Preparing your body before physical activity is essential to improve performance and prevent injury. While stretching and warming up are well-known practices, an additional tool that many overlook is the use of pre-workout muscle creams . These creams help warm up muscle tissue and tendons, increase blood circulation, and prevent strains or contractures during exercise.
Why use a cream to prepare muscles and tendons?
Muscle warming creams are designed to increase tissue temperature, promoting better blood circulation and preparing muscles and tendons for physical exertion. Traditionally, this type of product is formulated with active ingredients such as menthol, camphor, or natural extracts like chili pepper, which produce a sensation of varying degrees of heat.
These creams were traditionally associated with sports practice at low temperatures, but it has been shown that the regular application of a specific cream before training offers several benefits regardless of the external temperature:
- Injury Prevention : By preparing your muscles and tendons with a warming cream, you reduce the risk of strains and contractures, as the muscles are already warmed up and ready for exertion.
- Greater muscle elasticity : A warmed-up muscle is more elastic and flexible, which helps improve performance during training.
- Reducing Post-Exercise Muscle Soreness : Warming creams can also reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which often occurs after intense workouts.
How to apply warming cream correctly
Applying the preparatory cream is simple but requires some precautions to obtain maximum benefit:
- Pre-workout application : Spread an even layer of heating cream on the main muscles that will be worked during training (such as legs, arms, back).
- Deep massage : Massage the cream into your skin using circular motions until completely absorbed. This further stimulates circulation.
- Wait a few minutes : Before starting exercise, let the cream work for a few minutes, allowing the active ingredients to penetrate the muscle tissue.
- Be sure to wash your hands to avoid contact with your eyes or mucous membranes, as the more heating ingredients can cause irritation.
Key Ingredients in Muscle Warming Creams
Preparatory creams for muscles and tendons contain active ingredients that help improve circulation and reduce muscle tension. Among the main ones are:
- Menthol : Known for its cooling and warming properties, menthol helps relieve muscle tension.
- Camphor : Often used for its pain-relieving properties, camphor is ideal for preparing muscles before intense exercise.
- Chili Pepper Extracts : Capsaicin, derived from chili peppers, is a powerful vasodilator that promotes muscle warming.
It is essential to use a cream with a balanced formula that works by gradually activating the subcutaneous microcirculation, without creating an immediate sensation of excessive heat, which can be extremely uncomfortable and cause superficial redness of the skin, leading to reaction problems.
Long-term benefits
Consistent use of a warming muscle cream can lead to improvements in athletic performance and recovery. In addition to reducing the risk of injury, these creams help muscles prepare more quickly for intense workouts, allowing you to push yourself beyond your limits safely.
Conclusions
Consistent use of a warming muscle cream can lead to improvements in athletic performance and recovery. In addition to reducing the risk of injury, these creams help muscles prepare more quickly for intense workouts, allowing you to push yourself beyond your limits safely.
Our choice
WARMUP CREAM by SPORTLAB Milano is ideal for preparing muscles for sports thanks to its specific formula that stimulates blood circulation, promoting rapid muscle warm-up. This cream reduces the risk of injury and improves performance, making it perfect for those seeking a great start to training or competition. Suitable for all types of sports, it also helps prevent muscle tension and post-workout soreness.