Tune Up Your Warm-Up

If you think a few toe touches can prepare your body for exercise and ward off injury, you're just stretching the truth.

A 2004 report in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that stretching before a workout has no effect on the frequency of injury. That conclusion was based on a review of 350 studies done throughout the United States and Europe.

"The good news is that there may be better things for you to do to avoid injury," says lead researcher Stephen B. Thacker, M.D., director of the epidemiology program office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The key to preparing for exercise is warming up.

We often think stretching and warming up are one and the same. They're actually quite different. Warming up involves low-intensity movements that prepare the muscles for stress, and kick-start the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Static stretching, the type most of us do when we "warm up," simply increases or maintains the limbs' range of motion.

Mimic the activity

So what kinds of movements should you do? Patrick Hagerman, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Tulsa, says you should try to mimic the activity you're about to do.

For jogging or running, that means walking briskly. To bike or swim, start out easy and build slowly to full intensity. For team sports like basketball, run through all the movements you'll perform: shooting, dribbling, passing and running. Before doing strength training, lift a practice set at half the weight.

"Warming up doesn't have to take long," says Dr. Hagerman. "It can be anywhere from five to 15 minutes. The important thing is to get blood flowing to the muscles you are going to work out. Warm muscles are more pliant and less likely to suffer sprains and strains."

While stretching alone may not prevent injury, it can help you maintain your body's range of motion. The key is not to begin your pre-workout routine with stretches that may damage muscles that aren't ready.

"You definitely need to get the body warmed up before you stretch," says Jim Turk, assistant athletic trainer at the University of Illinois. That's why most athletes stretch either midway through their warm-up or after their workout. "I stretch after I run," Dr. Thacker says. "Mainly I do it because it feels good."

Ed McFarland, an associate professor of sports medicine at Johns Hopkins University, says stretching offers the most benefit in your warm-up if you've suffered a past injury. "You don't have the same functioning of the muscle once it's been torn or strained," he says. "It's just tighter and you almost have to warm up and stretch the part of the body that's been affected in order for it to perform."

Cold weather can make it harder to warm up. Before you head out, warm up indoors. Try jogging in place, for instance.

"Nothing can totally prevent injuries, but warming up is a safeguard," Dr. Hagerman says. "Think of it as a little bit of insurance."

A cool warm-up

Strength and conditioning coach Tom Kelso devised this warm-up routine for athletes at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It combines dynamic movements -- 20 yards out from a starting point and then back -- with stretches that work major muscle groups.

• Walk as if lunging, taking slow, exaggerated steps.

• Bend at the hips, back straight, touching shins or toes. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Do two repetitions. This stretches the hamstrings.

• Walk backward, striding as far as possible.

• Squat to right and left, keeping the opposite leg straight, to stretch the groin muscles. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds, two repetitions on each side.

• Simulate walking over high hurdles. Lift one leg, then the other. Rotate the hip.

• Hold on to a partner or a wall. Reach behind you and grab your ankle, gently pulling up to stretch the quadriceps muscles. Stretch each leg twice.

• Walk slowly sideways, extending the lead leg as far as comfortable. Lead with the right leg going out and the left leg coming back.

• Sit down and stretch the legs wide. Stretch to the right, center and left.

• Do powerful skips. Swing one leg out as if taking off for the long jump. Lead with one leg, then the other.

• Loosen your upper body by swinging your arms and rotating your trunk.

• Sprint 30 yards.

The routine should take about 15 minutes. Mr. Kelso says the varied activities help hold athletes' interest.

The problem with just stretching is that it's a bit boring, he says. "This way we keep them moving the whole time. And you know what? We had a pretty good year injury-wise."