Why are warming up and cooling down so darn important?

Flickr Image — Jeremy Hall

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: Because of your busy life, you have a half-hour to squeeze a run in before work. You get out of bed, slip on your running outfit and shoes, then begin running at your training pace as soon as the door closes behind you. Exactly 29 minutes, 59 seconds later, you return home, beaming with pride (and sweat) that you were able to fit it in.

Then you sit at your table for breakfast, sit in you car, sit at your desk at work, and by lunchtime your legs feel so tight you’re hobbling around like Fred Sanford.

Here’s the truth: Squeezing a full workout into your day without a proper warm up and cool down can actually lead to injury.

There’s a lot of focus on “warming up” and “cooling down”—and it’s one of the steps included in the Fleet Feet training programs. So, what’s all the hubbub?

First of all, the idea behind a warm up is to slowly get things moving internally, before you push the pace. A proper slow warm up sends more oxygen to the muscles and increases blood flow and relaxation, for increased mobility.

Second of all, what does a proper warm up look like?

• Walking or Jogging: helps to slowly stretch cold muscles (which can be up to 30% shorter than warmed-up muscles) and fires up the aerobic systems
• Plyometrics and dynamic stretching: improves running form, range of motion and core strength, while stretching muscles and continuing to warm up the body

Think of all the above as systems checks designed to ensure your body feels OK and you’re able to dominate your run/speed workout.

A post-run cool down routine should also be part of your workout. Just as you slowly stretched your muscles before your run, your muscles absolutely require a proper cool down to gradually slow things down, help the body recover from the workout and, most importantly, to prevent injury.

Like your warm up, walking or jogging is the perfect way to cool down, since it allows the body to gradually return to its normal metabolic rates. It also keeps the blood flowing to clear out any toxins and waste, and to prevent muscles from getting too tight.

Static stretching is another key to cooling down. Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds to stimulate quick repair of damaged or stressed muscle fibers, and to keep muscles flexible after a hard run.

If your body is extra sore, consider taking additional cool down measures, like RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation).

We all like takeaways. So, here are two takeaways why you should include a warm up and cool down in every workout.

• Fitness gains: There’s a good chance you’ll become a faster runner with the same or less effort by incorporating a proper warm up and cool down into your workout.
• Injury prevention: Making sure your muscles are properly warmed up and cooled down means you’re taking care of them, not just putting them to work cold. This limits the chances of injury.

There’s no guarantee you’ll set a PR next time you toe the line at your target race. But if you’re not warming up and cooling down properly, there’s no guarantee you’ll even make it to the starting line. Take the time to care for your body, include warm ups and cool downs, and you might pleasantly surprised at the results.