Warm Up and Cool Down For Sports

As we age, the importance of warming up prior to activity becomes increasingly important. This is because our overall flexibility and mobility decrease with age partially due to decreased elasticity and collagen levels in our muscles. As a result of these changes, our bodies become more vulnerable to injury. A proper warm up will help to improve blood supply to the muscles that will be required during physical activity and therefore help to improve both performance and safety during the activity.

In addition to a good warm up to reduce the risk of injury, a good cool down and recovery routine after physical activity is vital to improve the healing of the muscles. When muscles are used for physical activity such as lifting weights, micro tears form. Rest will help to allow the tears to heal, but a recovery routine after the activity can often speed up the healing process and make it more effective. Properly healed muscles are less likely to become injured during the next physical activity.  

Warm Up Routine:

The goal of a good warmup routine should be to get the body prepared for the specific physical activity; therefore the warm-up actions are slightly dependent on the upcoming activity. In simplest terms, the muscles that will be required for the activity are the ones that should be the target of the warmup. For nearly every physical activity, one muscle that needs to be considered is the heart. It is important to warm up the heart with gradually increasing exercise intensity that will build toward the goal activity. With the heart rate increased, blood will be pumped better throughout the body to move toward the other needed muscles. 

A common mistake made when warming up is performing prolonged static stretching prior to exercise. Research has shown that prolonged stretching prior to activity while increasing motion also decreases the strength output and can actually make the area more vulnerable to injury. Instead of static stretching, one should perform dynamic stretching instead. Dynamic stretching involves movement with the focus on taking the body through its full range of motion in a controlled way. 

For this example we will use running as the activity being prepared for, but this routine can be substituted in with any other activity by substituting the expected muscles needed for said activity. With the example of running, there are many muscles that will be used. Nearly all muscles in the legs will be involved as well as the arms for pumping and the abdominals and back muscles for trunk support and trunk rotation. Because so many muscles are involved, creating a good routine that will target as many muscles as possible with the fewest exercises will be the most efficient and effective. The most involved muscles in the activity should be the primary focus of the warm up. In the case of running, the glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and surrounding ankle muscles will likely be the most used and therefore the most important for the routine. Exercises such as walking lunges, butt kicks, and squats will involve activation and movement of a variety of these muscles through their full ranges of motion to help prepare them for the actions required when running.

Cool down routine:

Upon completion of the desired physical activity, a cool down routine will be vital to reduce any potential damage done to the muscles and ensure better healing and faster recovery. A cool down should also help to relax the heart by bringing heart rate and blood pressure back to their resting values. 

During the cooldown, prolonged static stretching is a great way to reduce tightness in the muscles that were used while also helping to relax the body. With the example of running, the muscles most used such as quads, hamstrings, and calves will all benefit from sustained holds stretching those muscles for between 30 and 60 seconds each. In addition to static stretching, the use of a massage gun or foam roller to the muscles used will help to bring blood to the areas to help provide vital nutrients that will promote healing. 

Both a good warm up and cool down will take about 10 minutes each. While this may seem excessive or inconvenient in that it may take time away from your desired exercise, they are vital to promote healing and reduce the likelihood of injury. In the long run, the warm up and cool downs will help to keep you performing your activities more frequently and more safely. They will help to keep you doing the activities you love even as you age. 

For ideas on active/dynamic warm ups, subscribe to our YouTube channel. There are playlists that are sorted by joint.