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Introduction

What are the Affects of Warming Up and Cooling Down? Warm Up A warm-up routine is essential to raise the body temperature by using all the major muscle groups thereby increasing blood flow and elasticity of muscle tissue and allowing more oxygen to be carried to the working muscles. This will prepare the body for the activity to follow. This will also improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. The warm up is a technique designed: �To prepare the body for competition or conditioning exercise. �To reduce the possibility of muscle injury or soreness The warm up should include exercises that prepare the muscles to be used and activate the energy system required. The warm up should also be related specifically to the activity that follows. For instance, sit-ups or push-ups are not useful as a warm up for running in a football game. Instead, jogging or run a through are the best preparation. Warming up produces beneficial physiological changes: �There is an increase in the blood flow through the muscle as the small blood vessels dilate, and therefore an increase in the local temperature of the muscle and the oxygen supply. ...read more.

Middle

to the strong contracting muscles (such as the Quadriceps). Cold antagonistic muscles relax slowly and incompletely when the agonists contract, therefore retarding free movement and accurate co-ordination. At the same time, the force of the contraction of the agonists and the momentum of the moving part exert a great strain on the unyielding antagonists. Without a warm up, this may lead to the tearing of the muscle fibres or the tendons. Cool Down Just as one gradually increases the amount of work prior to strenuous exercise it also makes sense to gradually decrease the amount of work following sports training. Following intense activity blood has been diverted to working muscles and has a tendency to "pool" in the extremities, especially the legs. Light rhythmical activity involving the muscle groups will aid the blood to return to the heart and prevent pooling and consequent dizziness and nausea. Stretching activities during the cool-down will also prevent muscle soreness following exercise. Gradually bringing the body back to normal also helps psychological wind-down and promotes mental relaxation at the end of the exercise session, allowing time to consider the feeling of satisfaction and benefit that exercise can bring. ...read more.

Conclusion

Alternately contracting and relaxing leg muscles pumps extra blood through your body. When you stop suddenly after exercising vigorously, your leg muscles stop pumping and your heart has to pick up the extra work. To make your heart beat faster and stronger, your body increases production of its own natural stimulants called adrenalin and nor adrenaline. This can cause the heart to beat irregularly, depriving your brain of adequate oxygen, so you feel dizzy and can even pass out. People with heart disease can develop irregular heartbeats. Cooling down does not prevent muscle soreness. It increases circulation and helps to clear lactic acid from your muscles at a faster rate, but muscle soreness after exercise has nothing to do with lactic acid accumulation. It is due to muscle damage caused by exercise. So, you cool down to prevent dizziness, not muscle soreness. Duration of Cool Downs It takes your body approximately 3 minutes to realize it does not need to pump all the additional blood to your muscles. A safe cool down period is at least 3 minutes, preferably 4-5 minutes. All cool downs should be followed by stretching of the muscles to avoid soreness and tightness. ...read more.

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