Unfortunately, a warm up is not something that you can simply gloss over when it comes to preparing for a triathlon. This two part series seeks to look at why.
We were talking about abnormal ECG changes, right? These abnormal changes in the ECG were not related to fitness level or age – So they definitely had something to do with warming up, or a lack thereof.
To examine the benefit behind warming up, twenty two of the men that had abnormal results did a moderate intensity jog in place for two minutes before they returned to the treadmill to undergo another high intensity running test. With that small warm up of only two minutes, now ten of the men suddenly began to show completely normal tracings on their ECG, and another 10 of those men showed an improvement in their ECG tracings. Only two out of the original twenty two men continued to show abnormalities on a significant level.
It is not yet known if a more thorough type of warm up would have made even more improvements. Still, it would definitely be interesting to see these results, had the scientists gone another step forward with this experiment.
Warming up is also good for mental preparedness. It allows you to really get your head ready for whatever activity is coming up. Mentally preparing yourself for your workout or your upcoming event is thought to be capable of improving your technique, your skill and your overall coordination as well. This mental warm up is also capable of preparing athletes for discomfort when they are dealing with tough intervals during a race. If your mind is prepared to endure this type of discomfort, then the body is going to be capable of producing higher speeds. If your mind is not in a willing place when it comes to enduring discomfort, then your physical performance is certainly going to be limited.
There is no cut or dry answer when it comes to how often you should be warming up. Most recommendations, however, do fall into the 10 minute to 20 minute range. Some athletes even warm up more than this to make sure that their bodies and their minds are properly conditioned for the upcoming workout or the upcoming race. Athletes that have higher levels of fitness are generally going to require longer periods of warm up where as lower levels of fitness generally require shorter warm up periods of time. In most cases, when it comes to choosing a warm up duration period for your own needs, longer is going to be better, but it is important that you do what feels comfortable for you.
Photo credits: lululemon athletica
Originally posted 2009-10-02 03:14:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Attain Victory with the Right Triathlon Gear pt 1 Throughout our existence, one of the deciding factors in who survives and who doesn't has been technology. It is the innovation of technology that has allowed us to push ourselves to new horizons along the way. In all aspects of our life, having the right gear and equipment is absolutely...... -
Running in a Triathlon Triathletes have a bigger challenge than just the cyclist, the swimmer or the runner since they have to compete in all three sports consecutively. Very often, an athlete will excel at one or two parts of the competition but have room for improvement in the third, and this will very...... -
Real Reasons for Warming Up pt 1 There is too many times where an athlete will show up late to a workout and just jump right in on whatever is happening, swimming, running or riding without any kind of a warm up. There are other athletes that are so pinched for time that they end up skipping...... -
Buying Shoes for your Triathlon It is obviously quite important for you to have a really good pair of shoes that you can run in when you are going through the closing stage of a triathlon - But equally important is making sure that you have a solid pair of triathlon shoes that is also...... -
Triathlon Tips Which Really Work Competing in a triathlon is one of the most challenging experiences you can hope for. This is why so many people look for good triathlon tips. This is because while many will be happy just to finish, others would like to move up in the rankings as they compete in......
- Flatwound Soft Warm Acoustic Guitar Strings Acoustic Musical Instruments
- Levels, Plumb Bobs Carpentry, Woodworking Tools Tools, Hardware & Locks Collectibles
- Victorian Periods, Styles Antiques
- Triathlon Strength Training Gym, Workout & Yoga Exercise & Fitness
- Workout Resistance Bands Fitness Equipment Gym, Workout & Yoga Exercise & Fitness