As it gets colder in Melbourne, it can be more discouraging to get out to exercise/train. This also applies to sport training. The cold weather is more likely to increase the risk of injury if we're not appropriately physically prepared to train. And if we overheat, we increase the risk of injury as well.
Here's three reasons why you should adapt your warm-up based on weather conditions.
Reason 1
The same warm-up you always perform is usually designed for ideal conditions. If we only spend 5 minutes warming up when it's 8 degrees outside and no heating indoors, we can guarantee you won't be warm at all. As your body temperate is lower, you'll require more time to warm up to feel physically and mentally ready to train. So by extending the warm up period with more warm-up sets or some steady-state cardio to start may be ideal.
Reason 2
When it's warm/hot outside, the last thing we need is a warm=up that is long and dragged out. We're more likely to reach fatigue faster compared to being in the cold. And in the heat, it becomes more important to mitigate our core temperate rising too high (think heatstroke). In the heat, we also decrease the time to fatigue vs ideal conditions (not good). So keeping the warm-up specific and concise is ideal in these situations.
Reason 3
It's more enjoyable to have some variation in your warm-up. It can be optimal time to introduce speed ladders into the warm-up when it's cold (you'll start a small sweat on!). When it's hot, you want to spend the most time on what's most important. Your training session becomes more concise and avoids any 'filler' exercises.
If you want to improve your sporting performance and avoid injury, get in touch with us.
Trent Pirihi
Founder and Head Strength Coach
Inner Athlete
