Exercise needs special preparation, both mentally and physically. Lack of warm-up can lead to injuries that require longer recovery times. Unfortunately, people usually skip warming up before exercise. So, how long does it take to warm-up before exercise?

How Long Should You Warm Up Before Exercise?

Warming up is an important part of exercise, no matter what type of exercise you do. An adequate warm-up before exercise helps with better muscle control and a wider range of motion during exercise. A good warm-up helps you get the most out of your workout.

A good warm-up includes the stretching movements needed to prepare the muscles for exercise and the ideal duration before exercising. As quoted from Live Strong, there is basically no standard rule on how long to warm up before exercise.

The duration of the warm-up depends on various factors, such as the type of exercise and the condition of your body. In general, the higher the intensity of the exercise you are doing, the longer the warm-up is required.

Although there are no specific rules regarding the duration of the warm-up, it is recommended to warm up 8–12 minutes before high-intensity exercise and 4-6 minutes before low-intensity exercise.

You also need to pay attention to your body's readiness before exercise. For example, if you've already done a lot of physical activity during the day, then the warm-up you need to do may be shorter.

Likewise, if you are recovering from an injury, it usually takes longer for your body to warm up. However, if you have recently suffered an injury, you should follow your doctor's advice for the type of exercise.

Different Types of Sports, Different Warm-ups

Each sport requires different muscle movements, so the warm-up differs depending on the exercise. Here are some warm-up guidelines for sports that you can follow:

• Strength training:
  If you're strength training a lot on your thighs and calves, warm up those areas, and vice versa.
• Cardio exercise:
  It depends on the type of cardio you're doing. If you're doing a long-distance run, it's best to warm up with a short run at a moderate intensity for 10 minutes.
• High-Intensity Training:
  Most HIIT workouts require arm, leg, and cardio strength. For your warm-up, you can do moves that work on flexibility and strength, such as squats, jumping jacks, child's pose, push-ups, and hamstring stretches.

The warm-up movements should focus on the muscles that will be trained during exercise. You can consult a personal trainer or instructor to get the best warm-up results.

Should You Stretch After Exercise?

In addition to warming up before exercise, experts also recommend stretching or cooling down after exercise. Cooling down after exercise is also beneficial to avoid muscle injury. As with warm-ups, post-workout cool-down moves can vary depending on the type of exercise performed.

Stretching after exercise is necessary to prevent stress on the body, return the heart rate to normal conditions, regulate breathing rate, reduce pressure on the joints of the body, especially after performing difficult and continuous movements and make the mind more relaxed. You can cool down or stretch for 10 minutes until your breathing is regular and your muscles feel light.

Warming up is an essential part of every workout and should not be neglected. Warm up according to the type of exercise you are doing and cool down after your workout. For those of you who have questions about movements during exercise, you should consult with a trainer. If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store. 

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