People of all fitness levels in Houston, TX, need to do warm up exercises before starting any workout and cool down exercises before the session ends. What’s so important about these five-minute sessions? They can protect your body and help with recovery. Most people want to get started quickly and leave the gym just as quickly. People often feel warm up and cool down exercises aren’t necessary until that fateful day when they experience an injury because they didn’t.
A warm up increases body temperature, warms the muscles, and revs up the cardiovascular system.
Warming up is especially vital in the morning. When you sleep, your body temperature lowers. It slowly rises throughout the day. When you warm up, you increase your body temperature by burning more calories. Warmed muscles improve your workout and help prevent injury. If you’ve been inactive, switching to a high-charged exercise session can be demanding on the heart. It prevents a sudden rise in blood pressure that can occur by easing you into the workout.
You’ll improve your endurance and coordination when you do warm up exercises.
Besides preparing the heart and muscles, warm up exercises also prepare the nervous system. It improves muscle control, agility, and better reaction time. A warm up session also prevents lactic acid build-up. Lactic acid builds if you suddenly increase the oxygen demand. Going from sedentary to extremely active does that. It can build quickly and cause the blood to become too acidic. That causes an imbalance in the body’s pH. The more lactic acid in your blood, the harder it is to workout. It often causes people to quit far too soon.
Cool down exercises can prevent the pain of DOMS—delayed onset muscle soreness.
DOMS causes sudden, almost unbearable pain in the muscles from abnormal contractions. They’re from cramps caused by microtears. Unlike soreness you’d expect from normal workouts, these are far more significant and occur from 24 to 48 hours after the workout ends. One study from California State University used cycling as a cool down workout for strength training. The results showed a significant reduction in the potential for DOMS. You don’t have to cycle; any stretching will do. It helps relax the muscles, preventing the problem.
- When you warm up, use dynamic stretches that are similar to the movements you do during your exercise session. They help loosen the muscles and joints. Examples are lunges and butt kicks.
- If you don’t cool down, blood can pool in your legs and arms, returning to the heart slower. It can cause lightheadedness and fainting. A cool down can be as simple as walking.
- After exercise, muscles are loose. Experiencing jelly legs is common. Cool down stretching can help increase the range of motion and lengthen the muscles. That reduces the risk of injury and potential pain doing everyday activities.
- Warming-up and cooling-down are transition times. When you warm up, you build focus and switch from daily activities to your workout. A similar situation occurs when you cool down, but you’re switching back.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym