Whether you got a game coming up or you’re eager to start your workout, warming up is a crucial part of that process.

If you are reading this, chances are you might be the sports type or enjoy outdoor activities. You might not even like sports, but what your body likes is warming up before taking up any physical activity.

It’s important to understand that putting your body through a set of complete workout will stretch the muscles and decrease the chances of injuries.

We’re going to show you the importance of warm up and why your body will love it.

Gets Blood Moving Through Your Body

When you’re not doing anything or resting, your body and muscles also rest.

This results in minimal blood flow through different muscles in your body. And that results in minimal oxygen making it through to the rest of your body.

A walk or a light jog is all it takes to change that. A few minutes of walking is all it takes to get 80% of your blood moving through your body. And with that the oxygen your muscles need in order to function properly.

Stretches Your Muscles Out

You can see before any game, the professional players are all warming up.

They begin by doing a simple run. What this does it warms the muscles, gets the blood circulating, and prepares the rest of the body. Next comes stretching. By stretching your arms, legs, and back, you are preparing your muscles for physical activities and thus preventing injuries.

Reduces the Chance of Injury

We mentioned it above, reducing the chance of injury is the key for any athlete. A proper warm-up loosens the muscles, so make sure to start with lower intensity drills. Once your muscles are all warmed up, step up the intensity level by doing high explosive strength exercises like sprints and jumps. Make sure to do this once your bosy is ready. This will prevent and reduce the chances of pulling a hamstring, which can be a nightmare injury for athletes.

Allows You to Mentally Prepare

We can agree that warming up before a game is key to prepare your body for the task ahead. What you should know is that warming up for a game is a routine. Like any routine, it takes discipline to learn and execute. Like the physical, there is also a mental side to any game. While warming up, you are not just preparing your body, you are also preparing and training your mind for the challenge you are about to face. Take the time to get your game face on and imagine giving a great performance on the field.

How to Warm Up Before a Game

We’ve covered the importance of a good warm up. Now we are going to tell you how to warm up before a game.

Start with a simple walk or light jog. This gets the heart pumping and blood circulating through your body.

Then move over to some stretching. Stretch your legs, arms and back to loosen some of the muscles. Remember that static stretching can hinder your performance. So next on the list is to do some dynamic stretches. Do this by continuously moving, kick your legs forward, do jumping jacks, move your arms in circles. Then try a mix of both. Touch your toes and then reach your arms out. The key to a good warm-up is to be on the move. Keep in mind that the type of exercise depends on the sport, so make sure to do sport specific movements.

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Warming Up

Whether you are a professional player, likes to hit the gym or likes to play football or basketball on the weekend, never underestimate the importance of warming up. Having performance issues during a game because of bad preparation is the least of your problems. You can injury yourself which can be really bad if you are a professional, a career change moment. That’s why you must always make sure to warm up before a game.