The importance of a warmup and cool down!

A warmup and a cool down are essential parts of every training session or group sessions. If you’re a high-performance athlete or just trying to get into shape, incorporating both is key.

Why do we need to warm up before a gym session?

By completing a warmup, you are preparing your body for physical activity by protecting yourself from injury. Warmups can be done with a mixture of dynamic and static moves:

·         Dynamic- Positions aren’t held, such as walking lunges or shoulder rolls.

·         Static- Positions extend your muscle and are held for up to 60 seconds, such as a hamstring stretch.

Both of these help to increase the overall body temperature through the widening of the blood vessels. This then allows more oxygenated blood flow to get to the working muscles throughout the session more efficiently. Essentially, the warmer your muscles are, the easier they will contract.

Similarly, static and dynamic movements will help to loosen and lubricate the joints. This prepares your joints for strenuous exercise and reduces the risk of injuries.

Why do we need to cool down after a session?

After you’ve completed a session, it is just as important to cool down as it is to warm up. See below for some reasons:

1.        Helps to remove lactic acid from your muscles, which helps with your recovery

2.        Aids in lowering your heart rate and breathing to begin the recovery process

3.        Prevents injury and reduces stress on your heart and muscles.

4.        Reduces the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) the next day

During every fitness class, you should expect to do a warmup and a cool down! It’s worth taking the time to incorporate both into your typical workout routine, for the reasons previously mentioned. If you would like some advice from one of our Personal Trainers, please email info@avenuetennis.co.uk or call 01634 386188