WARMING UP

Typical Warm up exercises include:

  • Gradually increasing the intensity of your activity. For runners, the idea is to jog a while and add a few sprints into the routine to engage all the muscle fibers.
  • Adding movements not related to your activity in a slow steady manner: calisthenics or flexibility exercises for example.

Benefits of a Proper Warm Up:

  • Increased Muscle Temperature
  • Increased Body Temperature
  • Improved Range of Motion
  • Mental Preparation

Always warm up before exercising.
Warm muscles are less susceptible to injuries. The proper warm up is essential for injury prevention. Make sure your warm up suits your activity. You may simply start your activity slowly, or practice specific stretching or mental rehearsal depending upon your activity.

Activity / Purpose / Time (minimum)
Slow jog / Raises body temperature & heart rate / 5 min
Dynamic flexibility / Raises muscle temperature
Increases range of motion
Increases muscle elasticity / 5 min

COOLING DOWN

Cooling down should consist of the following:

  • 5 to 10 minutes jogging/walking - decrease body temperature and remove waste products from the working muscles
  • 5 to 10 minutes static stretching exercises- decrease body temperature, remove waste products from the working muscles and to increase range of movement.

What are the benefits of a cool down?

  • Aid in the dissipation of waste products - including lactic acid
  • Reduce the potential for DOMS.( Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)
  • Reduce the chances of dizziness or fainting caused by the pooling of venous blood at the extremities.
  • Reduce the level of adrenaline in the blood.

Static stretches are more appropriate to the cool down as they help muscles to relax and increase their range of movement.

Activity / Purpose / Time (minimum)
Slow jog / Lowers body temperature
Gradually lowers heart rate / 5 min
Dynamic flexibility / Removes waste from muscles / 5 min