Matthew Fogle
NASM CPT FNS BCS
Warming up – particularly with some light cardio – is essential to a healthy workout like you experience in “1 Workout 4 Life.” And, while cooling down is not as essential, it certainly is beneficial. Let’s look at some reasons why…
Benefits of a light warm-up:
Increases cardio-respiratory capacity to exercise
Increases blood flow to muscle tissue
Increases rate of muscle contraction
Increases metabolic rate
Increases mental preparedness
Decreases risk of injury (such as muscle strains)
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A good 5-10 minutes of light cardio is sufficient to be considered a warm-up. Try different routines if you want to mix things up, but I suggest gravitating towards warm-ups that include full-body movements and engage the upper body as much as the lower body.
For instance, running on a treadmill or elliptical works the lower body almost exclusively, so maybe you could consider adding jump ropes or squat thrusts to engage more of your upper body too. My personal favorite warm-up routine can be performed on the Jacob’s Ladder™ machine that is making its way into more fitness centers. It’s designed to make you “climb” an incline ladder, and it engages your lower body, core, and upper body.
See what works for you based on the available resources at the fitness center in which you belong.
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When considering a cool down, keep in mind that this article is speaking of an actual “cool down” after your workout – not an additional cardio/fat-loss routine “cool down.”
(What’s that? It is a fat loss strategy. Since the body has already tapped into energy stores for the workout, some people will perform cardio in the “fat-burning” zone after lifting weights. However, this “fat-burning” is already programmed in the “1 Workout 4 Life” routines, so you don’t need to worry about this.)
In a proper, actual cool-down, the ultimate goal is to set the body back to its resting physiological state (heart rate / body temperature / mindset / etc.) in the most linear fashion. For me, it’s always somewhat disturbing when I see someone max out on a bench press, de-load the bench (if they do that), and then walk out of the gym to their vehicle – all in the same minute. On top of being odd, I feel it’s not a spiritual way to treat the body, even if there is limited time for the workout. It’s almost as if this person is saying “Well, that junk is done. Let’s get out of here.”
Be holy to your body and it will bless you back. Perhaps get on a cardio machine for 5 minutes, or even 2-3 minutes, and let your heart rate and body temperature return to normal. Add some stretching and foam rolling if you have time. [Check out the 1W4L Lifestyle article on Stretching and Foam Rolling.] These small but beneficial activities will perk up your mind and perhaps doubly increase the endorphin production and brain stimulus that your daily workout routine set into motion.
To your best health,
~ Matthew