Warm Ups & Cool Downs And Why you should never skip them

The first step towards being active is actually getting around to doing things - be it going for a walk, run, signing up at a gym or picking up a sport - say badminton, tennis, football - so on and so forth. Once you get active and have been so for a while, you start understanding jargons like intensity, mobility, lifting, tempo etc. For the uninitiated, these are words which describe the intensity levels within a sport or workout.

A complete workout should be formatted as follows ( and there is no other way around it)

Part 1 - Warm Up

Part 2 - Main set/ Body of the Workout

Part 3 - Cool Down.

Each of these has a specific role to play and is imperative to include in your workout.

Now, more often than not, we are constantly trying to efficiently utilise the time that we have available - and this thought process gets extended to our workouts too. So, since the bulk of the "workout" is in the intense activity - it is the one which gets all the attention and the other two usually get the step-child treatment. But really, is that the smart thing to do in the long run.

Lets take a look at the role that the two play to understand their importance. Once we understand what they do and how it benefits us, incorporating them into our schedule becomes a natural progression from a perspective of longevity of health and fitness.

Firstly, the difference between Warm up and Cool Down:

Warm Ups are dynamic in nature - they are faster - aimed at loosening out the muscles , mimicing the actions of the main workout and preparing the body for the main workout to follow.

Cool Downs are passive in nature - slower and longer holds, bringing the body back to the state of homeostasis and relaxing the muscles that have been used during the workout.

What role does the warm-up play?

Lets keep it simple:

1. Regulates and Increases Body temperature : Eases the body into the mood for a workout, loosening the muscles and getting the body ready for a bout of workout.

2. Increases Blood Flow : As the body temperature increases, there is an increase in the blood flow which makes your system more alert and ready for the proverbial pump.

3. Stabilises Heart Rate: As we gradually increase the intensity of the warmup , the heart rate increases at a similar rate gradually increasing the demands on the circulatory system and the metabolic system.

4. Protects Joints & Ligaments: An increase in body temperature, heart rate and blood flow leads to a secretion of the synovial fluid in the articular cartilages which helps in taking higher impact, thereby protecting joints & ligaments of the body during the workout.

5. Improves the Range of Motion: Warmed up muscles have a better range of motion than cold and stiff muscles - this is a fact that anyone who has ever worked out will agree to undoubtedly.

To sum it up, the Warm Up is essential since it gears up the system which includes the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, nervous system & musculoskeletal system for the main workout set - Gearing it up is essential to prevent Injury - and lets face facts - NO ONE LIKES INJURY!!!

Now let's move onto Cool Down!

What do they help us with?

1. Safely Slows down the Heart Rate : as with increasing it, even reduction of Heart Rate should be at a gradual pace - this ensures that there is no sudden drop in blood pressure - which is important why? so that we avoid any issues such as passing out because there was not enough blood circulating upto the brain against the force of gravity.

2. Controls Post Workout Blood Flow

3. Avoids Blood Pooling in the lower limbs of the body

4. Reduces the concentration of Lactic acid in the body

5. Helps with Active Recovery and reduction of DOMs ( Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)

6. Improves Flexibility.

All of these together lead to a situation which reduces the risk of injury, regulates all the various systems of the body bringing them back to a sense of normalcy - works on the parasympathetic nervous system inducing a state of relaxation and kick-starting the process of recovery.

It is obvious now, that both warm-ups and cool-downs are an essential part of your workout and it is imperative to include it into your daily routine - this is from a perspective of injury prevention and longevity of health. In my opinion, in case of a time crunch - I will always recommend cutting short the body of the workout but never ever skimping on the Warm up or Cool Down aspect of the Routine.