Are Warm-Ups And Cool-Downs Necessary?
For most of us, working out is one of those things that we should do, but don’t always want to do. Exercising is a commitment and, sometimes, requires some sacrifice, such as waking up early in the morning or skipping out on a Netflix binge after work. Oftentimes, we just want to jump into the workout to get it done and over with.
But not so fast…
Are you guilty of consistently skipping out on warm-ups before your workout and cool-downs after your workout?
Although you may not detect the consequences of missing out on those critical 2-5 minutes pre- and post-workout right now, you may be placing yourself at a risk of injury that will take much longer to heal than the length of time devoted to an appropriate beginning and end to your exercise regimen.
If you’re like the vast majority of people worldwide, your life is overwhelmingly sedentary. It’s unlikely that you moved around at an intensity high enough to prepare your cardiorespiratory system and neuromuscular system for a workout. This means that your heart rate is at rest and your muscles are probably tight and/or achy from prolonged sitting, especially the hips, quads, and hamstrings.
The purpose of a warm-up is to gradually increase your heart rate and initiate blood flow to the muscles that will be targeted in your workout. Sudden spikes in heart rate can promote cardiovascular complications such as cardiac arrest and heart damage, and individuals may place themselves in a vulnerable position of dizziness or fainting that can prompt further injuries.
As previously mentioned, muscles may be tightened due to a sedentary lifestyle. Since muscles lengthen and contract during exercise, initially restoring the correct length-tension relationship of the muscle fibers is essential for being able to execute movement through a full range of motion with a decreased risk of injury. Such injuries can particularly include strains and sprains that range in severity.
What should a proper warm-up look like?
A proper warm-up should replicate some of the movement patterns that will be incorporated in the workout to target the muscles that’ll undergo considerable stress. Since the body is one long, kinetic chain, however, it’s a good idea to perform a full-body dynamic warm-up. By dynamic, I mean movements that work the joints through a full range of motion. Static stretching - stretching that’s characterized by holding positions - lengthens tight muscles, but still places an individual at an increased risk of injury since a full range of motion at a lower intensity isn’t introduced before greater demand is placed on those joints and surrounding muscles.
Some examples of dynamic warm-up stretches include:
- Hamstring high kicks
- Stationary butt kicks
- Cross-body arm swings
- Arm circles
- Torso swings
- Hip hinges
Perform each exercise for about 30 seconds before hopping into any intense, heavy-weighted movements in your workout. Digging deeper into the previously-mentioned benefits of engaging in a warm-up, you will likely find yourself able to start your workout at a higher intensity with heavier weights or a quicker speed than if you had neglected a warm-up. This is because the body engages in anaerobic (oxygen-deprived) mechanisms of energy usage throughout the first couple of minutes of exercise called the ATP/PC system and anaerobic glycolytic system. After those initial 2-3 minutes, there’s a transition into aerobic respiration in which oxygen is utilized to produce energy. The body uses the aerobic system of respiration for the vast majority of a workout, enabling improved breathing under higher physical demands.
When an individual enters a workout without a thorough warm-up, they may find themselves out of breath quicker at the beginning of a routine, not necessarily maximizing the impact of the initial exercise.
Throughout the workout, muscles are constantly contracting. Without a proper cool-down at the end, the appropriate length-tension relationship within the muscle fibers may not be restored, leading to potential discomfort, increased levels of soreness, tetany (muscle spasms,) and a greater risk of injury in following workouts.
As previously mentioned, static stretching for 2-5 minutes is an advisable post-workout practice. Stretching the full body at the end of a workout is beneficial for the same reasons that it’s appropriate to do so pre-workout: you’re using multiple muscle groups to execute movements even if you’re not specifically targeting those muscles. Direct extra attention, however, towards the muscles that you stressed in the workout since those muscles are especially susceptible to tightness. It’s recommended to hold each stretch for about 30 seconds for optimal benefit. Some examples of static stretches include:
- Quad stretches
- Standing hamstring stretches
- Cross-body holds
- Overhead side reaches
- Runner’s lunges
- Up-dogs
Final Thoughts
Although it can be tempting to skip out on warm-ups and cool-downs, taking 2-5 minutes to properly start and end your workouts are key components of a regimen that help keep you moving fluidly in the long run. Falling back into square one after an injury is a lot more frustrating than a few minutes dedicated to prepare and recover from your workout.
If you’re interested in more creative warm-up and cool-down ideas, you can find a ton of exercises through a quick google search or feel free to ask fitness professionals, such as myself, for their recommendations! Especially if you’re entering the fitness space again after recovering from an injury, surgery, trauma, or specific health conditions, it can be helpful to work with a post-rehabilitation specialist to ensure that your exercise experience is safe and contributory towards your goals given your starting point.
Please consult with your medical provider for expert advice before starting any new exercise programs.
This article was inspired by the content provided by Pinnacle Training and Consulting Systems: an organization that helped create an advanced certification for Post-Rehabilitation Specialization.
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