February 13, 2019
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The short answer is YES.
"Do I Really Need to Warm Up?"
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YOU, as an occupational voice user, are a vocal athlete. It doesn’t matter if your “voice use” involves speaking, teaching, preaching, instructing, singing, coaching, leading, or any other various form of occupational voice use--YOU truly are a vocal athlete and should care for and treat your body, voice, and instrument as such.
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The “warm up” is defined as a “preparation for physical exertion or a performance by exercising or practicing gently beforehand” (Wikipedia). The warm up helps your heart rate and body temperature rise, while simultaneously preparing the muscles to endure the exercise, and is vital to a successful use of any part of your body. Every athletic endeavor, sporting game or match, and/or physical fitness activity involves a warm up in some form. This is also accepted and promoted as “best practice” and encouraged across the board, no matter what the activity of focus is. In every sport, players warm up before the game begins. In every fitness class, there is a warm up song or exercise prior to the “real work” setting in. In every race, the runners warm up prior to activation of the “race-mode" setting in their body and mind. If the body is to be successful at achieving the goals ahead, the body must be awakened and trained prior to “go time”.
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Someone striving to effectively prepare the physical body for successful performance in a short or several-hour long task knows the importance of the “warm up”. During this time, the body slowly gets moving and this movement along with repetition of the target training exercises or skills works in unison with the mind to remind and prepare the body for what is expected. This “no pressure” repetition serves a purpose in training and activating favorable muscle patterns that function as a place to be returned to when “the curtain is up”. After warming up, the involved muscles hold less tension and are more easily able to perform the task(s) at hand with a reduced risk for injury. In addition, this time also serves to interconnect the body and mind, which enhances overall performance by improving focus and awareness—again, aiming to improve the outcomes after the warm up.
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The mind is trained via repetition, focus, and self-talk--and despite possible heightened anxiety after the warmup is complete, it is crucial to include this mind-involvement in your warm up training to maximize the chance of excellent performance. The saying “get your mind right” has everything to do with what is necessary prior to successfully accomplishing a goal or performing a feat of any kind. Just as the kicker repeatedly warms up the kicking leg prior to and during the game (visualizing the goal while doing so), and just as the weightlifter warms up the body first (either with lighter weights, cardio, or less challenging exercises) prior to attempting maximum weight bench press or squats (using a positive mindset and visualization as well), we must not forget that as occupational voice users, we too are athletes, and we physically, mentally, and emotionally need a warm up.
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Warming up your body, mind, and voice prior to any kind or occupational voice use is extremely important and will be pivotal in reducing your risk of vocal injury and guaranteeing an effective coordination of the three subsystems of voice to promote efficient, dynamic, and optimal vocal delivery. Vocal warm ups are essential for all occupational voice users, whether or not you use your voice to speak, sing, or do any combination of the two. Warm ups activate the respiratory, phonatory, and resonatory systems of voice and encourage healthy vocal fold vibration with reduced tension/effort and therefore prepare your vocal mechanism, body, and mind for optimal vocal use with resulting optimal quality. Many warm up exercises involve pitch navigation tasks as well and function as actual "physical fitness" or even physical therapy for your voice, as these exercises stretch and contract the vocal folds. Additionally, research shows that warm ups contribute to improved vocal stamina (a.k.a. you can use your voice longer with proper use techniques if the voice is appropriately warmed up). Warm ups are easy to fit into your day—they can be done on your daily commute, while making a meal at home, or any other times that work for you—allowing you to create positive vocal habits and use patterns that will dramatically impact your life. There are also excellent (free) apps out there that guide voice users through warm up exercises. Stay tuned for information on the importance of also practicing a cool-down for the best quality, health, and longevity of your voice.
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If your job requires voice use, your plan should be to take care of, train, warm up, and use your voice in ways that promote healthy use of your vocal mechanism, ensuring success at work.
Author
Sara Davis, M.A. CCC-SLP
Author
Check out the Meet The Founder page for bio!