The Difference Between Being Warm and Being Warmed Up

In the world of physiology, just because you are hot and sweaty does not mean you are ready to perform. It is actually quite the opposite. Let me explain. When the body heats up because of outside temperature, we release sweat from the more than 2.5 million eccrine glands throughout our body. Sweating is the body’s natural radiator system trying to regulate heat so that internally we can cool off as the air blows over our skin and the salty liquid known as sweat evaporates.

When it comes to performance, we must warm up metabolically versus warming up due to temperature. When you go from stationary to active, the receptors in the hypothalamus area of the brain send a signal to our muscles letting them know that we are going to start moving and as a result, internal heat will be created. As we warm up, blood gets directed into the moving muscles to provide oxygen for maximum muscle contraction. When we do not warm up and go from idle to wide open we feel a burning sensation in the muscles…this is the accumulation of lactic acid. Similar to exhaust from your motorcycle, lactic acid is a by product of burning stored sugar (glucose). The faster you go on your motorcycle or higher the intensity of your workout, the more byproduct (exhaust) is produced. When you warm up properly (20-minute minimum), you are letting your body know that activity is about to occur, and your muscles are gradually getting the oxygen-rich blood necessary to power your workout or performance. Do you ever notice when you go to the gym that the second set of reps always feel better than the first set? This is because on the second set the body knows what to expect now and is prepared for what is to come. As the intensity goes up, the body turns on different energy systems, and if you have developed those energy systems you will be very efficient at being able to handle those higher intensities.

This should explain the misnomer that if I am hot and sweaty am I warmed up? The answer will always be no.