. On another day, perhaps I’ve spent hours sitting at a computer or I’ve had a particularly busy week, and something feels a little tighter than usual.
A warm-up gives you an opportunity to notice that before you’re exercising at full intensity.
Perhaps you decide to spend a little longer mobilising an area. Maybe you modify an exercise. Occasionally, you might realise that today isn’t the day for the workout you’d planned at all.
That’s not wasted time.
Learning to respond to your body is part of exercising well.
Does Warming Up Become More Important as We Get Older?
I certainly appreciate it more now than I did in my twenties.
That doesn’t mean reaching a particular birthday suddenly makes your body fragile or incapable of exercise. Far from it.
However, we may experience changes in mobility and muscle function as we age, and some people simply find they feel stiffer after periods of inactivity. Taking a little time to gradually prepare for exercise can therefore feel particularly beneficial.
It also fits with something we’ve talked about a lot at InstructorLive: exercise should meet you where you are today.
You don’t need to prove anything by launching straight into the hardest part of a workout.
Try a Little Mobility
If you regularly feel stiff before exercising, you might also benefit from including some dedicated mobility work in your week.
Our Ultimate Stretch with Jade programme combines controlled stretching and mobility-focused movement and can be a useful addition alongside your regular strength and cardiovascular workouts.
However, remember that a separate stretching programme doesn’t replace warming up for the specific activity you’re about to do. Think of mobility as part of the bigger picture of keeping your body moving comfortably.
And What About Cooling Down?
If we’re talking about the beginning of a workout, it’s worth mentioning the end too.
Just as I don’t particularly like jumping from sitting still straight into intense exercise, I don’t love going from working hard to immediately stopping either.
A cool-down allows you to gradually reduce the intensity of your movement. After an energetic workout, that might mean slowing down to an easy march before eventually stopping.
It’s also an opportunity to take a moment, breathe and recognise what you’ve just done rather than immediately rushing onto the next part of your day.
The Takeaway
When I was performing professionally, warming up wasn’t optional. I wouldn’t have dreamed of walking straight from my dressing room onto the stage and expecting my body to immediately perform at its best.
Yet when we’re exercising at home, it can be tempting to treat those first few minutes as disposable.
I don’t anymore.
Your warm-up doesn’t need to be complicated, and it doesn’t need to take half an hour. It simply needs to give your body a chance to transition from whatever you were doing before into the workout you’re about to do.
So next time you’re tempted to skip straight to the hard bit, give yourself those few minutes.
The workout doesn’t start after your warm-up. Your warm-up is where the workout starts.
