You'd be shocked at how many folks decide they can skip their cool-down after treadmill jogging or that they don't need to warm up before training their body. Most of the time, people skip warm-up and cool-down because they wish to save time rather than because they dislike doing them. After all, only the primary portion of the workout really matters, right?
The processes before and after a workout are as important, so people who skip them may be doing more damage to their bodies than they realize. Unfortunately, it's not just the primary part of your workout that counts.
Why Warm-Up?
- Raising your breathing and heart rate, the muscles' ability to release energy, and the amount of blood flowing to them to provide them with more oxygen and flush out waste.
- These adjustments take some time to achieve the correct levels; they do not happen immediately.
- By starting your workout session at a low intensity and progressively increasing it, a warm-up encourages these adaptations to happen gradually. Without a warm-up, if you were to start exercising vigorously, your body wouldn't be ready for the greater demands being placed on it, which could lead to injury and needless exhaustion.
Ensuring a good warm-up:
- You must perform exercises that speed up your breathing, raise your heart rate, and slightly raise the temperature of your muscles in order for your warm-up to be effective.
- Allow 5 to 10 minutes for your pre-workout warm-up if you're working out for general fitness (or slightly longer in cold weather).
- You could require a lengthier warm-up and one that is tailored to your activity if you are training more intensely than for general fitness or have a specific athletic objective in mind.
Warm-Up options:
- Start your warm-up by engaging in 5 minutes of low-intensity mild exercise, such as cycling, walking, or running on the ground. Move your arms in broad, controlled circles or pump them to help warm up the muscles in your upper body.
- Slowly doing the upcoming activity is one of the finest ways to warm up. This will enable you to practice at a lower intensity the motions you will soon do at a higher intensity while participating in your chosen activity. Common examples are beginning off slowly while jogging, riding, or swimming and then picking up speed.
- Only stretch after you've finished your general warm-up because stretching is best done while your muscles are warmed. A tear could result from stretching muscles that are cold and less flexible. When stretching during a warm-up, you can do some moderate, controlled circle movements at crucial joints, like the shoulders, but you shouldn't strain the joint or move too quickly.
Why Cool-Down?
After working out, it's a good idea to gradually reduce your activity level while you cool down.
- It enables a gradual recovery of your respiration and heart rate to resting levels.
- It aids prevent fainting or dizziness, which can be caused by blood pooling in the powerful leg muscles when strong activity is abruptly interrupted.
- Helps prepare your muscles for the next exercise session, whether it be the next day or in a few days, by removing metabolites (intermediate substances formed during metabolism), such as lactic acid, from your muscles that can build up during vigorous activity. Lactic acid is best removed by gentle exercise rather than stopping suddenly.
There may be conflicting information regarding whether cooling down might help reduce delayed-onset muscular soreness (DOMS), which often develops after performing new exercises or working harder than normal. The additional advantages of cooling down, though, indicate that you should always include it in your exercise session even if it doesn't prevent DOMS.
Cool-Down options:
- The need for a cool-down phase at the end of your exercise can be met by gradually reducing the pace and intensity of your activity over the course of several minutes.
- Another choice is to work out followed by a few minutes of jogging, brisk walking, or cycling, just make sure the activity is less intense than the one you just finished.
- Since your muscles are still warm and most likely to react favorably at this time, stretching is best done after exercise when the risk of injury is lowest. Stretching increases flexibility while relaxing your muscles and returning them to their resting length (the range of movement about your joints).
As a general rule, allot 10 minutes for stretching after every hour of exercise. Stretching after exercise should be more thorough than stretching before exercise. Make sure you stretch every significant muscle group that you worked on during your workout. Twice or three times, spend 20 to 30 seconds stretching each muscle group.
Safety Tips:
- Avoid straining yourself too much. As you stretch your muscles, you should only experience slight tension—never pain. If you get pain, stop immediately.
- Maintain good posture. Each time you stretch, pay close attention to your posture. Ensure that your spine is straight, that your core is engaged, and that your shoulders are in line with your hips.
- While stretching, remember to breathe. In addition to reducing stress and tension in your muscles, breathing may also increase the efficiency of your stretches and allow you to hold them for longer.
- Begin gradually. The first time you stretch after an exercise, try to be gentle on your body. Add more repetitions and stretches as you grow accustomed to them after beginning with a few.
The Bottom Line:
Warming up can increase your athletic performance and flexibility while lowering your risk of injury. After working out, stretching can be really beneficial. After an exercise, stretching your muscles helps your body recover faster while also relieving stress, increasing joint flexibility, and reducing muscular tension.
Before beginning any new workout program, make sure to discuss it with your doctor if you're new to fitness, have a medical condition, or have any other health concerns.
