Bodybuilder.com

How much should you warmup 

before you exercise

How much should you warm up before you exercise? I have received thousands of e-mails from athletes- bodybuilders- and working people asking this question.

First of all it depends on your type of workout you will doing and also on your individual body type. That being said you need to follow some general guidelines

1) The best warmup for lifting weights is to do the exercises you are about to do with a light weight and go through the full range of motion. That will warmup your body muscles that you are just about to use. DO NOT GO YOUR HEAVIEST WEIGHT ON YOUR FIRST OR SECOND SET UNLESS YOU WANT TO GET INJURED!

2) Do not go to do a long aerobic workout before you lift weights. You can often burn up the glycogen from your muscles before you even workout a that will give you a worthless workout. You need the glycogen to help you lift and get results.!

3). But one thing you need to do is to get your body temperature up some before you start. Whether that is done on the treadmill or some quick light weights it does not matter as long as you have got your blood pumping.  If I did not want to do a light set of all my exercises for warmup sometimes I would get on a exercise bike and ride it with no tension for about 8 to 10 minutes to get my blood flowing

The physiological reason you do a warm up is to assist your circulatory system in pumping oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. You want to increase circulation throughout the body in a gradual manner. A good warm up w ill safely prepare your body for the increased demands of your exercise routine. When your muscles are cold muscles they do not absorb shock or impact as well, and are more susceptible to injury.
Always make sure you do not just walk in and try to handle your heaviest weight. That just shows lack of discipline and patience in your workout and you will end up paying the price and injuries.