Written by: Viktoria Hogan, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Warming up and cooling down might seem like a daunting task, something that is easily skipped when you are running out of time or when you simply feel done with your workout. Nonetheless, warming up extends beyond injury prevention. It primes your body for action and facilitates optimal performance and recovery. In this article, we will dive into why warming up and cooling down is important.
Importance of warm-ups
Before going straight into any workout, it is important to get your body ready for the movements that you are about to do. Think of the warm-up to prepare your body to go from resting to working. You have probably heard that warming up helps prevent injuries, but do you know why? When you increase the temperature in your body, several things happen. Your blood will flow faster, which means more oxygen to your muscles. Raising your heart rate slower will keep less stress on your heart as it gets a chance to adjust to the increased workload. The rise in temperature also helps loosen up your joints, which helps them move easier and perform movements better. A warm-up of the body can also help flush out old lactic acid and in turn, help reduce soreness. This means that you can move easier, perform better, with a better technique, and get more out of your workouts.
Another added benefit of warming up is that in addition to getting your body ready, you can get your mind ready for your workout. I think this helps tremendously on days when I am lacking motivation or know I have a specifically hard workout ahead of me. Easing into the workout in the form of a warmup helps me set my focus for the session.
Importance of cool-downs
Cooling down after a workout is just as important and works almost in the reverse way of a warm-up. Just as warming up helps your heart adjust from rest to work, cooling down helps it go from working hard to recovering. Since during the workout, the blood flow was focused on bringing oxygen to your muscles, cooling down helps re-direct the blood flow back to your organs and other tissues as well as flushing out waste products (which helps prevent soreness).
Additionally, when you work out, your muscles contract at a much higher rate than when you are at rest and are working harder. You want your muscles to shorten to perform well, especially if you are an athlete, but after a workout, you would want to cool down so that your muscles can elongate back to their original length. Otherwise, you might continuously shorten your muscles every time you work out which could lead to injuries and muscle imbalances.
Even more importantly, if you stop a hard training session suddenly without cooling down, there is a high chance of getting light-headed or nauseous because blood will start to pool in your muscles. In my experience, clients enjoy the cool-down and see it as a reward for finishing a tough session. I would argue this is a great outlook to remember to cool down.
Example exercises for warming up
What you do during your warm-up is dependent on what you are planning on doing in your workout. For example, doing shoulder rolls before a barbell back squat might not be the best way to prepare yourself. You want the warm-up to get your blood pumping, but you don’t want it to fatigue you before your main movements. Additionally, the harder the workout you are about to do, the more extensive the warm-up should be. Try to shoot for about 5-10 minutes for the warm-up (unless you are an athlete or are doing a more extreme workout) and try to include some of the movements that you are about to do. For example, you could walk on a treadmill for 5 minutes to get yourself going, then follow that with bodyweight squats and hip-opening exercises before a leg day. If you want some suggestions, head over to my YouTube channel to follow along for warm-ups. Mobility exercises are great during the warm-up, especially if you know where you might be stiff/immobile. However, static stretching should be done after the workout as it could potentially be unsafe to do before, although studies show varied results for this.
Example exercises for cool-downs
Cool-downs follow the same principles as warm-ups. Easy exercises to gradually reduce your heart rate and get your body back to a resting state. If you had a workout with running in it, doing some light jogging to get the heart rate down and then following that with stretching to elongate your muscles would be a good option. Stretching immediately after your cooldown is important because you want your temperature to stay high when you stretch to help the joints. If you had a very light recovery session, perhaps an easy yoga workout where you are holding poses for a longer time, you probably don’t need a very extensive cool-down.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the warm-up and cool-down are both essential puzzle pieces of your workout. Skipping them could cause harm or cause a less effective workout in general. I know that they seem easy to skip, but I am urging you to prioritize them. Use the warm-up to set your intent for the session and the cool-down to let your body know you did a good job. Kickstart your fitness journey by incorporating warm-ups and cool-downs today – your body and mind will thank you.
Viktoria Hogan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Viktoria Hogan is a personal trainer and online nutrition coach who runs Tori Training, an online solution to your health and fitness goals. She lives in the U.S., but is originally from Sweden. She played soccer up through college and has always had a passion for training and nutrition. As a trainer since the beginning of 2020, she has trained a multitude of clients and gained several specialization certifications within her field. Her main mission is to improve people's quality of life.
Resources:
American Council on Exercise (ACE). (2014). ACE Personal Trainer Manual (5th ed.).
American Council on Exercise (ACE). (2011). Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals. Retrieved from ACE Fitness
Missouri Orthopedic Institute. (n.d.). The Importance of Warm-Up and Cool-Down Exercises. Retrieved from MO Sports Med
Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity. Retrieved from Mayo Clinic
American Heart Association. (n.d.). Warm-up, Cool-down, and Be Flexible. Retrieved from American Heart Association
Tri-City Medical Center. (2016). Why Warming Up and Cooling Down is Important. Retrieved from Tri-City Medical Center
