Warm Up
Muscle stiffness is thought to be directly related to muscle injury, therefore the Warm up is very important when preparing for exercise.
Warming up should consist of the following:
5 to 10 minutes jogging, bike or row - to increase body temperature.
Gently stretch any part of your body that is feeling tight.

What are the benefits of a Warm up?
Performance may be improved, as an appropriate warm up will result in an:
Increased speed of contraction and relaxation of warmed muscles
Reduce muscle stiffness
Greater economy of movement because of lowered viscous resistance within warmed muscles
Facilitated oxygen utilization by warmed muscles because hemoglobin releases oxygen more readily at higher muscle temperatures
Facilitated nerve transmission and muscle metabolism at higher temperatures; a specific warm up can facilitate motor unit recruitment required in subsequent all out activity
Increased blood flow through active tissues as local vascular beds dilate, increasing metabolism and muscle temperatures
Allows the heart rate get to a workable rate for beginning exercise
Mentally focused on the training or competition