Friday, December 11, 2015

The Science Behind Warmups for Athletes


As managing attorney in Greenspoon Dougherty of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Brian Greenspoon has achieved prominence as a two-time member of Legal Leaders. In his free time, Brian Greenspoon enjoys playing soccer as well as football, golf, and tennis.

Essential for any athlete before exercise, a proper warmup session increases muscle temperature by raising the heart rate and increasing circulation throughout the body. At rest, most of the capillaries in the body's muscular system remain closed, and blood flow to muscles totals only15 to 20 percent. These levels may not be sufficient to support the musculature during exercise.

In a study on healthy adult men, 10 to 15 seconds of intense cardiovascular activity without warmup produced abnormal electrocardiographic results in 70 percent of patients. Subjects with abnormal results then engaged in a two-minute warmup before the next period of exercise, and 20 out of 22 subjects showed improvement.

When the length of warmup increases to between 10 and 12 minutes of activity, capillaries in the skeletal muscles open, and blood flow percentage rises to between 70 and 75 percent. With improved blood flow comes increased temperature and oxygen delivery, which guards the muscles in periods of intense demand.

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