Warming up is the act of stretches and massages that all athletes perform, or should perform, prior to a sports event or work out. This prepares their bodies for the upcoming stress it will undergo. Many people are impatient and try to just jump into their exercise routine rather than taking the time to warm up their muscles and joints first. When you allot a bit of time to warm up as well as cool down following exercise, you have less of a chance for any work out related injuries.

One of the best ways to warm up is through a series of slow and easy stretches. This includes your arms, legs, and waist muscles. These should take about 10 minutes or so in order to get your body ready to run, jump, or any other type of physical activity that you may be undertaking. It will not be such a shock to your body and you will be able to perform at your peak. Letting your muscles warm up makes them limber and more supple.

Warming up your body also affects the joints and bones. These are other areas that can be injured while working out or training. Fluids are encouraged to reach the joints during warming up which helps prevent locking and corrosion. If you are going to be running, this is important as your knees will be taking a lot of impact.

The effect of warming up on the heart cannot be discounted either. This is very important especially for those who are just beginning a work out program and those who are overweight. Your heart needs to build up to working out so that it is not shocked by instant stress.

Finally, it should be mentioned that a cool down process at the end of a work out is also very important. Your muscles need to be eased into resting once they have been active. Repeating the warm up session as a cool down will accomplish this.

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