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DEVELOPING A FITNESS PROGRAM
WARM UP
When you exercise you need more oxygen to fuel your muscles. This
oxygen is carried to the muscles through blood. The increasing de-
mands of exercise will cause increased breathing rate, heart rate, blood
flow and blood temperature. As your blood temperature rises and more
oxygen is released, the temperature of your muscles will increase. This
allows the muscles to burn calories and create energy for exercise. A
warm-up activity should be a progressive aerobic activity that utilizes the
muscles you will be using during your workout. There is no set intensity
to warm-up with. A typical warm-up will produce a small amount of
perspiration, but not leave you feeling fatigued. Intensity and fitness
level will affect the duration of your warm-up, but 5 to 10 minutes is
usually recommended.
A gradual warm-up will do the following:
• Produce faster more forceful muscle contractions
• Increase your metabolic rate so oxygen is delivered to the work
ing muscles more quickly
• Leads to efficient calorie burning by increasing your core body
temperature
• Prevent injuries by improving the elasticity of your muscles
• Allow you to work out comfortably longer because your energy
systems are able to exercise, preventing the buildup of lactic acid
in the blood.
• Improves joint range of motion
• Psychologically prepares you for higher intensities by increasing
your arousal and focus on exercise
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GENERAL