THE WORKOUT BEFORE AND AFTER THE WORKOUTTHE IMPORTANCE OF WARMING UP, STRETCHING AND COOLING DOWN

DENISE GALBEN, OWNER OF KINETICS

WHY SHOULD WE WARM UP BEFORE OUR WORKOUT?

1. Muscle/body/blood temperature Increases: Muscles that are properly warmed up before rigorous activity will be able to contract with more force, and relax at a faster rate after a contraction. As blood temperature rises, blood oxygen levels rise. With a more oxygenated blood stream, muscles receive larger volumes of nutrients and can function at a much greater level.

2. Dilated Blood Vessels: Taking the time to warm up forces the blood vessels to dilate. This will reduce the tension that physical activity places on your heart, and increase blood flow throughout your body.

3. Your Body is Able to Cool Down Faster: Warming up also triggers processes in the body (i.e. sweating, increased breathing rate) that assist in cooling down muscles and joints when they begin to get too hot.

4. Range of Motion Increases: By properly warming up, your joints will be more capable of extending safely throughout their full range of motion.

5. Increases the Secretion of Hormones: When performing a warm-up routine, additional hormones are automatically secreted to provide your body with energy via additional carbohydrates and fatty acids. These additional hormones are crucial for a successful and productive workout.

6. Increases Mental Focus: When performing a warm-up routine, the mind will enter a state of focus and preparation required for the exercises that you are about to perform. This increase in focus allows the mind to remain positive, relaxed, and with an increased level of concentration.

Source: www.FitnessHealth101.com

WHY SHOULD WE WARM UP BEFORE OUR WORKOUT? (CONT’D)

WHAT SORT OF WARMUP DO YOU DO BEFORE YOUR WORKOUT?

▪ Before your cardio workout? (Swimming, running, elliptical, dancing)

▪ Before your strength-training workout? (Weights, Spartan/HIIT, kettle bells)

▪ Before your calisthenics workout? (Yoga, pilates)

WARMUPS 101:

▪ Did you know?

▪ There is a difference between warming up, and stretching?

▪ In general, warming up will elevate the heart rate and increase the flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body, thus preparing the body to be stretched.

▪ Stretching then prepares the soft tissue and joint of the body to safely perform a physical activity. Range of motion exercises stretch muscles and joints in all directions, and lubricate your joints.

▪ It is important to remember that a warm-up routine is not the same as a stretching routine. Warm up, THEN stretch.

▪ Question for next slide: What are some of the most common sport/fitness injury locations on the body?

AN ANATOMY REFRESHER

WHAT DO YOU NOTICE ABOUT THESE AREAS?

WHAT IS CONNECTIVE TISSUE?

▪ It supports, connects, or separates different types of tissues and organs

▪ The medium-density connective tissues are tendons, ligaments and fascia. Bone is the densest connective tissue. Blood and adipose (fat) are the thinnest. The dense

connective tissues have very little blood

flow

Therefore, they heal

very slowly.

OTHER INJURIES: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SPRAINS, STRAINS AND TEARS?

A sprain is a stretch or tear in a ligament (the bands of fibrous tissue that connect our bones at the joints).

A strain is also a stretch or tear, this time affecting the muscle itself or a tendon (the tissue that connect the muscles to the bones).

Source: www.webmd.com

SO WHAT DO I DO IF I SUFFER A FITNESS INJURY?A study of 6,313 adults who exercised regularly found that 21 percent developed an exercise-related injury during the course of a year.

Two-thirds involved the legs; the knee was the most frequently injured joint. Source: www.health.harvard.edu

NEW INJURIES, USE: R.I.C.E.▪ Rest will prevent further injury and

will allow healing.

▪ Ice will stop swelling. It constricts injured blood vessels and limits the bleeding in the injured area.

▪ Compression further limits swelling and supports the injured joint.

▪ Elevation uses gravity to reduce swelling in the injured area by reducing blood flow.

OLD INJURIES▪ Once a muscle or tendon is injured, it is

susceptible to injury again.

▪ The resulting scar tissue is weaker, less elastic, and highly prone to re-injury.

▪ Strengthen the area with exercise.

▪ Heat therapy

▪ NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: ex: Ibuprofen)

▪ Massage and stretching (yoga, folks!!!)

WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR WITH YOUR INJURY

Most acute injuries can be attended to using R.I.C.E., but some injuries need to be seen and treated by a physician. You should call your doctor if you experience any of the following:

severe pain or if pain persists for more than two weeks in a joint or bone. pain radiates to another area of the body you have 'point tenderness.' That is, you can cause pain by pressing on a specific area, but pain is not

produced at the same point on the other side of the body. you have any injury to a joint that produces significant swelling. If left untreated, joint injuries can

become permanent. you cannot move the injured part. there is persistent numbness, tingling or weakness in the injured area. your injury doesn't heal in three weeks. you have an infection with pus, red streaks, a fever, or swollen lymph nodes.

Source for this slide and previous slide: www.verywell.com

3 part of post-workout: Slowly decrease the intensity of the exercise(s) you’re doing. Stretch all muscle groups, but pay special attention to the groups that worked the hardest. Hydrate, and replenish your electrolytes.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO COOL DOWN AFTER YOUR WORKOUT?

Cooling down helps the heart rate and breathing to return back to normal.

Helps prevent dizziness. Help the body flush the toxins (lactic acid) to prevent

lactic acid build-up. Keep blood circulating to provide oxygen & nutrients

required by the muscles, tendons and ligaments for repair and growth.

Important! You are more flexible after a workout, therefore your stretches should be gentle to avoid injury.

FINTHANK YOU