Get Warm, Exercise and Chill Out, in That Order

No one who cares about a car would take it straight from park to fifth gear or slam on the brakes while speeding down the highway at 60 mph. Even the best machine couldn’t take that kind of treatment. Yet when exercisers are rushed, the first thing they’ll skip is the warmup or cool-down.

“People tend not to realize how important it is to slowly shift their gears into exercise and back out again,” says Lance Fujiwara, director of sports medicine at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. “Elite athletes, especially track athletes, may spend half an hour warming up and cooling down for every hour that they train.” But novice athletes often neglect this crucial aspect of a workout, he says, “until they get injured.”

Warming up reduces the risk of injury by preparing the body gradually for the stress of exercise. It slowly raises the heart rate, speeds blood circulation, increases the breathing rate and opens airways in the lungs. This may prevent heart arrhythmias that can occur with sudden intense exercise. In addition, as body heat increases, muscles are able to process oxygen faster. And gradually elevating the temperature of the muscles, tendons and lubricating fluids helps make the body more compliant and less susceptible to strain.

To illustrate the concept, physiologist Everett Harman points to window putty. “Cold putty will break, but once you warm it in your hands and soften it by kneading, it’s pliable and elastic,” says Harman, of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass. Likewise, a muscle warmed by elevated body temperature and increased blood flow is more flexible and less likely to get injured. Warm muscles also accumulate less lactic acid (a byproduct of intense activity), so the exerciser feels less fatigued.

But the physical benefits are just part of the reason warming up is so critical. “Taking five or 10 minutes to ease into exercise gives you a chance to think about the training session ahead,” says Steve Fleck, a Colorado sports physiologist. When you jump right into activity without this important mental transition, he says, “your head may still be back in the office, and you might wind up doing something foolish and getting hurt.

“The most common warmup mistake,” Fleck says, “is that people stretch and think it’s a warmup. But it’s not.” In fact, he says, stretching should be done only after muscles are warm. To warm up properly, experts advise:

* Do your activity at an easy pace for five to 10 minutes. Bikers can pedal slowly, runners can jog lightly, walkers can stroll. (Warm up indoors if you’re planning to go out into the cold, but get outside before you break a sweat.)

* Warm up specific muscles you plan to use in your activity (such as the shoulder for racquetball players or the knees for basketball players) by using those muscles gently at first, then gradually increasing the intensity.

* Once you’re warmed up, lightly stretch major muscle groups and any muscles that are stiff or previously injured. Save the longer stretch for the end of your workout.

And don’t forget to cool down after vigorous activity. Runners “like to kick out the last half-mile, then hit the showers,” notes Fleck. “But that’s a bad habit.” Strenuous exercise can cause the heart and lungs to pump with twice their normal effort, and if you stop moving suddenly, blood may pool in the dilated vessels of your legs. This puts a strain on the heart and can cause dizziness and increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythm.

Instead, cool down by gradually slowing your pace with five to 10 minutes of light activity similar to your warmup. If your activity has been very intense, try holding your hands behind your head while you walk to straighten your torso and encourage normal breathing. And if you’re too tired to walk, lie on the ground and work your legs in a pumping action. But realize that if you’re this fatigued, you’ve probably worked out too hard.

*

Fitness runs Monday in Health.