A new study at the University of Calgary finds that traditional warm-ups used by competitive athletes are too long and too intense, leading to diminished performance in the athletic event.
Most recreational athletes don't warm up as long as the competitors described in the study, but it's worth considering how much time and effort you put into warming up that could be better invested in your actual workout.
I suspect, however, that there are significant individual differences in warm-up needs. For example, many runners are ready to sprint out of the gate and have to restrain themselves from going so fast initially that they burn out early in the run. I have the opposite problem -- I feel so terrible at first that I tend to work below my capacity for miles, only reaching a respectable speed after 30 or 40 minutes. My last mile is invariably my fastest.
It's interesting to note that once upon a time exercise experts recommended stretching before warming up and only then beginning the workout proper. We now know it's unwise to stretch muscles that haven't been moving. The trend over time seems to be to dispense with preliminary activities and just get going already.
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