Why do we warm up?
Zach, Noah, and Jake at Matheny Muscle incorporate some starter movements in every training session. Many people exclude this from their programs and it can result in injury and unsafe training.
In 2021, I had surgery to repair a torn ligament in my elbow. My injury was due to a concept known as hysteresis that happens in the tissues in our body. It is described as the “lag” in the return to resting state after a muscle or ligament is elongated or stretched.
If we don't properly warm-up, our tissues do not adapt to our explosive and heavy movements. This idea of hysteresis can cause injuries, however it can be minimized with a proper warm-up. Our tissues have elastic components to them, and they release energy as heat when we exercise. Warming-up before exercise decreases hysteresis by decreasing their stiffness and increasing their compliance, making our tissues more “ideal” for exercise.
