Be sure to follow an adequate warm-up and cool-down routine to avoid injury and improve performance. Although they’ll add time to your workout, the benefits far outweigh this modest nuisance.
Your warm-up and cool-down routine involves the same physical activity as your workout, but at a slower pace, with less intensity and for a much shorter time period. Warming up gradually helps to raise the cardiovascular system’s rhythm, increases muscle blood flow to improve performance, and elevates body temperature. Warm up the right way and you’ll lower muscle pain as well as the risk of injury.
Cooling down after exercise, on the other hand, allows you to gradually slow your heart rate and blood pressure back to their resting level, which is good for your heart by the way.
In order to warm up correctly, focus on the main muscle groups, such as your legs. You can then move on to those groups specific to the exercise; for instance, your calves. A good warm-up may cause you to break into a sweat, but it shouldn’t tire you out.
The following are some examples of warm-up exercises:
-A five to ten minute light walk, before picking up the pace and going for a long distance;
-A five to ten minute fast-paced walk before running;
-Start out with a few slow laps at the pool, then slowly pick up the pace before going for a swim.
Cooling down is like warming up, only after the exercise. The goal is, therefore, to gradually decrease the pace until you come to a complete stop. Walking slower after a vigorous walk or bringing down your speed at the pool, both ranging between 5 and 10 minutes, are examples of a good cool-down routine.
Stretching can also be part of any warm-up or cool-down routine, but only after each phase, when muscles are already warm. Failure to do so could lead to hamstring injuries and/or joint dislocation. Keep in mind that stretching can improve flexibility and the range of motion about a joint, as well as performance during certain activities.
Finding time for all of this may prove to be hardest part, so stay creative. Warm up and cool down on your way to and back from the gym; whatever you decide, don’t overdo it, allow your body to adjust to the challenges posed by your workout. Slowly but surely you’ll go further each day.
