Warm-up moves…and the importance of warming down

CHANCES are you have seen it before — a gym member struts into the gym, puts away his personal items, locates a piece of gym equipment and proceeds to complete his planned workout then packs up and leaves the gym. What could possibly be the issue when he is doing exactly what he had set out to do? Personal trainer and fitness instructor Gisel Harrow said that he failed to include two critical steps in his workout regimen — warming up and cooling down.

“Warming up is a critical part of working out that people should stop skipping because this process prepares your body for the rigours of physical exercise. When you warm up the blood vessels dilate which results in adequate amounts of oxygen reaching the muscles, your body temperature rising gradually, and this rise in temperature also allows the muscles optimal flexibility and increases efficiency. And of course, the heart is better prepared for the stress that the body will undergo,” Harrow explained.

She pointed out that when the body would have warmed up, the chances of an individual getting injured during exercise or picking up an injury reduces significantly.

Some exercises that Harrow says are ideal exercises to include in your pre-workout session include:

Cycling

Riding a bicycle slowly, especially on slow resistance, is a good way to get your heart thumping.

Walking

Do three to five minutes of easy walking. This will prime your muscles for exercise.

Inchworms

Stand straight and bend over until your palms are in contact with the floor. Keep your legs straight, walk on your hands for as long as you can while keeping your posture, then pause before taking tiny steps and walking back. Repeat this a few times.

Modified burpees

Assume a standing position. Squat and place your hands in front of your feet on the floor. Now place one foot far behind you then place the other foot right beside it to create a high plank position. Reverse that by stepping one foot in towards your hand(s), right where it was when you started. Follow with the other foot, stand up, and then repeat the sequence.

Air squats

With your feet just a little wider than hip-width apart, turn your toes out slightly. Keep your arms at your side and gently pull your shoulder blades in towards each other. Bend your knees slowly while pushing your butt and hips out, as if you are about to sit on a chair, keeping your head, shoulders and knees aligned over your ankles. Focus on keeping your weight balanced evenly as you lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Keep externally rotating your ankles; don’t let your toes fall inward. As you lower down, raise your arms up and in front of you no higher than parallel to the ground.

Walking lunges

With your feet together, stand upright. Take a controlled step forward with your right leg and lower your hips towards the floor by bending both knees to 90-degree angles. The back knee should point toward but not touch the ground, and your front knee should be directly over the ankle. Press your right heel into the ground, and push off with your left foot to bring your left leg forward, stepping with control into a lunge on the other side.

Dynamic stretches

These are a group of simple moves which involve continuously moving through a range of motions. Some examples of these include using your arms to make big circles in both directions, kicking your legs forward, or simply touching your toes or even throwing your arms up towards the sky, as well as torso twists, leg swings and jumping jacks.

Walking high-knee hugs

Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and both arms at your side. Raise your left knee towards your chest while using both hands to hold (hug) your right shin and pull your knee up as close to your chest as you can. Release the left knee, step forward, and repeat with the right knee. Alternate your legs back and forth as you walk.

At the end of your workout you want to bring the body back to its normal condition — so you want to gradually reduce the heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. This process is referred to as cooling down and usually lasts about three to five minutes.

“Cooling down is just as important as warming up. It is designed to help your body repair and recover from the pressure placed on it during exercise because suddenly stopping may result in light headedness, for example, since the blood was not allowed sufficient time to circulate around the body,” Harrow explained.

Common cool down activities include stretching, yoga, meditation, jogging and walking.