WARM-UP AND COOL-DOWN

UNIT 1
Warming up: a set of exercises of a general nature first and then specific exercises whose
objective is to put each and every one of the systems and apparatuses of our body to work
and to prepare bones, muscles and joints for safe sports practice.
Objectives of the warm-up: the main purpose is to prepare the person for the physical
exercise to be performed later.
In addition, we can add some advantages of its realization:
o It allows the heart to start beating faster, thus sending more blood to the muscles.
o It allows the lungs to take in more oxygen, which is necessary for exercise.
o It increases the temperature of the muscles, thus facilitating their movements.
Therefore, it is important that warming up becomes a regular practice whenever we are
going to perform any type of physical activity. You should always warm up, whether
you are going to play with your teammates, go for a walk or have a sports competition,
as this will make you less likely to suffer an injury.

Types of warm-up: we find two warm-ups, they are performed in the following order,
first the general one and then the specific one:
o General: exercises aimed at putting into operation all systems and apparatuses of the
body are performed.
o Specific: after the general one, it is aimed at preparing the body for a specific activity
or sport.
Another classification that we can name to describe the types of warm-up would be the
one proposed by Blanco (1997), where a distinction is made:
o Training warm-up: it is a part of the session that is used to perform specific tasks
(increase flexibility levels, improve correct technique, etc.), apart from serving as
preparation for the subsequent tasks of the central part of the session.
o Competition warm-up: preparing physically and psychologically for the competition.
o Warm-up in the Physical Education sessions: it would correspond to the introductory
part of the session and preparatory of the main one where the objectives of the session
will be worked.
RULES FOR A GOOD WARM-UP:
Progression: we start at a slow pace and increase it little by little, always with global
activities that involve the whole body.
Intensity: You should start with gentle exercises and increase the intensity little by little
to finish with exercises that require a similar effort to the activity you are going to
practice. The pulse rate should be between 100 and 120 beats/minute (bpm). It should not
be so intense that it causes fatigue.

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Alternation: exercises should be varied, not involving a single zone; the number of
repetitions of each exercise should be between 5 and 10; the maximum time of each
exercise should not exceed 30 seconds. Excessive repetitions of the same exercise should
be avoided, otherwise we could exhaust the muscles involved in the exercise.
Duration: when a warm-up is too short, the body temperature hardly rises, while a warm-
up that is too long can cause harmful general fatigue. A well-trained athlete can withstand
a warm-up of 30/40 minutes. However, the same warm-up for a poorly trained athlete
could lead to detrimental pre-training fatigue. Nevertheless, a correct warm-up should not
last less than 15 to 20 minutes.
Pauses: total pauses should not be made between exercises, as this would lower the heart
rate and thus the blood supply to the muscles, thus lowering the temperature. If any pause
should be made, it should be active, i.e., walking or making gentle joint movements that
keep our body active.
At the end of the warm-up, we should not allow too much time to pass before starting
the exercise to prevent the body from cooling down. The physiological benefits of the
warm-up diminish after 5-10 minutes of rest.

PHASES OF THE GENERAL WARM-UP

Phase 1. Vegetative activation: start the warm-up with gentle walking, continuous
running, or some exercise or game to prepare the body and increase body temperature and
heart rate. Different types of movements can also be performed. Duration: 5 minutes.

Phase 2. Joint mobility: perform rotational exercises for the joints, mobilising all the axes
of the different joints. The exercises should be gentle and progressive and in a specific
order. Duration: 2-3 minutes.

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Phase 3. Muscle toning: the muscular system is specifically prepared with strength-
resistance exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, squats, jumps, throws, carries.

Cool down: the final part of the training session, which is carried out in order to return
the body to its initial state, by stretching or doing exercises to lower the heart rate, heart
rate and respiratory rate.
Positive effects of cool down:
o We alleviate the effects of possible stiffness.
o The muscle returns to a situation close to rest.
o It accelerates recovery for subsequent efforts.
o We help to eliminate waste substances produced during exercise.
PHASES OF THE RETURN TO CALM
Phase 1. Stretching: muscle relaxation by stretching large muscle groups gently, which
can be done individually or with the help of a partner.

As part of the work on calming down, we can also do breathing exercises that will help
us to lower the heart and breathing rate, the heart rate and return the body to its resting
state.
MAJOR BONES AND MUSCLES

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