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Test Gym
The Perfect Warm-Up, According to Science
In many cases, you want to do something that’s identical to the activity that follows, just at a lower intensity
My spouse and I are in perfect agreement that it’s good to start a run with a warm-up. But what that warm-up should consist of remains a point of contention between us. He likes to start by walking. I prefer to begin running at an easy pace. We usually compromise by walking for a few minutes, then breaking into a slow jog before settling into our running pace.
On one of our recent runs, I started thinking about warm-ups, and why we do them. It occurred to me that I’ve spent my entire athletic career assuming that warm-ups were important, but I never really understood why, what they were supposed to accomplish, or what the perfect warm-up entails. So, after more than two decades of being a serious athlete, I finally set out to learn the science behind warm-ups and what makes them effective. (And yes, I admit I was hoping to find evidence for my contention that it’s perfectly fine to warm up for a run by actually running, albeit at an easy pace.)
