Warm up and Cool Down

Introduction

There is no doubt that time spent on warming up and cooling down will improve an athlete's level of performance and accelerate the recovery process needed before training or competing again. As a result the coach must encourage the athlete to regard the warm up and cool down as an essential part of both the training session and competition itself.

Links to various pages are provided to help you compile your own warm up and cool down routines.

Warm Up

Muscle stiffness is thought to be directly related to muscle injury and therefore the warm up should be aimed at reducing muscle stiffness.

Warming up should at least consist of the following:

5 to 10 minutes jogging - to increase body temperature
10 to 15 minutes dynamic stretching exercises - reduce muscle stiffness
10 to 15 minutes general and event specific drills - preparation for the session or competition. e.g. for a runner

4 to 8 easy run outs over 30 to 60 metres - focus on correct running technique (Tall, Relaxed, Smooth and Drive)

Dynamic stretches are more appropriate to the warm up as they help reduce muscle stiffness. Static exercises do not reduce muscle stiffness.

What are the benefits of a warm up?

Performance may be improved as an appropriate warm up will result in an:

Increased speed of contraction and relaxation of warmed muscles
Dynamic exercises reduce muscle stiffness
Greater economy of movement because of lowered viscous resistance within warmed muscles
Facilitated oxygen utilization by warmed muscles because hemoglobin releases oxygen more readily at higher muscle temperatures
Facilitated nerve transmission and muscle metabolism at higher temperatures; a specific warm up can facilitate motor unit recruitment required in subsequent all out activity
Increased blood flow through active tissues as local vascular beds dilate, increasing metabolism and muscle temperatures

Cool Down

Warming down should consist of the following:

5 to 10 minutes jogging/walking - decrease body temperature and remove waste products from the working muscles
5 to 10 minutes static stretching exercises- decrease body temperature, remove waste products from the working muscles and to increase range of movement.

Static stretches are more appropriate to the cool down as they help muscles to relax and increase their range of movement.

What are the benefits of a cool down?

An appropriate cool down will:

aid in the dissipation of waste products - including lactic acid
reduce the potential for DOMS
reduce the chances of dizziness or fainting caused by the pooling of venous blood at the extremities
reduce the level of adrenaline in the blood.