We were always taught in school PE to warm up and cool down before and after exercise but it is easy to fall into the habit of skipping these routines. Going through a complete warm up and cool down is a simple way for athletes to maximize their athletic performance and reduce the likelihood of injury and soreness. Pre and post workout exercises play a crucial role in preparing the body for activity and assisting in full recovery.
Warming up is the process of increasing blood flow to the muscles that are to be engaged in the planned exercise. Heightened blood flow to muscles means an increase in oxygen delivery to tissues and the removal of carbon dioxide, a harmful toxin for muscle performance.
Before exercising, do about five to 10 minutes of light aerobic exercise to loosen up your muscles. This could include walking briskly, marching, jogging slowly, or cycling on a stationary bike. Make sure you don't rush your warmup. Dynamic stretches like walking lunges, jumping jacks or opposite toe touches are good ways to stretch the muscles as well.
On the back end of a workout, cooling down can be extremely beneficial for maximizing athletic performance and speeding up recovery. Cooling down is an important step in helping an athlete’s muscles clear lactate and other waste, while loosening tight muscles.
A cool down will usually include gentler cardiovascular exercises and stretching movements, which will help the body dispose of any harmful toxins that can cause muscle aches and stiffness. The main goal of a cool down is to slowly decrease the body temperature, lower an athlete’s heart rate and reduce injury. If athletes choose not to participate in a cool down, they are more susceptible to blood build up in their veins and soreness the next day. A light jog or walk is a simple way to wind down the body after exercising, but stretching can address the particular muscles you want to cool down. Stretches such as upper body stretching, seated forward bend hamstring stretch, standing quad stretch and lunging calf stretch can help you avoid the dreaded soreness the next day.
