... in physical performance" (Kramer, 1). On the contrary, athletes who did not physically warm-up but mentally pictured and ran through their warm-up process in detail showed all the effects of a physical warm-up itself. This shows that the warm-up serves as a mental form of preparation for the athletes to get them into the correct mindset before proceeding into a game situation. This mental warm-up is almost as important as the bodily one. After getting one's mind in the correct state, one has to concentrate on getting their body ready. This is where the physiological benefits of a warm-up become important. The first advantage of a rigorous warm-up is the increase in muscle temperature. Since muscles are elastic, stretching and contracting as directed by nerve endings, they need to be prepped to be able to work to their full capability. Think of it this way: which has more stretching capability, a ...

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