Do you warm-up before exercise?

When you're pressed for time, or just eager to start your workout, it can be tempting to skip a warm-up.

But warming up before you exercise, especially before engaging in weight lifting, has a lot more benefits than people give it.

Here's what to know to get the most out of your warm-up.

A warm-up is basically a wake-up call for your body, preparing your muscles and joints for exercise.

When we are seated or sedentary, many of our muscles shorten, or contract, due to our position in the chair. However when you start moving, those muscles will elongate in the new position, if this change happens too quickly, there is a risk for injury.

A warm-up quite literally warms the body up in order to make the muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints etc. more mobile and flexible in order to improve performance and prevent injury.

It also increases blood flow, which supports the body during exercise by better delivery of oxygen and nutrients to working muscles.

Contrary to misconceptions, a warm-up isn’t the same thing as the form of static stretching. Static stretches are those in which you stay in one position.

Stretching a "cold" muscle in this way can increase the risk of injury from pulls and tears.

For a weightlifting workout, the range of motion exercises, such as shoulder rolls, hip rotation, cat-cow stretch will help the loosen the spine and the joints in preparation for the lifts and motions to follow.