Training Tip of the Month
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Warm Up and Cool Down
With physical activity being rushed, warm-up and cool-down sessions may be neglected. It is very important, however, to incorporate these parts into the exercise routine. Doing so will benefit performance and significantly reduce the risk of injury.
Warm-Up
Every exercise session should begin with a 10-15 minute warm up to provide the body with an adjustment time from rest to activity. Doing so will prepare the heart, muscles, and mind for activity. By gradually increasing the intensity blood flow is increased to the working muscles, the heart rate is slowly elevated, and muscle temperature is increased allowing for more flexibility.
Starting with a slow jog is a good initial exercise to warming up. It increases muscle temperature before stretching and relieves previous tightness. Stretching creates more flexibility and will allow the muscle to produce better energy. Finally, a more activity specific movements such as high skips, carioca, and backward running will emphasize more specific muscle groups. Some coaches or athletes may try an overemphasizing drill in a warm-up to mentally prepare for an event as well as prepare the specific muscle that will be used.
Cool-Down
Just as relevant as the warm-up, the cool-down assists in bringing the body back down to a resting state. At the end of every training session, 5-10 minutes should be devoted to cooling down the body. This will slowly decrease the heart rate, help prevent the pooling of blood, and eliminate metabolic waste that will cause muscle soreness. Abruptly stopping activity can also create a decrease in blood pressure leading to dizziness or fainting.
A slow jog will help bring the heart level and muscle temperature back to resting levels gradually. Learning to take a pulse will help in monitoring a decrease in heart rate. A suggested cool down heart rate is around 125-130 beats per minute after exercise. Check pulse after exercise is completed and again 1-2 minutes later. Stretching is also important to lengthen muscles after activity promotes their shortening. It also helps to increase flexibility and remove waste from muscles preventing stiffness and soreness.
Adding a consistent warm-up and cool-down period to a training session will allow for a more productive workout in the long run. By keeping muscles healthy and feeling good it will allow for a continuance of exercise without being plagued by injury and soreness. Adding an extra 15-20 minutes to training will greatly benefit physical performance.
To get more information on this topic, please call the Watertown Memorial Hospital Sports Medicine Department at (920)262-4220.
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6th Annual
sports medicine symposium
and golf outing
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
Mark your calendars for our 6th Annual Sports Medicine Symposium and Golf Outing. Once again, the event will be held at Windwood Country Club in Watertown. This FREE symposium will include information to help coaches succeed at all levels of competition. Once the symposium is over, join us for a FREE lunch, and a FREE 9 holes of golf.
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Speed and Agility Camp
Starting June 12th through July 28th
6 weeks excluding the week of July 3rd through July 7th
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Cost: $110
WAHS Sports Medicine believes that speed, agility, and conditioning are essential to athletic success. In order to help you achieve your full potential, our highly trained performance enhancement staff at WAHS Sports Medicine has developed a 6 week speed and agility camp.
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Functional Strength and Power Camp
Starting June 13th and ending July 27th
Excludes week of July 3rd through July 7th
Tuesdays and Thursdays
9:00 AM– 10:30 AM
Cost: $85
WAHS Sports Medicine has developed challenging, functional, and effective alternative to weightlifting. Unlike traditional weightlifting, the camp integrates traditionally proven exercises as well as advanced exercises to work all muscle groups in unison, thereby increasing overall strength, power and coordination, while decreasing the risk of injury.
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Related Links
Careers:
www.nata.org National Athletic Trainers Association
www.apta.org American Physical Therapist Association
Health and Injury Information:
www.acsm.org American College of Sports Medicine
www.ncaa.org National Collegiate Athletic Association
www.wiaawi.org/health/nutrition Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic
Association
www.gssiweb.com Gatoraide Sports Science Institiute
www.iasm.com Institute for Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine
www.physsportsmed.com The Physician & Sports Medicine
www.ORTHOsupersite.com The Orthopaedics Supersite
www.sportsdentistry.com Academy for Sports Dentistry
www.aapsm.org American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine
www.biausa.org Brain Injury Association of America
www.subtlebraininjury.com Subtle Brain Injury Website
www.sportsmedresources.com Sports Medicine Resources Website
www.asmi.org American Sports Medicine Institute
www.ortho-u.net Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics
www.lightningsafety.com National Lightning Safety Institute
www.webmd.com WebMD
www.nocsae.org National Operating Committee on Standards for
Athletic Equipment
Strength and Conditioning:
www.athleticsearch.com Athletic Search on Web
www.nsca-lift.org National Strength and Conditioning Association
www.nasm.org National Academy of Sports Medicine
www.coaching.usolympicteam.com Olympic E-Coach Magazine
www.ncsf.org National Council of Strength & Fitness
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