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Are you looking to start an exercise program to get back into shape and live a healthier lifestyle? An exercise routine may feel time consuming — but no matter what type of workout you choose, or how busy your schedule is, it’s critical that you don’t skip warming up before your workout, or cooling down afterwards.
You’d be surprised how many people decide they don’t need to warm up before working their core, or that it’s fine to skip their cool-down after jogging on the treadmill. In most cases, it’s not because people hate doing the warm up or cool-down, but because they want to save time. After all, it is just the main part of the workout that counts, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not just the main part of your workout that matters — and the people who skip the processes before and after a workout may be doing more harm to their bodies than they realize.
Why Warming Up and Cooling Down Is So Important
A warm-up and a cool-down both involve doing exercises at a lower intensity and slower pace, which improves your athletic performance, prevents injuries, and helps with recovery from exercise.
Warm up activities include light jogging, or cycling slowly on a bike. Warming up before exercise prepares your cardiovascular system for physical activity, by increasing the blood flow to your muscles, and raising the temperature of your body. It also helps to lower the risk of getting injured — when your muscles are adequately warmed up, the movements, stretches, and strain you put on them during your workout is less severe. This also minimizes muscle soreness.
Cooling down after your workout aims to gradually bring your heart rate and blood pressure to its normal level — the level it was at prior to exercising. During your workout, your heart rate has been pumping much higher than it does normally, and it’s important to ease it back down instead of abruptly stopping all motion. Cooling down also helps to regulate your blood flow, which is especially important for people who undertake endurance sports such as long distance running. To safely cool down, gradually reduce the pace of your exercise during the last 10 minutes of your session — for example, if you’re jogging, reduce your pace to a brisk walk for the last 10 minutes.
Benefits of Warming Up
- Improved Performance
Warming up improves your athletic performance in the following ways:
- Improved Blood Flow — Warming up for 10 minutes with an easygoing activity improves blood flowing to your skeletal muscles, and opens up blood capillaries. Your blood carries the oxygen needed for your muscles to function, so increasing your blood flow is one of the best things you can do to set your muscles up for a workout.
- Improved Oxygen Efficiency — When you do a warm-up exercise, oxygen is released from your blood more readily, and at higher temperatures. Your muscles demand higher amounts of oxygen while exercising, so it’s important to make this oxygen more available through a warm-up activity.
- Faster Muscle Contraction/Relaxation — Warming up with physical activity raises your body temperature, which in turn, improves your nerve transmission and muscle metabolism. The end result? Your muscles will perform faster and more efficiently.
- Injury Prevention
Warming up prevents injuries by loosening your joints, and improving blood flow to your muscles — making your muscles less likely to rip, tear, or twist in a harmful way during your workout. Stretching also helps prepare your muscles for the physical activities you’re about to perform.
- Mental Preparation
A side benefit of warming up is that your brain will become focused on your body and your physical activity as you go through the process. This focus will carry over into your training session to help you to improve your technique, coordination, and skill.
Benefits of Cooling Down
- Recovery
After intense exercise, lactic acid builds up within your system, and it takes time for your body to clear it out. Cooling down exercises (such as stretches) can aid this process of releasing and removing lactic acid, helping to speed up your body’s recovery post-workout.
- Reducing DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)
While muscle soreness is to be expected after exercise, a significant amount of DOMS is very uncomfortable, and can prevent you from exercising in the future. A study performed by California State University found that moderate intensity cycling after strength exercise helped to reduce DOMS. Cooling down after exercise helps to alleviate excessive muscle soreness, keeping you more comfortable and allowing your body to bounce back before your next workout.
What Happens If You Don’t Properly Warm Up and Cool Down?
Increased Risk Of Injury
Over 30% of injuries seen by sports medicine clinics are skeletal muscle injuries — which can be easily prevented by warming up and stretching.
Blood Pooling
If you stop exercising abruptly without cooling down, your muscles will suddenly stop contracting vigorously. This can cause blood to pool in the lower extremities of your body, leaving your blood without as much pressure to be pumped back to the heart and brain. As a result, you may dizzy and lightheaded, and you may even faint.
Increased Stress On Cardiovascular System
Warming up helps you to gradually increase your heart rate and breathing to a level that will be able to meet the demands of your workout. If you start exercising at a strenuous level without warming up first, you will place unnecessary stress on your heart and lungs.
A study was performed on 44 men to examine the effects of high intensity exercise on the heart. The subjects had to perform 10 to 15 seconds of intense exercise on a treadmill, without a warm-up. The results showed that 70% of subjects had abnormal ECG readings because of the inadequate oxygen supplied to the heart — in essence, their hearts weren’t ready to perform at the high rates required for the intense exercises.
The next time you feel like you can’t spare the extra 10 minutes to cool down after running, think carefully about the effect it will have on your body. Those 10 minutes certainly seem worth it when you consider that you’re helping prevent injuries to your body, improve your performance, and aid your post-workout recovery.
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You can do cooldown exercises at the end of your workout to ease yourself out of strenuous activity. Cooldown exercises and stretches lower your chance of injury, promote blood flow, and reduce stress to your heart and other muscles.
Plus, you’ll bring your heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure levels back down to their normal levels before you continue carrying on with your usual activities.
Dedicate at least 10 minutes of your workout to cooling down. Read on to learn some of the best ways to do so. From here, you can choose the exercises that appeal to you the most and put them together to create your workout recovery and relaxation routine.
Do these exercises at a slower speed and lower intensity than your normal workout. Breathe deeply while cooling down to deliver oxygen to your muscles, release tension, and promote relaxation.
1. Light jogging or walking
This is one of the most straightforward ways to cool down. Do 3 to 5 minutes of light jogging followed by 3 to 5 minutes of brisk or easy walking.
2. Upper body stretch
- From a standing or seated position, interlace your fingers and press your palms up toward the ceiling.
- Draw your hands up and back as far as you can while maintaining a straight spine.
- Then place your left arm in front of your right and turn your palms to face each other, stretching your hands up and back.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
3. Seated Forward Bend
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- Sit with your legs extended in front of you.
- Lift your arms.
- Hinge at your hips to fold forward.
- Place your hands on your legs or the floor.
- Hold this position for up to 1 minute.
4. Knee-to-Chest Pose
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- Lie on your back with your left leg bent or extended.
- Draw your right knee in toward your chest, interlacing your fingers around the front of your shin.
- Hold this position for up to 1 minute.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
- Do each side 2 to 3 times.
5. Reclining Butterfly Pose
- Lie on your back with the soles of your feet together and your knees out to the sides.
- Place your arms alongside your body or overhead.
- Hold this position for up to 5 minutes.
6. Child’s Pose
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- From tabletop position, sink back to sit on your heels, reaching your arms forward or alongside your body.
- Allow your chest to fall heavy into your thighs, breathing deeply.
- Rest your forehead on the floor.
- Hold this position for 1 to 3 minutes.
- From a standing position, bend your right knee to bring your heel toward your buttock.
- Hold your ankle with one or both hands.
- Keep your knees in alignment next to each other, and don’t pull your knee out to the side.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
- Do each side 2 to 3 times.
- From tabletop or plank position, move your hips up and back, keeping your spine straight.
- Spread your fingers and press your weight evenly between hands.
- Pedal out your legs by pressing one heel into the floor at a time.
- Hold this position for 1 minute.
- While seated, extend your right leg and press your left foot into your right thigh.
- Align your breastbone with the inside of your right leg as you raise your arms overhead.
- Hinge at your hips to fold forward, placing your hands on your body or the floor.
- Hold this position for up to 1 minute.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
- From a standing position, slowly hinge at your hips to bend forward.
- Lengthen your spine, and allow your head to fall heavy toward the floor, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
- Place your hands on the floor, hold opposite elbows in front of or behind your thighs, or interlace your hands behind your back.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds.
If your hands are unable to reach the floor, you can modify this stretch. Place hands on a block or sturdy object instead of the floor. You’ll still reap the same benefits.
11. Shoulder stretch
- From a standing or seated position, lift up your right elbow and place your hand near your neck or spine.
- Place your left hand on your right elbow to gently press your right hand further down your spine.
- To deepen the stretch, bring your left arm alongside your torso and reach your left hand up to clasp your right hand.
- Hold a towel or resistance band to allow you to reach further.
- Hold the stretch for 30 seconds.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
12. Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
- Sit with the right side of your body next to a wall.
- Swing your legs up along the wall as you lie down on your back.
- Place your hips against the wall or a few inches away.
- Place your arms alongside your body, on your stomach, or overhead.
- Hold this position for up to 5 minutes.
13. Corpse Pose
- Lie on your back with your arms alongside your body, palms facing up, and your feet slightly wider than your hips, with your toes splayed out to the sides.
- Relax your body, and let go of any tightness or tension.
- Allow your body to fall heavily to the floor as you breathe deeply.
- Stay in this position for 5 minutes or longer.
- Lie on your back with your left leg bent or extended.
- Draw your right knee in toward your chest.
- Extend your right arm over to the side and place your left hand to the outside of your right knee.
- Gently twist over to the left side.
- Hold the twist for 30 seconds.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
- March in place with your arms extended out to the sides at shoulder height.
- Circle your arms forward 8 to 10 times.
- Circle your arms backward 8 to 10 times.
- Gently shake your right arm, then your left arm, and then both arms at the same time.
- Then, shake your right leg, then your left leg.
- Next, shake your head, your hips, and your whole body.
- Shake each body part for 15 seconds.
Cooldown exercises start the recovery process, increase flexibility, and promote relaxation.
- A gradual cooldown keeps your blood circulating and prevents it from pooling in your veins, which can cause you to feel lightheaded or dizzy.
- Cooling down allows your body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate to return to their normal levels.
- Stretching your muscles while they’re still warm can help to reduce lactic acid buildup, reducing your chance of muscle cramps and stiffness.
- In addition, stretches elongate the connective tissue around your joints, increase mobility, and improve range of motion.
All of these benefits work to improve your body’s overall function and flexibility, allowing you to feel better, perform at a higher level, and have less chance for injury.
Consider seeking out a personal trainer if you want assistance with modifications or to take your workouts to the next level.
An exercise professional can help you to develop a specific cooldown routine based on your needs. They may adjust the type of workout you do according to any injuries, areas of concern, or goals you have in mind.
A professional can make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly and provide valuable feedback so that you’re staying safe while maximizing your workout potential.
Set yourself up for success by setting time aside to gradually cool down after you exercise. This gives your body a chance to recover, regulates your bodily systems, and helps to ease you back into the normal pace of your daily life.
Allow yourself enough energy to complete your cool down without pushing yourself beyond your limits. Go only to your edge and never bounce or force your way into any position.
On days when you’re not feeling especially active or energetic, you can swap out part of your workout and focus on more of these cooling, relaxing exercises to benefit your mind and body.
Last medically reviewed on December 17, 2019