Falling temperatures require more cooling down periods

Parks & Recreation, Oct, 2004

Fall practices have finally begun and coaches are scrambling to get their athletes in tip-top shape for the season. While it may be tempting to jump right into hard core conditioning practices, it is important to remember that a warm-up period is essential in maintaining an athlete's health and performance. The warm-up period is used to prepare the body and heart for an upcoming event and helps to prevent injury. In addition, the warm-up period helps the athlete mentally prepare for the event. This period should last approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

A good warm-up usually consists of the

following four stages:

Stage 1: Gentle Loosening Exercises

Stage 2: Jogging

Stage 3: Stretching

Stage 4: Event Specific Exercises

In following each of these four stages, the heart rate will rise, increasing blood flow to the muscles, which will cause muscle temperature to escalate and reduce the chances that the athlete will become injured during practice or a sporting event.

Cool-Down Period

Cool-down after exercise helps the body return to a resting state. However, athletes and coaches often ignore this important activity. Cool-down involves gently stretching major muscles and muscles that feel tight. This can be accomplished by using some of the same stretches used in the athlete's warm-up. Stretching will help flush out waste products that have accumulated in the muscles during exercise. This period should last 5 to 10 minutes and each stretch should be held for 10 to 20 seconds with no bouncing.

Some important areas to target in the cool-down are the neck, shoulder, lower back, hip and groin, hamstring, quadriceps and calf areas. Athletes who perform cool-down exercises report fewer sore muscles after exercise.