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Fitness Correspondent
T
he sole purpose of warming up before physical exercise is to mentally and physically prepare for your chosen activity.
Warming up increases your heart rate and therefore your blood flow which in turn enables more oxygen to reach your muscles.
It also activates and primes the connection between your nerves and muscles which improves the efficiency of movement and reduces cramps.
Additionally, your range of motion (flexibility) should be increased by dynamic stretching.
Warming up properly can help reduce the risk of injury during physical exercise or even muscle soreness and cramps after exercise.
How to Warm-up Before Exercise:
Light aerobic exercise of about 10 minutes, including light physical exercise and dynamic stretching appropriate for your chosen training programme that you are about to perform.
These could include:
Fast Walking, Jogging, Cycling, Walking up and Downstairs, Squats, Lunges and Push-ups
Pull-ups
How to Cool Down After Exercise:
After we have completed all our training sets, cooling down properly, to reduce our heart rate and begin the process of recovery is very important.
Cooling down is reducing the intensity of exercise and slowing everything down, for example:
A jog to a walk, A run to a jog.
Static stretches, of all the main muscle groups, gently holding a stretch for about 10-15 seconds will help restore the muscles to their normal length and also help bring your mind and body to a resting state.
Importance of Stretching Before and After Exercise:
Stretching before and after exercise and ballistic movements, (slow controlled movements through the full range of motion) help reduce muscle soreness, and stiffness and increase flexibility.
Stretching before any physical activity helps prepare the muscles for exercise and stretching after exercise is scientifically proven to be even more important for injury prevention during physical exercise.
Before exercising, implementing some dynamic stretches into your warm-up is a good way to ease into your training sets. For example, if you are training legs, your stretches can be:
Leg Swings: this is a dynamic movement for the legs and hips, it can be performed by supporting yourself against something keeping the body nice and tall, swing your back and forth. Focus on kicking your leg as high as possible and feel the stretch in your hip flexors and hamstring.
Squat to Stand: sit in your deepest squat position comfortably, pushing the hips out and breathing out, then push back from the hips and extend your legs as much as you can. This will stretch your hamstrings.
Bulgarian Split Squat: this is both an activation exercise for your legs and a dynamic stretch. It also helps you build unilateral (one-side) strength and stability. You would need a bench, stair, or plyometric box where you will place one of your legs behind you with the toes facing downwards so your ankle can move freely. The other foot is planted firmly on the ground in front of you. Slowly descend and aim to go as the deepest you feel comfortable and then back up. This will stretch your hip flexors, quad, and glutes.
Walking Lunges: This is a low-intensity way to dynamically stretch the hip flexors. Start by taking small steps, while keeping your upper body upright, sink into the step to feel a better stretch, and keep your core tight for added stability as you do your lunges.
Post-workout stretches and static
Stretches are the best types of stretches to do after an intense training session.
They help alleviate the intense muscle soreness that comes after training and can also help increase flexibility which will help prevent injury when you train next time. Static stretches are performed by gently holding a stretch for about 10-15 seconds.
This will help restore the muscles to their normal length and also help bring your mind and body to a resting state. Examples of Static Stretches are:
Side Lunge: This is an inner thigh stretch and you perform it by standing with your feet out wide, about one and a half meters apart, and bending one leg going into a low lunge. Keep your upper body upright.
Lying Side-Quad Stretch: while lying on one side, prop your head up with your hand and kick your top foot backward and bend your knee so your foot goes towards your butt. (If you are having trouble staying steady, bend your bottom knee). Gently press your hips forward and tuck your pelvis so you can feel the stretch on your top leg. This stretches your quad.
Lying on your back with both legs in the air, place your left ankle on your right thigh so your left knee opens to the side.
Place both your hands on your right shin gently pull your right knee towards your chest and hold for 10-15 seconds. You should feel this stretch on your left hip and glute.
Wide Child’s Pose: on your hands and knees, sit back between your heels and hold that position for 10-15 seconds then relax. This stretches your lower back and your hips.
Lying Spinal Twist: Lying on your back with your knee bent into your chest, with your arms out in a cactus pose, palms facing down, slowly lower both knees to the right until they are resting on the ground then turn your head to the left. Hold it there for 10-15 seconds, feel your spine lengthen and twist, you may even hear some cracks. Use your core to lift your knees back to the centre then repeat on the other side.
If you like warming up and cooling down and not fully implemented in your training programme, feel free to consult a personal trainer or a fitness instructor as they will most probably assist you with a warm-up and cool-down routine that you can perform for optimal flexibility through your range of motion as you perform exercises and reduce risk of injury during your training sessions.
By implementing the tips mentioned above and staying consistent and persistent in pursuing your fitness goals, enjoying the process while at it, attaining your goals will be a certainty.
Invictus Fitness Centre, a state-of-the-art facility, is your go-to gym, offering a wide range of classes and programmes designed to help you achieve your fitness goals. Our experienced trainers are ready to create personalised programmes aligned with your goals. If you need a gym that can keep you motivated and inspired and supports your fitness aspirations, Invictus Fitness Centre is undoubtedly the best choice, get in touch with us today to explore our variety of membership options and schedule a free consultation.
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