As foranyworkfrstweprepare
ourselves for that work. Same
applies to exercise. There are
many changes taking place
in your body during exercise.
So before starting any exercise you should
prepare your body to take the challenges
during the exercise session and also after
the exercise you need to pull back your
body to normal parameters.
So Warming up before exercise and
Cooling down after is mandatory to avoid
any injury which will keep you away from
the exercise.
SCHEDULE OF EXERCISE
For proper results and to avoid injuries, exercise should be scheduled as follows-
Warm up Exercise proper Cool down
WARM UP
It is a preparation of the body for
exercise proper. It helps to open up the
blood vessels in the muscle and increase
the blood circulation to the muscles
by increasing the heart rate. Increased
blood circulation provides oxygen and
nutrients even before intense exercise.
It also increases muscle temperature,
muscle enzyme activity. Stretching
will increase the elasticity of muscle
and ligaments so that it can take
maximum tension. These factors ease
the contraction of the muscle. Proper
warm up also delays the onset of fatigue
during exercise.
Warm up should consist of fve to ten
minutes. Duration also depends upon
the hour of day and on season. In this
part of the world especially during
summer time you will need very short
time to warm up your body.
If you are going to do your workout early
in the morning then you need more time
to warm up your body. As after sleep all
the parameters are at a low level as the
body is completely relaxed. The muscle
tone is also low. The blood supply to the
body as well as muscles is also minimal.
So, proper warm up is needed.
In the afternoon the body temperature
is high, the blood supply is also
enhanced due to daily activities. The
muscle tone is normal. Only thing is
proper stretching is needed so that the
muscles and the ligaments improve their
elasticity to take up more load. So less
time is required if the workout is in the
afternoon or early evening.
Start warming up by doing body
stretches. Stretching will increase the
elasticity of muscle and ligaments. So
that during exercise you can use the
full length of your muscle and ligament.
Ligaments are fbrous cords which may
get torn in heavy exercises, so when
they are stretched to their maximum
length they can take up maximum load.
Muscles can contract to their maximum
force if they are stretched to their
maximum length, so you can get more
strength. Stretching also opens up the
blood vessels in the muscle, so more
blood can fow and more oxygen and
nutrition can reach the muscle and that
will enhance your performance.
Sep/Oct 2011 45