Warm Up Poses & Exercises Sequence
Most fitness enthusiasts tend to skip warm up exercises and just get started with strenuous exercises.
Running or exercising without warming up sufficiently may result in injury and even poor performance.
A good warm up before any workout or running, helps increase the flow of blood to the major muscles as well as increases the breathing and heart rate. One of the key purposes of warm up exercises is that they allow the body to loosen up and prepare itself for any vigorous activity.
Warm up exercises for seniors:
Warm ups for senior need to be low intensity exercises Some of the warm up exercises for seniors would be walking at a comfortable pace, at least 10 minutes of stretching exercises, and some light calisthenics which could serve as strength building exercises. These warm up exercises can also be practiced at home by simply going for a walk around the house or from one room to another.
Warm up exercises for kids:
On the other hand warm up exercises for kids should be a little more strenuous as their muscles need to be loosened up before they take up any sports activity. Warm up exercises for kids should last for at least 10 minutes before the sport and should include high knees, arm windmills, partner passing, arm windmills etc.
List of warm up exercises
Besides the commonly used warm up exercises, there are also certain yoga warm up exercises that are known to be very effective in preparing the body for any strenuous exercise.
Some of the warm up exercises include:
- Seated forward bends: In this form of yoga warm up exercise the individual is required to keep their back straight at all times. Inhale and exhale, with their legs together and fingers interlocked in front of their chest.
- Butterfly: This is another form of yoga in which the person is required to stretch and thereby loosen back and pelvic muscles.
This helps before any kind of running activity or preparing for a workout. - Back twists: This is one of the simplest forms of warm up exercises, wherein the individual is required to twist their body from side to side from the same seated position.
Some of the other yoga warm up exercises include back twists, arm swings, arm rotations and full body tractions.
Benefits of warm up exercises:
Some of the key benefits of practicing warm up exercises before any strenuous activity include:
- Increase in body temperature: Increase in body temperature helps in minimizing the risk of pulls and strains as it improves overall muscle elasticity.
- Dilation of blood vessels: Warm up exercises also help in dilating the blood vessels which in turn minimizes stress on the heart and also reduces resistance to the blood flow.
- Increase in muscle temperature: Muscles that have been sufficiently warmed up are known to contract and relax more effectively, thereby enhancing one’s strength and speed. Warming up also minimizes the risk of injury or possible muscle overstretching.
- Mental preparation: For those who are practicing for a marathon or a major sports event, a good warm up will also help in preparing them mentally so that they have increased focus and are able to review their strategy and skills.
- Better muscle movement: Warm up exercises also help in increasing the range of motion of the muscles and the joints thereby allowing flexibility of movement.
