The Science behind Warm-ups

For years and years, with all kinds of exercise, and now even PE, people always proclaim you MUST do warm-ups before any kind of exercise. But, in all cases, it is never explained as to WHY we have to warm up.

Could someone explain (on a scientific level, if possible) why warm-ups are so integral to exercise and PE? What is happening to the body when we do warm-ups? What happens if we don’t do warm-ups?

shonenLover83,

In workouts, the body will perform better while warm. Its why you get it “hot”.

PE is different in that the warmup will allow the tissues to stretch out further. Also being warm will enhance circulation through the unit.

Ah, interesting! I see, so warm-ups are literally done to “warm up” the person. Makes sense. The warming up of the body makes things more elastic and soft so they can be molded better. So then, would that mean that you could also warm-up by stepping into a sauna for 10 minutes?

Just look at analogy with metals. Can you shape them when they’re cold? Yes, but it’s much easier and smoother when they’re hot. Bodies with higher temperature are easier to deform. Same goes for penile tissue. It’s possible to deform it while it’s cold, but it’s much safer and easier when it’s warm.

On a scientific level, atoms are vibrating faster on higher temperatures. The faster they’re vibrating, the easier it is to break bonds between them.

Wow, no wonder everyone says to warm up - it certainly does sound effective, especially for PE!

Great thread! Great advice.

Keirs

This morning I was toasting my unit.. it felt great!

I have my infrared heat lamp above my unit for a good 20 minutes.. man, my unit was so soft.. and pliable.

I want to continue doing this and see if I can gain some :)

Actually, none of the above answers are scientific in any way.

I believe that warming up before exercising is important for completely different reasons than for PE.

Although, some people will try and simplify it, the benefits from warming up before exercises are numerous, and all very complicated to comprehend even on an advanced level (you have to posses a whole lot of knowledge, primeraly in cellular biochemistry), and let alone explain it to a complete layman. And you have to take in consideration that although most of the effects are thoroughly researched, some of the benefits still only remain theoretical and are mostly based on empirical evidence.

However, when it comes to PE, you can’t really rely on a scientific explanation. The reason is, from the scientific view-point at least, PE methods are considered theoretically improbable for effective penile enlargement. There have been very little studies trying to confirm the EXISTENCE of PE, let alone trying to go in such detail as the benefits of pre-PE warm up.

PE, for now at least, is too young to be taken seriously by the scientific community as a whole. Therefore, we as PE-ers must rely on empiric evidence to guide us. And it suggests (if you choose to believe the thousands of testimonies on this forum) that warming up before PE can increase your gains and make you less prone to injury.

Hope this helps.

I am in finals week and don’t have the time to dig up the study, but there are multiple studies that have shown heat prior to stretching allowed the ligament to stretch further by increasing collagen elasticity. A study on rat tail elongation followed this procedure and they found that heat + holding stretch while allowing it to cool increased length. Dig around pubmed and/or google and you will find the studies I am referring to.

Twat, that link has to do with enzymatic reactions. Unless enzymatic activity is implicated in PE, that wouldn’t necessarily apply. Enzymes are simply proteins which allow for more reactions to occur. Perhaps I’m missing your point.

I’m trying to find a thread that I researched a couple months ago which I thought was very helpful. Essentially the premise is that studies have been done where smooth muscle can be stretched FARTHER when initially heated — and the length of the stretch is 10 to 15 percent greater as opposed to when no heat was applied to the smooth muscle. The study I’m referencing was not specific to PE (obviously, there aren’t many of those), but was specific to smooth muscle. Therefore, the scientific extrapolation is that the penile smooth muscle, when properly subjected to an initial warmup, can be stretched farther and hence, gains can result from that farther stretch.

I’ll try to find the thread and post it, lest I’m misrepresenting something. I’ve spent a few minutes looking for it but I need to get going now.

****FOLLOW UP TO TWAT’S LINK***
Essentially, the enzyme allows more CHEMICAL reactions to occur, usually by bringing a substrate closer together with another agent that causes the substrate to undergo chemical change. While its true that proteins make up muscle (myosin and actin, chiefly, at least in skeletal muscle), I’m not quite sure what specific chemical reaction you’re hypothesizing would occur that is dependent on an enzyme.

Follow up: I missed johndough’s post, and that is very similar to what I had previously encountered. Okay, now I really need to get going.

anyone know if the “warm down” (hot wrap after session) is rumored to promote gains as well? Or is it just to help healing out/blood flow.

I don’t think it does, but that’s just my opinion. Warming up is good before PE exercises because it makes penis easier to deform. Following that logic, warming down should make it easier for penis to return to normal state once the forces aren’t applied anymore.