One of the main reasons for warming up is that the body functions far more effectively and efficiently when the body is warm. This means through jogging, and, or, a series of exercises, raising the body temperature so that the muscles can move more effectively. Also that the muscles are warm enough to ensure that when the real running commences, that no damage such as pulling a muscle occurs. Similarly the cool down is done to ensure that all the waste products are got out of the system and that the body temperature is lowered gradually. This also has the desired effect of ensuring that the following morning the athlete's muscles are not stiff and tight from the training session or competition.
Both the warm up and cool down are done at a much slower speed than either the training session or the competition the athlete is preparing to do. By utilising both a warm up and cool down, the athlete is better prepared for the rigours of the competition or training session.
Otherwise, the athlete who does not utilise either a warm up or cool down may find that they are more prone to injury or that they cannot get to the pace of the competition or training session, or that they find the start of each session hard work and or painful. This is because they are too stiff and the body is not warm enough and therefore cannot respond or adapt quickly enough to the demands of the session or competition.
The session and competition being both dynamic and explosive will have an adverse effect if the body is cold and stiff. But not so if the body is warmed up and the jog has also ventilated the lungs and made the heart beating. Therefore what the warm up is also doing is at a lower level simulating the demands of either the competition or training session.
The beauty of being a long distance endurance runner is that in a training session or in particular during training runs the athlete can incorporate the warm up into the training run. They can also use the last part of the training run as a cool down. In this way the whole session is maximised and valuable time is saved by incorporating the warm up and cool down. If the athlete wants, in addition to a jogged warm up, they can include exercises, but this will obviously add time to the training session. The exercises that are incorporated would ensure that the major muscle groups of the body such as the hamstrings are fully stretched and warmed up ready for the competition or training session that lies ahead.
What length of time should an athlete take on either the warm up or cool down is really down to individual choice, and what suits the athlete best both physically and psychologically. It is important that the athlete feels that the warm up has benefited them as this will make them feel right mentally. Different athletes take much longer or shorter times than others to warm up and cool down. While some prefer to incorporate them in the overall training run, others prefer to keep the three areas, warm up, training session or competition and cool down as three distinct and different phases. Others, as previously stated, may include exercises in their warm up which may take place either before or after the warm up jog.
Similarly, with the cool down, some athletes may incorporate exercises, in addition to the jog cool down, particularly if the competition or session has been quite strenuous. This is to avoid the muscles stiffening up, so that it does not hinder or prevent further training in the days to come.
What therefore would be the recommended amount of time that is required for both an effective jog warm up and jog cool down? A minimum time of 10 to 15 minutes should suffice for both of these phases. However, it is all down to individual needs and preferences. It is worth bearing in mind that the older we get the less flexible we become and therefore it is more important than ever that we ensure that the body is fully warmed up before commencing any strenuous exercise.
copyright realrunner.com 2004