A quarter of us skip warm-ups and cooldowns, a key cause of injury and pain. Here's how fitness experts prepare and relax
According to new research, four in 10 people report injuries after starting a new sport and a quarter admit to skipping a warm up or cool down before and after exercise.
The older you are, the longer you need to warm up
Warming up prepares the body and mind for the workout to come. An ideal warm-up lasts eight to 10 minutes, and you should always start with movements that elevate your heart rate. Skipping warm-ups is common, especially in home workouts, running and swimming. Often people feel pressed for time and think skipping it will allow them to maximise their workout. But remember it’s just as crucial as the workout itself. Increase blood flow to the muscles you’ll be using. For a run, dynamic stretches like leg swings, knee raises and bottom kicks are ideal. Doing this for around 10 minutes as a warm-up helps improve range of motion and reduce the risk of injury. The more intense and longer the workout, the more thorough your warm up should be. Additionally the older you are, the more time you might need to properly prepare your body. For resistance training, always warm up the muscle group you’re about to hit, even in gyms when skipping workouts is commonplace. Be the trend setter and set an example for others. Many people skip a warm-up because they feel self conscious but you might encourage others to do the same.
Invest in massage, ice baths and saunas
Research shows cold water immersion can reduce muscle soreness after exercising by 20 per cent compared with passive recovery. Ice baths are thought to limit the inflammatory response in the muscles after exercise. Many experts recommend them over a hot bath for speeding recovery. Intergrating a regular massage and mobility work into your weekly regimen to help with injury prevention. Using a foam roller on a daily basis helps keeps those smaller persistent knots at bay, optimising muscle activation and recovery between peak efforts. Some experts recommend regular saunas too. Saunas promote cellular repair as well as the heat loosening and relaxing the muscles. It increases blood flow and some studies suggest it may help reduce inflammation and improve heart health. Hydrating well before, during and after the session and maintaining 10 to 20-minute sessions.
Don’t show off
A common problem is people injuring themselves because they pushed too hard with resistance. Being able to perform 12 reps with good technique before adding a small amount of weight. Gently increase the resistance – slow and steady wins the race. If in doubt keep it safe with a low and doable resistance. A recent study analysing half a million injuries identified ego-lifting as a key factor – where people attempt to impress others by exercising or lifting weights beyond their current capacity.
You’re more prone to injury when dehydrated
Keeping well hydrated plays a key role in injury prevention. Dehydration can lead to muscle cramps and fatigue, increasing the risk of injury. For high intensity training or long runs consider adding electrolytes to help muscles retain water, reduce fatigue, and flush out lactic acid. For light activity like a gentle jog, getting two litres of water throughout the day. For high-intensity workouts that last up to an hour, drinking 500ml of water with electrolytes 30 minutes before exercising, 500ml after, and sipping small amounts during. Dehydration can seriously obstruct your muscles’ ability to properly flush out metabolic products and recompose stronger than before. Repairing micro tears in those fibres is essentially a hyper-localised reconstruction process. Your cells need robust hydration reserves to get building. For workouts like CrossFit and spinning, when heart rate is around 90 per cent, top up energy levels with a sugary snack or drink.
Yoga or Pilates are essential
To improve flexibility and adapt warm-ups from a person’s individual fitness routine, controlled mobility is best. Pilates and yoga are highly effective in injury prevention, and are used by professional footballers. They develop core strength, improve balance and promote controlled mobility. If you practice Pilates or yoga once a week, you’ll feel a benefit. Twice a week, you’ll notice a big difference and three times a week you’ll have a completely different body.
For a more personalised approach try mobility apps.
Slow down
Technique can get sloppy if exercises are performed too fast. Once you get good technique you can speed it up if you want to but many exercises are best performed slowly for great effect.
When performing an exercise ensure that you know which muscle you should be using and activating to execute the movement properly. For example, in a deadlift focus on the glutes squeezing. The mind to muscle connection helps to activate the muscle so it knows to work and other supplementary muscles don’t kick in. When it comes to running, you have to take it slow at first, and it’s a common mistake for people to think they can run 20 to 30 minutes off the bat like they did at school. People should build up slowly with lots of walking first and then progress to jog-walk-jog for 15 minutes. Only do this every third day to begin with.
Stretching should not be an afterthought
You should hold static stretches – for example calf or bicep stretches – for at least 60 seconds, to improve flexibility and range of motion, which reduces the likelihood of injury in future workouts. Don’t delay – stretching straight after a workout helps the body recover more quickly, reducing soreness and improving overall performance. And stop neglecting them. Stop treating the humble stretch like an aftersight. It’s the prime opportunity to go into luxurious deep-tissue cool down, resetting those muscle fibres while your body temperature is still elevated. I’m talking a gloriously 15-20 minute guided routine synced to some chilled instrumental sounds.
Approach it like an indulgent self-massage and you’re way more likely to stick to the habit. As well as stretching straight after a workout, redoing the same stretches the next morning will help with strain and tightening.
Don’t ignore pain
Your body needs time to recover and rebuild strength. Pushing through discomfort to meet goals is tempting but ignoring pain or fatigue can lead to overtraining, burnout or injury. Take rest days seriously. If you’re feeling unwell or overly fatigued taking a break is always better.
Resting is beneficial for energy repletion and preventing strains and sprains. Exercising causes your muscles to contract and strength which causes tiny tears in your muscle fibre. Taking the proper time to rest allows your muscles to repair themselves and in the long run makes you stronger.
What to eat post workout
Prioritise protein after exercising. Ideally, you’ll want to get a nutrient-dense smoothie loaded with antioxidants into your system within that golden 30 to 45-minute window while insulin sensitivity is still peaked. Blending Greek yoghurt, berries, greens, nut butters and a scoop of plant-based protein powder. Post workout, it’s best to get in carbs to replenish lost energy and protein for muscle growth and rejuvenation. A sugary treat can help if a workout is longer than 60 minutes.
Adapted from: inews
Comments