What are the point of Warmups?

             Warm ups. They may not be the most noticeable part of an athlete’s array of game day clothing, but they could easily be the most crucial. Most seem to think warm ups are just an extra uniform piece added in to make the team look unified as one as they prepare for a game, but what if I were to tell you that a warm up plays an important role in an athlete’s performance in the game?             Flashback a few years on a beautiful 60⁰ fall weekend for a soccer tournament. As my team began the stretching part of our warmups most of the girls on the team began shedding their layers all the way down to their uniforms. Once our coach got the first drills set up he told us all to go back to our bags and put on our warm up jackets and sweatpants till game time. Even though we thought he was crazy (I mean it was perfect weather) we listened to him and began the warm up with our two layers of clothes on. After that day he set the rule that as a team we all had to wear our warmup jackets and sweatpants unless the temperature was above 70⁰. That day I was somewhat annoyed because I didn’t understand why I had to sweat through warmups while I could have easily taken off my jacket and sweats and been more comfortable, but today I now understand my coach’s purpose.

FC Barcelona's Warm Up Suit looks
like most generic soccer warm up suits

           In soccer the warms consist of a jacket and sweats, basketball has a long sleeved top with sweats as well. Why would teams what to spend more money on extra articles of clothing? It’s because they provide a purpose. As you warm up for you respected sport, your goal is to get your muscles moving and heart rate ready for the speed of the game, but between the times of warm ups and game time there is a little bit of downtime as starting lineups are announced and the national anthem is played, and during that time athletes keep their warmups one. Warmups provide an extra layer of clothing that keeps the body heat in which keeps a players muscles ready and even in the long run of the game help prevent cramping from the repeating warming and cooling of the muscles. If you watch wrestling, the warmups are probably the most important piece of the uniform because their sweatshirts and sweatpants tucked into their socks work to keep their body heat in so that their muscles are prepared to work to the max during the match.
           So to answer the question of if you really should invest in warmups, I would highly recommend it as it can benefit your performance as an athlete which is what the focus of the pregame is all about: how can I best prepare my body to perform at the highest level this game?

Images courtesy of www.soccer.com