Many people may think that stretching is the same as warming up but the reality is that there is inherent difference between these two. A Port Coquitlam fitness trainer will tell you that warming up mainly focuses on increasing body temperature and preparing the body for workouts. You can warm up using exercises like matching, skipping, jogging, and butt kicks.
On the flip side, stretching focuses on elongating or extending muscles and joints of body. These two forms of exercises are important since they ensure you do your exercises effectively and do not suffer undue injuries. Regardless of which workout you are preparing to do whether running, cardios, or crossfit, you will find warm up and stretching very useful.
It will require you about 15 to 20 minutes of proper warm up before a workout. After you have finished the workout, you may want to do another 10 minutes of stretching. When you make use of these pre and post workout activities, you will find that you get better results from the exercises you are doing.
You will not suffer injuries that may put you off the radar in exercising the next day. In addition, it allows the muscles and ligaments that have been worked to heal fast. Since there are so many ways you can warm up, you might not need to do all of them. Depending on the kind of workout you are doing, a personal trainer can show you what exercises to do for warm up.
After you have finished your workout, you also need some time to stretch out. A good example of warm up is jogging. You can do some light jogging to get the body looser and warmer. Of course you will need some other warm-ups such as skipping, butt kicks, and marching.
In jogging, do a slow run where you could jog as you do conversation with a trainer or a partner. Then try to run at a speed that cannot allow you to talk and then jog again at a slower pace. Examples of stretching include hip flexor stretches, standing quadriceps stretches, and calf stretches.