Warm-up is a list of activities done with the sole purpose of preparing yourself for the big task ahead. When you warm up before any strenuous workout, your body is ready for it. The heart, the muscles, mind, lungs are prepared. Just like you wouldn't dare go for an interview without reading or researching the company, don't do the same with workouts. Don't just go to the gym and lift that heavyweight. It could be injurious. Sayco Williams, a New York personal trainer and online coach, shared his ordeal on the day he didn't warm up. For whatever reason, he skipped the warmup and went straight to his training. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and that ended his workout for the day. He couldn't lift anything for two weeks. "From that point on and every time after, I make sure to warm up my rotator cuffs well enough to prepare for my lifts," says Williams.

 The importance of warm-ups (before exercise) and cooldowns (after practice) cannot be emphasized. Before training, a 10-15minutes warm-up does the body better than harm. Introductions are just simple drills. They are nothing stressful that should drain your energy. "A warmup is not intended to deplete energy; it's meant to make you feel good, open up the legs, open up the small capillaries that are feeding those muscles," says Dr. Mimi Winsberg, a psychiatrist in San Francisco and Ironman triathlete.

Simple warmups before workouts are:

Light jogs: jogging can be a quick start for a pre-exercise routine. But nothing tedious, just light jogs

Easy stretches:  Body stretches is another warmup routine. Arm extends, leg stretches, body twisting falls under this category. These can be done in a position (static) or done while moving (dynamic) stretches. Some Physical therapists advised against dynamic stretches because they can be energy draining. Static stretches on the other hand, are not so energetic and are a general warmup routine for everyone. The best of the two plays depends entirely on the trainer and the reason for the workout.

Quick breaths: when you take in short breaths and deep breaths, you prepare the lungs for expansion. This will be needed when the full work out starts. This warmup is especially perfect for Sprinters and heavyweight lifters.

Butt kicks: butt kicks involve pushing your legs back to the butt, then forward and back again. It's a good warmup exercise for athletes and trainers looking to have good muscular thighs and butt.

Arm circles: this involves moving the arm in a circular motion to increase blood flow to the muscle.

Squats: This exercise involves bending the legs and, subsequently, the arms.

Leg walks: taking a few walks around the training room is also a good warmup routine.

Jumping Jack, Lunges, knee lifts, shoulder rolls, heel digs are other warmups routine. It should be noted that warmups are individual gigs. Your exercise will determine the best warm-up performance to pick. There are lots to choose from. The one that best works for you is the one you should stick to. If any warmup or exercise causes you any pain, please stay away from it. Seek professional help from your Physical Therapist as there might be an underlying issue.

Why Warm-up if I am still going to exercise?

Some trainers see no point in warm-ups since they will be exercising after all. Do note that each performs different duties, and they are both excellent for the body. While exercises are rigorous and sweaty and make you burn calories, warmups may not do that. Warmups are a simple routine to get your body and mind at alert.

Warmblood flow to every part of the body. The simple warm-ups you feel is not as critical work on increasing blood flow. Increased blood flow ensures your workout is done without any injurious damage to the body.

Warmups increase muscular temperature. The muscles are needed most during exercise. They need to be ready for those vigorous workouts. Warmups help raise the temperature of the muscle so it can exercise better.

Work out is better after warmups. Researchers discovered that people who have a warmup routine do better at the gym than those who just lapse into their training sessions. When you warm up before exercise, you enjoy your workout better.

Warmup hormonal productions like epinephrine, cortisol. These hormones are useful in large quantities during exercise.

Warmups mentally alert the mind, brain, and body to get ready. Warmups are the signal jumpstart the body, mind, and brain need that there is work to be done. Warmups get you in sync with every part of your body.

Warmups lower the risk of getting injured. When you don't warm up before workouts, you might easily injure yourself, especially when you head straight for the heavyweight machines.

Warmups help to increase one's flexibility. You can move better during exercise after a good warmup.

Warmups prepare you to be able to handle heavyweight machines during your exercise. A good warmup routine makes it easy to lift heavy machines or engage in strenuous activities.

 Lazy excuses to skip warmups

 * Busy schedule. Do you find the time? Warmups take less than 15minutes.

* Warmups are not necessary. Oh, but they are!

* I can do my workouts just fine without a warmup. Don't be lazy. Do the warm-up. Your safety first.

What To-Do And Not-To-Do During Warmups.

When going through your warm-ups, do it knowing that it is a pre-exercise routine.

DOs:

1. Go for comfortable and light warmups. "The goal is to break a sweat before moving into stretching and exercise-specific parts of the warmup," says the American College of Sports and Medicine.
2. Stick to the routine that works best for you.
3. Breathing exercises are part of warmups. Take deep breaths. The American College of Sports and Medicine recently research this with cyclists who have warmups before their activities. The study showed that this cyclist had improved their energy-consuming ability. During their workouts, they were notably faster than their counterpart who didn't warm up.

 During warm-up, AVOID:

1. Warmups longer than 10-15minutes.
2. Energy draining warmups. It is no longer a warmup if it saps your energy.
3. Following other people's routines. Your warmups should be based on your reason for working out, not theirs. If your exercise is solely to burn out belly fats, then your warmups should be in line with that too.

Warm-ups and cool-downs are an essential part of working out. Warmups are a good pre-exercise routine that shouldn't be taken lightly. Cooldowns are done after exercise. This helps bring down the increased blood flow and the muscular temperature that has been increased. Warmups and cooldowns are just as important as the exercises. They are useful tools in awakening the body for the workouts and getting the body back to the average level. They prepare the brain mentally for the task. Since warmups are simple routines, they are in no way energy-consuming. Skipping warmups can be injurious. Let the words of Jim white,  Dietitian, and Personal Trainer in Virginia, guide you to make the best decision. He said, "In fact, warmups and cool-downs are 'the most important thing' over the workout itself because injuring yourself can set you back." Don't want any setback or injury during your activities? Warmups give you a better chance at that.