Final answer:
The minimum warm-up time recommended is 5-10 minutes, which helps to gradually raise the heart rate and body temperature, potentially extending to 20-30 minutes for more intense activities. Gradual warm-ups ensure muscle flexibility and injury prevention.
Step-by-step explanation:
Warm-up time can vary based on the intensity of the workout and individual needs, but a general guideline for minimum warm-up time is 5-10 minutes of light exercise to gradually increase heart rate. Extending the warm-up to 20-30 minutes may be beneficial for more intense workout sessions, as it allows for a sufficient increase in body temperature and muscle flexibility, which helps to avoid injuries.
Rising body temperature is a sign of a good warm-up, as noted in an integrated concepts problem where a person's body temperature was expected to increase while exercising. A study indicated that moderate exercise of about 1 hour may require a substantial warm-up to prepare the body properly.
However, without losing sight of practical recommendations, a warm-up should sensibly be a little less than 2 minutes for very low-intensity activities but should ideally range between 5 to 10 minutes for most exercises, aligning well with the minimum suggested cool-down durations referenced in various studies comparing warm-up and cool-down times.