How to correctly perform warm-up

Before starting a warm-up session (for martial arts purpose)

Many inexpert people think that phases like warm-up and stretching are a useless waste of time but nothing is more false, wrong and dangerous. Those practices are crucial to:

  • Avoid eventual injuries (or limit their incidence)
  • Reach the peak performance (otherwise slow to reach, if not impossible)
  • Maintain high the quality level of our workout (in the next days)

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

Important premises

Before starting we must understand that:

  • We always have to consult a doctor before practicing any kind of physical activity
  • In this explanation, we do not want to go too far into technical details but be as practical as possible
  • After the practice of warm-up it is fundamental to do some stretching exercises (before moving toward the most intense part of a training session, read Basic soft stretching)

We also have to pay particular attention especially if:

  • We are over 30-35 years old
  • We have suffered injuries or we have specific physiological problems
  • We usually get cramps
  • We are naturally not too much flexibles
  • Very easily we get hurt (inflammation, dislocations, etc.)
  • It is a long time that we are not practicing a constant physical activity (“constant” means at least every 3 days)

What is the warm-up for?

Warm-up, like stretching (read How to correctly perform stretching) is a fundamental phase not only in Kung Fu (where it has a particular relevance) but also in any other martial arts training:

  • It lowers the energy threshold at which metabolic reactions occur
  • It increases the inflow of oxygen to our muscles (they become more pliable and contractile)
  • It increases the mechanical efficiency of our body (mobilizing and lubricating our joints)
  • It increases the transmission speed of nerve impulses from the brain
  • It reduces the viscosity of the blood and the synovial fluid in the joints
  • It drastically reduces injuries to connective tissue, tendons and muscles
  • It improves the effectiveness of the cardio-respiratory system in relation to the “explosive efforts”
  • Last but not list, psychologically, the effort it offers us serves as a gradual separator and liberation from the thoughts of everyday life (read also Shaolin breathing control: before/after an effort)

A note by Master Kongling – In general, the warm-up wakes up our body from the psychophysical torpor typical of modern life (immobility during work, stress, etc.).

How to properly perform warm-up

To perform a proper warm-up session, we must follow some important rules:

  • Heat – As the word implies, one of the primary objectives of the warm-up is to increase the internal body temperature (generally speaking of 38-39°) and to reach the ideal condition for a peak performance
  • Low intensity – The warm-up must consist of exercises (proportionally to the level of the practitioner) of low intensity; this prevents the early raising of the lactate
  • No exaggerations – Under no circumstances a warm-up should be able to affect our ability to practice the subsequent workouts; a disproportionate practice may even give rise to damages of various kinds, we should be relatively fatigued but able to express a good performance (after stretching)
  • No risks – Warm-up must be simple; it’s absolutely wrong to practice dangerous (eg. weapon training) or acrobatic exercises (eg. kip-up); before starting not only our body has to be awakened but also our spatial intelligence (read The most important skill in combat), our balance, etc.
  • Never reach the end of elongation – Under no circumstances the activities of warm-up can bring our muscles, tendons (etc.) to the maximum extension or resort to the use of explosive power; ignoring this rule grow dramatically the risk of injuries
  • It can not be avoided – As we said, warm-up does not limit heating the body and therefore, it must be performed beyond the external / collateral factors; an example to understand, in a sultry summer day (maybe being sweaty), we may think to be already warmed up enough but this is absolutely not sufficient (not the same thing)
  • No shortcuts or passive tools – There is no passive equipment (electrostimulation, irradiation, etc.) that can properly replace a real and effective active warm-up
  • Sweating is not an indicator – Another important fact to stress is that sweat is not a reliable indicator of a completed or useless warm-up; a lot of people sweat even when they stand still and yes, this is an advantage but this does not means that their body is completely prepared
  • Precision – Unlike stretching (that is more sectoral), although warm-upmore easily incorporates multiple body elements, it is essential to concentrate our work on what we are going to use more directly / intensely; in any case, a good warm-up should always include as much as possible body elements

When to perform warm-up exercises?

Warm-up exercises (read for example 5 jumping exercises ideal for beginners / warm-up) must be executed:

  • Before performing any type of physical activity and before even the lighter stretching session (especially if we have exceeded 30-35 years); an alternative for situations of reduced time is dynamic stretching that combines phases of slight stretching to a light-medium warm-up (read for example Dynamic stretching: an exercise for the lower limbs)
  • Possibly within a morning training (read also Tips on how to stretch our training times), in such a way that, together with stretching, we guarantee to be able to face any eventual critical issues related to personal defense with “minor” risks; it is well known that in 90% of cases, in an improvised combat scenario, the time of preparation of the body is almost null (read Self-Defense: is it possible to always be ready to fight?)
  • For about 10-20 minutes; the duration should be adjusted in relation to the intensity level of the following activities, the age of the practitioner and his / her current athletic condition; slightly longer and less intense stretching / warm-up are advisable for over 30-35 years practitioners

In the next article of this series, we will see some simple but effective exercises useful for raising the internal temperature (read Basic warm-up).

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Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

  • How do you feel after warm-up?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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