How important are the warm-up and cool-down portions of a workout?
Warm-up and cool-down activities should be an essential part of all exercise programs. The purpose of warm-up activities is to prepare the body, especially the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, for the conditioning or stimulus phase of the exercise session. Our experience suggests that the ideal warm-up for any endurance activity is that activityonly at a lower intensity. Hence, participants who engage in brisk walking during the endurance phase of their workout should conclude the warm-up period with slow walking. The cool-down phase assures that venous return to the heart is maintained in the face of significant amounts of blood going to the previously working muscles. Light aerobic endurance activities, coupled with stretching activities, provide the fundamental basis for both the warm-up and cool-down phases. The length of the warm-up and cool-down periods depends on several factors, including the type of activity engaged in during the conditioning period, the intensity o
