Warming up is the be-all and end-all of sports. Many injuries, sore muscles and ineffective training result from not warming up properly. But why is warming up so important and how can you achieve an optimal warm-up with fitness bands like the FLEXVIT Multi? In this post you will find tips and various exercises for the perfect warm-up.
Why is warming up before exercise even important?
A proper warm-up is recommended for almost all sports, and for some it is even essential. The importance of the correct warm-up is repeatedly emphasized to young athletes in clubs or in school sports. A proper warm-up is a must.
Warm-up is balm for joints and ligaments
A warm-up brings the body and particularly stressed joints - especially the hand, foot and knee joints - to the right “operating temperature”. With an effective warm-up, unnecessary injuries can be avoided, for example if you overexert yourself too much during later muscle building exercises with the fitness bands and the sports band all too suddenly pulls on the stressed parts of your body. Through an effective warm-up, increased synovial fluid, also known as synovial fluid or medically known as “synovia”, is produced. This essentially “cushions” the joint cartilage, dampening stress and strain.
Warm-up reduces muscle soreness
The explanation for the warm-up is that physiological reactions in the human body occur best and most profitably at a body temperature of 39 degrees Celsius. During targeted exercises, the muscles that are being stressed are supplied with many important nutrients and oxygen. Furthermore, during the warm-up, the heart rate is gradually increased, which means that waste products from metabolic reactions in the body are broken down more quickly. This means that the acidification of the muscles is reduced and so muscle soreness is not as painful as if there were no warm-up. In addition, breathing accelerates during the warm-up and covers the increasing oxygen demand that becomes necessary during training. 
Warming up prevents injuries
During the warm-up, ligaments and tendons are also stretched, making them more elastic. A proper warm-up is absolutely essential, especially in sports where there is a risk of injury such as football or other team sports, as the necessary interaction between nerves and muscles and thus the ability to react is increased. Even when jogging, a proper warm-up is recommended, especially to prepare the muscles for training. A warm-up has been proven to reduce ligament tears and meniscus damage.
Warm-up exercises with FLEXVIT fitness band
Warm-up for the upper body
An optimal exercise for warming up the back and shoulder area:
- Stand up, move one leg back and lift your heel slightly.
- Stand on the other leg, which is bent slightly forward.
- Hold the ends of the FLEXVIT band and fix it under the foot; keep your arms bent next to your upper body.
- Now slowly move your arms back and forth alternately, similar to when using ski poles.
- Vary speed and repetitions.
This exercise primarily warms up the back, especially the rhomboid muscle, the deltoid muscle of the shoulders and the biceps.
Warm-up exercises for the arms
An effective exercise to train your upper arms and shoulder blades in particular is the following:
- Kneel on the middle of your FLEXVIT Multi Band.
- Hold the ends of the slightly tense fitness band firmly at hip height or wrap them around your hands.
- At the same time, slowly pull both hands up to shoulder height.
- Hold the band there taut for about 7 to 8 seconds.
- Now slowly lower your hands back to hip height.
Premium warm-up exercise for the core
This is a great exercise that works and warms up the entire body:
- Tighten your FLEXVIT Multi Band or your FLEXVIT Resist around your left foot.
- Get on all fours, i.e. support yourself on the floor on your knees and elbows and look at the floor.
- Slowly extend your leg backwards until your leg and upper body form a straight line.
- Stay in this position for at least 7 seconds before slowly lowering your knee again.
- Repeat this exercise at least 6 times and then switch leg sides.
- Increase the number with each workout.
This exercise is ideal for abdominal muscles and the entire core muscles
Warm up your legs with FLEXVIT Resist and FLEXVIT Multi
Warming up your legs is particularly important for runners, footballers and other athletes who have to move a lot and often. The following exercise is recommended:
- Get into a lunge and support yourself on your left knee.
- Take your right leg forward and fix your FLEXVIT band under your right foot.
- Hold the ends of the sports band firmly and stretch out your right leg. The important thing is to create as strong a resistance as possible with the band under tension.
- Straighten and bend your leg several times.
- Then switch to the left leg.
With this exercise you prepare your joints for a strenuous workout and warm up your knees and thighs in particular.
Optimal time for warming up with fitness bands
There is no “perfect” time, but there are guidelines for how long warm-up exercises should take. For sports with a low risk of injury and where the strain on the muscles is not too high, the warm-up does not need to be longer than 6 or 7 minutes. This is the case, for example, with targeted muscle building when individual regions of the body are trained while at rest. This can be the case in the gym when doing the “bench press”, but also when training with FLEXVIT training bands.
For sports that involve a lot of physical exertion and are at risk of injury, such as basketball or football, the warm-up should take longer. At least 15 minutes are recommended here.
