Warm-up and cool-down: learn how to modulate your body to start and finish your workout

If you are one of those people who practices exercise or some kind of sport, you will have noticed, or at least  Your coach will have warned you that the quality of your performance has a lot to do with the warm-up you do before you start exercising and the cool-down once you have finished the session.

There is confusion and sometimes apathy in thinking that these two stages are not important, especially when one does not have much time and other activities pending in the daily routine. It is good to plan how much time will be available for the exercise session, whether it is strength training using weights or cardiovascular training such as athletics or cycling, and include a portion for these warm-up and cool-down segments. 

Even yoga requires a warm-up phase and a cool-down phase. In yoga, warming up is done through a dynamic sequence of postures repeated several times called Surya Namaskar A or B, or better known as the Sun Salutation.

Just as yoga begins with a dynamic warm-up, other types of training can benefit from using this sequence to warm up.

There are also other ways to warm up that we will review. The general goal for both warming up and cooling down is to prevent injuries.

Warming up, on the other hand, activates the sympathetic central nervous system, preparing the body, muscles, mind and providing all the vigor for a thorough training session. Warming up will give you the confidence to perform the exercises with technique, applying proper breathing, posture and adequate range of motion.

Cooling down after training allows for a gradual recovery of pre-exercise heart rate and blood pressure. Cooling down may be more important for competitive endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, because it helps regulate blood flow. For strength training, general stretching that targets the muscle group that was most used in the workout will allow you to reap the benefits of cooling down.

 

Warming up before a cardio workout

Whether running, cycling, swimming or other aerobic exercise, warming up begins with movements that mimic, to a lesser extent, those that will be used during sports practice.  For example,

• Before running, walk for a couple of minutes

• Do scissors with your legs or alternate long strides and returning to the position

• Move the pelvic girdle forward and backward (crucial for the iliopsoas)

• Rotate your hips clockwise and then counterclockwise.

• Turn your knees clockwise and then counterclockwise.

• Inward and outward ankle turns

• Accessing the hamstring area is not so easy, but the specific exercise for them, although static, allows their activation.

Note:

For cycling, start by riding easy before applying resistance or speed.  Also, add exercises that involve moving the knees up and down.

For swimming, swim about 4-6 easy laps to loosen up before starting your workout.  Likewise, moving the arms in circles and other movements similar to the stroke styles used during training.

 

Warming up for weight training

There are several alternatives depending on the time you have for your training and what you want to include in it.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine , it's important to combine cardiovascular and strength training exercises to avoid overstressing small muscle groups and to allow time for recovery.

According to an article in Livescience magazine citing a study from the journal Applied Physiology, combining cardio and weight training provides a powerful combination for weight loss success. Researchers found that for overweight adults, strength training can help increase lean mass. Aerobic training is the "optimal mode" of exercise for reducing fat mass and body mass.

Now, these guidelines are for people who train less than 6 times a week.   For athletes with intense training, it is best to separate these two types of training to get the most out of each of them.

If your intention is to develop muscle hypertrophy (big muscles) and strength, your training should emphasize this type of training.  In this case, and to include cardiovascular activation, if you are at the gym, you can jump rope, or use the bicycles and treadmills to warm up for just 15-30 minutes.

Then, start with a series of the exercise on a machine or free weight, without weight but imitating the movement of the exercise; this helps a lot to prepare the muscles.  You can do this first series without weights before each of the muscle strengthening exercises you are going to do.  Once you are warmed up enough you can skip this warm-up set, but always keep an eye on your strength at that point and gauge whether you will be able to do all the reps you intend with the weight you are wanting to use.

 

The cooling

However, no less important than the warm-up is the way in which the training session ends.  Some coaches consider that the cool down can take 5 to 10 minutes.

On the one hand, studies have shown that ice baths after exercise are not as effective as gentle activity for relaxing trained muscles. ( 2 )

For my part, I started doing yoga poses years ago as part of my cool-down after training. Eventually, it became part of my physical routine.  So, after training, do some stretching and/or Walking, whether on a treadmill or walking home, can help a lot.

In yoga, relaxation is often used to re-center and this can also be applied to cardio and strength training.

Some stretches that may be useful to you:

Consider the muscle group that was exercised during the workout and focus your stretches on it.

In general, you can start by stretching

Shoulders

Chest

Back

Iliopsoas

Quadriceps

Hamstrings

Calves

 

Conclusion

As for warming up, depending on time and exercise, you can do sun salutations (yoga), walk, ride a bike or swim for 15-30 minutes and then continue with muscle strengthening exercises.

If the goal is muscle hypertrophy, do specific warm-ups, that is, moving and activating the muscles that are going to be used in the training, but without weight or with very light weight to prepare the muscles.

Another alternative is to do a first set of each strength exercise with a very light weight, before the in-depth training.

For cooling, it is good to do stretching, light walking and somehow stay active all day, even if the job is sitting at a desk (for this, try to stand up every 20-30 minutes). minutes and take a walk).