A long-running joke told by CrossFitters is that “Our warm-up is your workout.” Irreverent humor aside, there is a reason we spend so much time on warming up and why we have relatively difficult warm-ups!
We have to wade through a tad bit of science first. I promise I’ll make it quick.
Because the body needs an indicator of how hard to breathe at any given moment. The brain is constantly monitoring the levels of dissolved carbon dioxide in the blood and spinal fluid. Therefore the level of dissolved carbon dioxide increases as we work harder and move faster. This triggers us to take bigger, deeper, and faster breaths.
This will bring in more oxygen and push more carbon dioxide out of our bodies. The problem is that all this doesn’t happen instantly. It’s an adaptive process over several minutes as workload increases.
If you don’t get enough of a warm-up, your body will actually still be warming up 1-2 rounds into the workout. Think about a fast and intense workout like Fran – for elite athletes, 2-3 minutes and that workout is over!
What all this means for us when we are working out is that we need to take some time to make sure our bodies are ready for some intense training. The harder you plan to work out, the more you need to make sure that ramp up happens.
In fact, if you are looking at a short intense workout (like Fran) you need a longer and more intense warm-up in order to ensure that you are performing at peak efficiency at the call of 3-2-1 GO! The shorter the workout, the more time you should take on your warm-up!
A good warm-up should serve many purposes. It will increase body temperature and bring the heart rate up. Therefore lubing the joints and increasing blood flow to the muscles. Your brain will be ready to adapt to your oxygen needs as you hit that work out hard.