Warming Up to Working Out

Source: www.polyvore.com

For many people, it is hard to warm up to the idea of working out, but motivation for working out actually comes from a pre-workout warm up. The author, Matthew A. Ladwig, reveals The Psychological Effects of a Pre-workout Warm-up: An Exploratory Study a study to ProQuest Research Library confirming that people will be more motivated to continue to work out if they warm up before they start their workout. Ladwig claims that people who warm up prior to working out will associate working out with positivity and therefore will be more motivated to workout.

Sometimes the hardest part of working out is starting your workout. Some people prefer warming up before their workout by stretching, running, etc. but others start their workout immediately because they do not have enough time to do a warm up. According to Ladwig, “a pre-workout warm-up may increase the likelihood that an exerciser maintains a homeostatic state for a longer period than an exerciser who does not use a warm-up routine. In the short and long term, this could lead to higher levels of exercise-related enjoyment as well as increased motivation for exercise and adherence to an exercise regimen.” I agree with his discovery because from my personal experience with working out, I feel rushed or tired if I do not warm up before a workout. When I was younger I played soccer, ran track, and took dance classes; all three very different types of exercise, but they all began with a warm up. Now, I cheerleader and I do yoga. For my cheerleading practices we run, stretch, and do other basic body weight exercises like crunches, lunges, and pushups as a warm-up. Warming up prevents injuries and increases endurance.

Warm-ups can also influence people to associate more positive feelings with working out. The survey that Ladwig conducted revealed that “participants responding "yes" to warm-up use reported significantly higher overall mean scores for both exercise-related motivation and enjoyment than those who did not report using a warm-up.” Although workouts may cut into our time for other activities, it is important to start each workout with a warm-up. From my personal experience, I like workout classes such as yoga because the instructors take time to warm up the class for the upcoming exercise. But, if I were doing yoga in my aerobics class for P.E, the teachers do not have time in the class period to warm up, therefore, I prefer out of school yoga although the classes are quite similar. It is really important to have the right mindset when going into a workout, that is why a warm up is essential for channeling positive feelings for your upcoming workout.

It is crucial to understand the importance of a pre workout warm-up because warm-ups help generate positive attitudes towards working out. “If an exerciser experiences an unpleasant workout, the exerciser will recall the memory for this event more readily than they would have if the experience were more pleasant.” People recall bad experiences very easily, for example, when I was younger I did gymnastics and one day I came late to practice and did not have time to warm up and I ended up straining some tendons in my arm. Because of that bad experience, I stopped exercising through gymnastics. Many people have relatable stories of why they have a bad memory of working out. But, overall it is crucial to start your workout with a warm-up to increase your energy and motivation for working out.

Future Research: 

• Does clothing type have to do with working out?
• What physical incentives are there for working out?