KENDO WARM - UP

Why warm up?

A pre-exercise warm-up: warms your muscles by increasing the movement of blood through your tissues, making the muscles more supple; increases delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles by increasing the blood flow to them; prepares your muscles for stretching; prepares your heart for an increase in activity; prepares you mentally for the upcoming exercise; and primes your nerve-to-muscle pathways to be ready for exercise. The warm-up is widely viewed as a simple measure to help prevent injury during exercise. While scientific studies are ongoing to define the best warm-up techniques to gain this injury-prevention advantage, the warm-up in general is firmly established as a key to exercising safely and effectively.

Ensuring an effective warm up

To make your warm up effective, you need to do movements that increase your heart rate and breathing, and slightly increase the temperature of your muscle tissue. A good indication is warming up to the point where you have raised a light sweat.

If you’re exercising for general fitness, allow 5 to 10 minutes for your pre-exercise warm-up (or slightly longer in cold weather).

If you are exercising at a higher level than for general fitness, or have a particular sporting goal in mind, you may need a longer warm-up, and one that is designed specifically for your sport. .

If you have any special exercises you need to do before exercise please ensure they are completed before we start and if you have any problems, let someone know beforehand.

This is our basic warm-up routine:-

Taiso-rei - Rei before exercise

Up and down on feet - using the the whole foot from toe to heel

Achilles Stretch

Hamstring Stretch

Adductor Stretch

Rotate Hips

Turning at the Waist

Shoulder Rolls

Big Circles

Punching out with the hands

Finger Stretches

Bicep & Tricep Stretch

Neck stretches

Rei - to finish

Vocal Warm Up - Kiai during Suburi