Please read our guidelines section before attempting any of our warm ups or cool downs.
Warming up before a workout routine
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Before starting a workout routine it is always important to warm up properly. Most people who enjoy fitness or weight training rarely warm up and stretch properly, this can result in simple things such as muscle knots, cramps and tendon pulls. However it can result in more dramatic situations such a muscle tears or tendon tears which are both much more serious requiring months of physical therapy and possible surgery.
Before you start any form of workout routine, simply stretch through all the major muscle groups. This may sound tedious but once you get into the habit it will only take a few minutes. The second phase of warming up is raising your heart rate, this can be as simple as jogging on the spot for around a minute or so, or even 5 minutes of light cardiovascular exercise such as using either a treadmill, rowing machine or cycling machine. This small amount of exercise will increase you body temperature, increase your heart rate and increase oxygen flow around the body. After these simple steps you are ready to begin your workout routine.
Warming down or Cooling down after a workout routine
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Cooling down after a workout routine is just as important as warming up before a workout. Once you have finished your workout take a few minutes to catch your breath then simply do either a light jog on the spot or 5 minutes or so of light cardiovascular exercise. This will lower your heart rate back down again to a normal resting state and lower your temperature. Exercise should be rhythmical and gradually decreasing in intensity as not to shock the system to much. Cooling down properly will also help prevent dizziness or fainting.
Stretching after a workout is again just as important as stretching before a workout. Once you have completed the light cardiovascular exercise take a few minutes to work back through the muscle groups. If you were performing a body building workout, start with the muscle groups you worked on first and then focus on the other smaller muscle groups. Even if you don’t feel like you trained them it’s still important to stretch.
Stretching after a workout routine will help your muscle relax and regain their normal range of movement. Stretching after a workout routine will also realign muscle fibres, help remove waste products such as lactic acid and low adrenaline levels. Developmental stretches can be done to increase the flexibility of selected muscle groups.