Warm-up & Cool-down
For the first half of my exercise life, I was taught to
stretch prior to exercising. Then, the stretching consisted of assuming one
pose or another and holding that position for 20-30 seconds, waiting for the
muscle to relax. This is known as static
stretching. Today, static stretching before exercise is considered by many to be a no-no. Why?
...an overly relaxed muscle diminishes
performance and places the person at risk
for injury...
Static stretching does, in fact, relax the muscle. However,
an overly relaxed muscle diminishes performance and places the person at risk
for injury, as the muscle is not optimally ready to control range of motion
during exercise.[1],[2]
 |
| Dynamic movement prepares muscles for exercise |
Instead, exercise physiologists advocate
employing a dynamic warm-up...
What would it look like? When I teach cycle classes, we
spend at least 5 minutes of easy peddling while rotating the back, shoulders,
arms, etc. If warming up for circuits, it would be good to walk, jog in place,
bring the knees up high, kick the heels up to the glutes, do a few lunges,
jumping jacks, air squats, etc. During this time, the person is increasing
their heart rate gently, and warming the muscles in anticipation of full-out
exercise.
Simple
answer: A cool-down involves bringing the
heart and pulse rate back close to
resting...
So what does this mean concerning a cool-down? Simple
answer: A cool-down involves bringing the heart and pulse rate back close to
resting, and then stretching out the muscles. During strenuous exercise, blood
tends to pool around the muscles under the most duress. Suddenly stopping
without cooling down places a person at risk of insufficient blood flow to all
parts of the body, especially the brain. Result? Dizziness, loss of balance,
and potentially, loss of consciousness. Back to cycling, when I reach the
cool-down, I have the class continue peddling slowing but with little
resistance, and simultaneously begin a stretching routine. Now, static
stretching comes into play. The concept here is that the muscle has been fully
activated and is tight from exertion; assuming a stretch and holding it for
20-30 seconds allows the muscle to resume it’s full range of motion. There is
ongoing debate as to whether post-exercise stretching assists in minimizing
muscle soreness.[3], [4]
 |
| Post-exercise: Increase range of motion with 20-30 second static stretches |
Bottom line – the evidence is clear that we benefit from
warming up before starting vigorous exercise, and our heart needs the
opportunity to get down to the rate of resting before we abruptly stop.
Post-exercise stretching is considered valuable for maximizing range of motion,
but the evidence is not strong that post-exercise stretching helps avoid muscle
soreness.
[1] Dynamic Flexibility vs. Static Stretching for Warm Up By Jon Ransom, PTA, ATC and Timothy Brinker, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT-Director Hillsboro Physical Therapy. http://www.therapeuticassociates.com/events/dynamic-flexibility-versus-static-stretching-for-warm-up/
[2] The
acute effects of a warm-up including static or dynamic stretching on
countermovement jump height, reaction time, and flexibility.
Erica T. Perrier, Michael J. Pavol,
Mark A. Hoffman
J Strength Cond Res. 2011 July; 25(7):
1925–1931. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e73959
[3] Should You Stretch Before or After Exercise - Research helps determine the best time to stretch By Elizabeth Quinn Updated April 29, 2014. http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/flexibility/a/aa022102a.htm
[4]
Warm up Cool Down. American Heart Association. Updated April 4, 2014. https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/GettingActive/Warm-Up-Cool-Down_UCM_430168_Article.jsp
