The Warm up (1st stage)

Your regular aerobics class is composed of five to six stages. These stages should be respected for maximum benefits and safety all along the work out, and even after, this to avoid injuries and allow maximal benefits. Stages include a Warm UP-Static Stretches, a Cardio-High/Low center part followed by a Cool Down-Stretches, finally Muscle Conditioning and sometimes Relaxation.

Today, I will only talk about the first stage, which is the WARM UP.

The warm up is a mild exercise at low intensity: 30 to 50% of you HR Max. (Maximum Heart Rate). This initial stage prepares your body to move. It increases the blood flow to joints and muscles as well as the body temperature. Doing so, body fluids lubricate the joints to prepare your body for the rest of the workout. Warm up also prevents damages to skeletal muscles, connective tissues and the heart. It is that much important! Muscles and tissues become more pliable, stretch more easily and are more resistant to tearing. Warm up is finally essential to increase oxygen delivery to muscles and improve nervous tissue conduction.

In a warm up exercise, do not move the joints to their full range of motion, called also ROM. You should start very slowly. If you run in place, run smoothly, without effort until you begin perspiring. Your ROM is different from any other person and it may improve by exercising at the condition you do it everyday. Always follow the warm ups by static stretches. This helps to avoid muscle soreness and stiffness while exercising. The warm up should last between 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your level of fitness. Reach up during the rhythmic stage, warming up major group muscles instead of specific muscles.

Begin by the biggest like the thigh muscles (the quadriceps and the hamstrings) followed by the calves, the waist and lower back, finally the arms and shoulders. Warming up and stretching the lower back should have your special attention since one of the most common injuries in sport are related to back injuries. Spend some time stretching the hip flexors, hamstrings and the calves; they are the muscles you are going to use over all the other muscles during your aerobics workout. I will be including examples and links in an other article later.

To sum up, the warm up always begin with an active phase at a low intensity level, but rhythmic, with a reduced ROM. Following the warm up come slow, sustained and static stretches performed in both sides of the body, from head to toe. It is a nice moment to check if you are breathing correctly.

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