Warm Up
Before any exercise, it is important to do a warm-up. While this may seem like a redundant statement, the importance of a good warm-up can not be overstated. When you jump right into an exercise before doing any warm-up exercises, your body is more likely to pull or strain something. Your risk of injury increases before you even attempt an exercise. A warm-up gets the red blood vessels moving in your body. As your body moves, the blood cells can absorb the sufficient amounts of oxygen needed to sustain your body during the workout. The movement of the red blood cells also increases your body’s temperature, making your muscles more flexible. Here are some workout exercises from a program that FIFA designed that can reduce the chance of injury by 50% if done correctly. Complete each exercise twice for the best warm-up.
Today, 1 in 4 female athletes will suffer from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and females participating in “cutting sports” (soccer, volleyball, and basketball) are 4 to 10 times more likely to tear their ACL.
Grace Lazzara shares her research through her WISP Gold Award Project. Visit the site to learn more how to protect yourself from sports related injuries.