We exercise to maintain and improve our health. That’s why it is important to remember that safety comes first. And safety means warming up.
After all, what good does it do to exercise for hours if you’re so sore you can’t move the next day, or you strain a muscle and immobilize yourself for a week?
Another important reason to warm up is to increase your heart rate slightly. This has two benefits:
(1) it raises your core body temperature; and
(2) it increases the blood (oxygen) flow to your muscles to prepare your body for more vigorous physical activity.
Your muscles and tendons (which attach your muscles to your bones) will be more flexible for stretching after mild movement has raised your internal body temperature. This flexibility helps you increase the range of motion of your joints and may help you avoid injuries such as muscle tears and pulls.
What muscles should I warm up?
Focus on large muscle groups — for example, your quadriceps, calves or shoulders. Do stationary or simple movements for your legs, and do shoulder rolls and arm circles for your chest and shoulders.
How long should this take?
Your body takes about 3 minutes to begin pumping more blood to your muscles, so a good, effective warm-up should last five to ten minutes.
Do I have to cool down?
After you’ve reached and maintained your training heart rate level in the aerobic portion of your workout, be sure to recover gently. Cooling down reduces your pulse and returns enough blood to your heart to get rid of lactic acid (a chemical result of muscular fatigue). If you stop suddenly, the blood will pool in your legs instead of returning to your heart. If you do not cool down properly, you can expect to experience dizziness, nausea and fatigue.
And how long does that take?
Your body takes about 3 minutes to realize it does not need to pump all the extra blood to your muscles. A safe cool down lasts 4 to 5 minutes, followed by stretching your muscles to avoid soreness and tightness.
