If you're an exerciser, chances are you know it's important to do a warm up before starting your workout. The warm up prevents injury, lubricates the joints, increases circulation to the working muscles and prepares the body and mind for what's to come.
But did you know that you can actually burn more calories and more fat during your workout if your warm up is longer and more intense?
It's true! Short duration, low intensity warm ups (less than 5 minutes) are simply not effective if your goal is to shed excess body fat. The reason is simple; it takes about 15-20 minutes for the body to begin utilizing fat stores as it's primary fuel source. If the warm up is short, the body will still be using blood sugar and glycogen stores to provide fuel for the start of the workout, limiting the amount of fat burning and caloric burn during the workout.
However, a warm up that lasts about 15-20 minutes and gets the heart rate up and the body warm enough to begin sweating will increase the caloric burn and have the body using fat storage for fuel as soon as you begin the intense workout. Basically you'll get more caloric burn during your workout than you would have if you started with a shorter warm up and, you'll burn calories for a longer period after the workout as well.
Even if you only have 40 minutes, you're better off using the first 15-20 to warm up and the next 20 for the workout, than you are to have more time devoted to the main workout.
So, give it a try. Not only will you burn more fat during your workout but you'll also get the added bonus of 20 minutes of cardio to help strengthen your heart and lungs. It's a WIN WIN!
Try this warm up...choose whichever type of cardio equipment you'd like. The first 2 minutes take it light, then for the next 3 minutes increase your intensity (speed or incline) to a moderate intensity. Then for the next 15 minutes perform intervals with a 1:1 work to rest ratio. 1 minute work as hard as you possibly can / 1 minute recover then repeat. HAVE FUN!
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