You preheat the oven before you bake a cake. You have to drive your car to the freeway before you can cruise. So it makes sense to say that you have to warm up your body before you can go into the beast mode on a workout.

Performing intense workouts right from the start is never a good idea. When it comes to your body, skipping a warm-up before a workout could result in torn muscles, increased stiffness, reduced mobility, and a serious risk of injury. Doing warmups before a workout reduces all those risks.

A warm-up could include light walking, jogging, or biking at low intensity for five to ten minutes. Once your muscles are warm, most trainers recommend stretching before getting into your actual workout. A warm-up before the stretching period increases blood flow and prepares our muscles to be manipulated.

But which stretches are best to do before a workout? And should you stretch every day? It is necessary to consider the workout. It could be of any type, like running, cycling, powerlifting, or cardio. It is important to tune into the exercises in your session. One of the most important benefits of stretching before a workout is that it gives you a more complete range of motion, no matter what exercise you’re doing. Stretching before a workout loosens tight muscles so we can be more flexible. Lack of stretching can lead to muscle tightness, faulty movement patterns that can lead to injury. Your body can’t reach the full range of motion if the muscles are hindering that pattern.

There are two kinds of stretches: Dynamic, which allows the muscles and joints to focus on mobility, and Static when the muscles and joints are held for a period of time. Each type of stretching has its place in one’s exercise routine, but when it comes to stretching before a workout, it’s best to stick to Dynamic stretching and save Static stretching for a post-workout cooldown.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when stretching before a workout is that they rush to get to the main event (or don’t stretch at all). The reality is, our muscles need attention before we can improve them. A solid plan would be to treat your stretching similarly to how you treat your workout: give it your full attention and commit to it equally.

So once you have warmed up for five to ten minutes, you’re ready to start stretching before your workout. Make sure the clothes you wear allow for the greatest range of motion in your stretches. And once you’re ready to workout, lace up and get going.