How to prepare for a sport: warm-up or stretch?
3 Easy Ways to Warm Up Before a Game
While warming up might not be the most exciting part of your routine, it is crucial for preventing injuries. But are you warming up correctly?
Warming up and stretching are different. Warming up prepares your body for
exercise by increasing muscle temperature and blood flow, while stretching aims
to enhance flexibility and range of motion.
Types of Warming Up:
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β’ General Warm-Up: Light activities like jogging or aerobic exercises that raise
your heart rate and blood circulation, preparing your cardiovascular system
and increasing your body temperature.
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β’ Dynamic Warm-Up: Active movements that mimic the exercise to be
performed, such as jumps and joint rotations. This improves joint mobility and
muscle coordination.
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β’ Specific Warm-Up: Exercises targeting the muscles and movements that will
be used, such as dribbling and passing in soccer. This directly prepares the
muscles and joints for the activity.
Example Warm-Up Routine for Football:
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β’ General Warm-Up: 5-10 minutes of light jogging.
β’ Dynamic Warm-Up: 5 minutes of jumps, hip rotations, and dynamic stretches.
β’ Specific Warm-Up: 5 minutes of dribbling and passing.
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Remember: Avoid static stretching as part of your warm-up, as these sessions
require more than 30 minutes to be effective. Instead, save static stretching for dedicated flexibility training sessions.
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