Warming up and stretching:Everything you need to know
Table of Contents
- Benefits of stretching
- How and how often you should stretch
- When should you stretch and when should you not
- Why do you feel sore after training
Why warm up before training?
A general recommendation is that you should always warm up before any physical activity. Warming up is an important part of training, as it can help to prevent injuries. During warming up, the muscles and tendons become more flexible, and the body prepares itself for the upcoming activity. It’s not just the body that gets ready for training during the warm-up, but you also mentally prepare to perform at your best. The temperature in the body increases and blood circulates faster, sharpening the senses and warming up the muscles.
General about warming up
- Spend 5 to 10 minutes on the warm-up itself
- The pulse should gradually increase
- Make sure to sweat without tiring the muscles
- Do movements that resemble the main activity
During warming up, mood also improves, which leads to an increased desire to train. Most people can likely recognize themselves in going too hard right away, causing the body to tire quickly. This can be avoided with proper warming up! Below you can read to learn more about warming up for strength training and running.
Warm up before strength training
When warming up for strength training, it is wise to divide the warm-up into general warm-up and muscle activation.
1. General warm-up
The general warm-up can be using a cardio machine at a suitable speed so that the pulse increases. How long it takes to get the body warm varies, but the speed should be such that the pulse rises after 5-10 minutes. You should not exhaust yourself during the warm-up, but can jog lightly or use a rowing machine, elliptical, spinning bike, or similar.
2. Muscle activation
To achieve a comprehensive warm-up before strength training, it is essential to activate the muscles. This only takes 3-4 minutes, and here the focus should be on the shoulders, knees, and lower back. One to two sets per exercise is sufficient. Below are a couple of exercises you can use.
Exercises for shoulder activation
Exercises for hip activation
Exercises for lower back activation
This exercise will help your lower back by activating the core muscles and teaching good technique in the back.
Warm up before running
It’s important to warm up before running as well, not only to prevent injuries but also to perform better during the actual session. Therefore, we have created a three-step guide on how to warm up before running.
1. Walk
The first thing to start with is to walk slowly for four to five minutes; this is the best way to transition the body from a sitting position to activity mode. It also increases blood flow to the muscles you use during running.
2. Gradually increase speed
After walking slowly, you can gradually increase speed and jog for three to four minutes, then gradually increase speed again. Take a break after the speed increase and repeat a couple of times. Make sure your running steps are short and quick during the speed increments.
3. Dynamic stretching
With dynamic stretching, you use controlled movements that loosen the muscles and raise body temperature. This makes you and your muscles soft and ready for running!
An essential part of avoiding injuries is having the right shoes for training. Famme has developed new running shoes that are lightweight and provide good support. Check them out here!
Are you unsure if you need to change shoes? Read our post on five signs for when you should change running shoes!
Why stretch after training?
Stretching is one of the most overlooked aspects of training. There are many benefits to it, and one of the most important is injury prevention. Read on to learn more about stretching and how you should do it. Additionally, it may be relevant to read up on injury prevention training.
Benefits of stretching:
1. Increased flexibility
After training, the muscles undergo several processes that make them contract and become "shortened" (they simply take on a different shape), and therefore you will feel stiffness and soreness if you do not try to correct the condition by stretching. With the help of stretching, the muscles are contracted to release back to their more comfortable state, and the body will feel more flexible and relaxed. This is why stretching is one of the most important benefits.
2. Improved blood circulation
Performing stretches regularly can improve your circulation. Improved circulation increases blood flow to your muscles, which can shorten recovery time and reduce muscle pain.
3. Extra energy
If you have a good stretching routine, you will likely notice that your energy levels are steady and consistent. When the body cools down, the brain releases endorphins, which are natural and healthy "feel-good" hormones. After a good relaxation exercise post-training, you feel energized and ready to face any challenge.
4. Pain prevention and reduction of injury risk
Stretching properly after training will not eliminate pain, but it will definitely minimize it significantly. Conversely, if the muscles remain tight after a workout, the risk of injury increases. Stretching can actually minimize and reduce your predisposition to injuries.
5. Great for stress relief
When you experience stress, there’s a good chance your muscles are tense. This is because your muscles tend to tighten in response to physical and emotional stress. Focus on areas of your body where you tend to hold onto stress, such as the neck, shoulders, and upper back.
How and how often should you stretch?
How often should you stretch and how long should you hold these stretching exercises? Additionally, the number of times the exercises should be performed is an important factor.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) reviewed a wide range of studies to answer these questions. Stretching has been studied much less than other forms of exercise, so the science is not as strong. However, based on the evidence, they agreed that:
- Healthy adults should perform flexibility exercises (stretching, yoga) for all major muscles: neck, shoulders, chest, back, hips, legs, and ankles at least two to three times a week.
- For optimal results, you should spend a total of 60 seconds on each stretching exercise. So if you can hold a certain exercise for 15 seconds, it would be ideal to repeat it three more times. If you can hold an exercise for 20 seconds, two repetitions would suffice.
Some tips for making your stretching routine more effective!
- Static stretching exercises are great after training. Each time you perform various exercises, hold for a good time so the muscle gets the time it needs to restore its shape.
- Foam rolling is a great addition to your training routine—especially if part of your body is tighter than others; it also increases circulation and helps lower your heart rate.
- Think of stretching as a way to reset and achieve balance after putting your body through stress. Instead of seeing it as optional, think of stretching as part of your training; that way, you will maximize the benefits of all the hard work you have put in.
- We recommend that you stretch before you train as well; dynamically stretching is a good suggestion for those who will have high-intensity training.
Static stretching: You stretch the muscle so that it tightens and hold this position for at least 10 seconds. This is usually done after training.
Dynamic stretching: Movement training where you move back and forth between tense and relaxed states.
When should you stretch?
Stretching is, however, not necessary for all types of physical activity. There are indeed cases where this can lead to more harm than positive outcomes.
Avoid stretching
- To maintain explosiveness and springiness in the muscles, you should not stretch before a workout. For instance, before a running session, it would not be wise to stretch as the muscles are stretched out and become slack in advance. This will therefore reduce speed.
- If you have hypermobile joints, it would not be a good idea to stretch these joints. Hypermobility means that you can bend the joints too far, which can be harmful to the body.
- If stretching is done solely to avoid soreness. It is not the case that stretching has a significant effect on soreness, where you should rather have a cool down at the end of the session for better conditions for recovery.
- If you have a strain or pull in a muscle, it would be smart to wait the first two days before stretching. After these days, however, stretching can help accelerate rehabilitation.
Perform stretching
- In activities that require the body to have extreme mobility, such as ballet. Here, stretching must occur regularly to maintain the effect, otherwise the muscle will revert to its starting point.
- As a warm-up to loosen the body so that it is prepared for physical activity.
- Rehabilitation of injuries can help with stretching.
- A great way to calm down and can be an important part of training for several. It is important to have such good feelings and thoughts. If you enjoy this, it may be relevant to read more about mindfulness and yoga here!
Why do you feel sore?
Soreness is caused by small tears or injuries in the muscle tissue that occur during unfamiliar movements with a lot of load. This triggers an inflammatory response that results in painful and tender muscles.
How not to get sore
Soreness can be prevented in various ways. One factor is to train regularly; this way, the body becomes accustomed to the different stressful training exercises. When the physical activity is no longer unfamiliar to the body, the muscles will not become sore. Furthermore, diet, lifestyle, sleep, stress, and age can be crucial for how sore you feel. However, there is no treatment for soreness, and it must go away by itself over time.
Can you train when you are sore?
Whether you should train when sore or not is a debated topic. Many believe that it is perfectly fine if you only feel a little soreness. However, if it is so intense that you struggle to move your muscles, it might be good to take it easy. It is also said that training with a lot of soreness can risk damaging the body's recovery. Therefore, the answer to this question should be determined by how you individually feel. If you feel that the soreness is low enough that it does not affect you significantly, it will be fine to go to training. If you feel affected by the soreness, wait an extra day to return to training. Listen to your body and let the muscles rest and recover.