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Working Into The Exercise: The Importance of Warming up and Cooling Down |
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Written by Matt Lindsay
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It is so easy to walk into the gym and go directly to the treadmill, the weights or the new routine you have wanted to try. Everyone has missed warming up and cooling down at one point. However, if you want to make sure that you get the desired effects easily, you will want to know why it is important to warm up and cool down.
The idea of warming up is similar to getting ready to work in the morning. If you are like most, you can't just wake up and start your routine. You have to brush your teeth, take a shower, drink coffee, eat breakfast, and prepare yourself for the day. With exercise, this same concept is needed. Your muscles, tissue and even cells need to be awake before they begin the routines.
The idea of warming up means exactly that. You are preparing your muscles by warming them for the routine. When you warm up, you are communicating to your muscles that they will be working. They will naturally begin to increase their temperature in order to produce energy for the work and to become more flexible with what is going to happen. By doing this, you can expect that things such as injuries and muscle tears will be less likely to occur.
While muscle heat is the most important part of doing a proper warm up, there are also other areas of the body that are also affected positively through warming up properly. Your circulatory system is one of the areas that will be affected. It will begin to flow faster through your system, allowing the energy and nutrients to get to your muscles and other areas of your body. Chemical processes will also begin to speed up when you warm up.
Just as important as warming up is cooling down. This particular part of exercise is easily looked over. As soon as one is done with a routine, it is tempting to get up and go. However, your body needs a little more attention than this. Cooling down, no matter how much you have done with your body is just as important. After you have worked out, your muscles will begin to produce various chemicals in order to restore the tissue. It is when the muscles begin this restoration that they begin to be in pain.
As things begin to move more through your muscles, because of increased heat and speed, it causes production of various things. One of these is the production of lactic acid, a direct result of training, especially with high intensity. Soreness that comes after a work out is usually a result of too much lactic acid getting into the muscles. By cooling down, you will slow down and stop the production of this acid. Without a cool down, it may take up to two days for your muscles to recover. With a cool down, you may not feel any pain at all.
With warming up and cooling down, it not only directly helps your body, but it also helps your mind. You will be able to gain focus and feel calmer about what you are doing. You will also have a specific routine that is telling your body mentally that your workout is done or is starting. This will help you to be more effective while you are concentrating on your workout routine.
If you want to make sure you get the most out of your routine, it doesn't mean you have to workout for three hours. Instead, you don't have to walk any further than understanding the importance of warming up and cooling down. By adding these into your daily regimen, your muscles will be able to thank you for the workout. |
