Authors: Herwig Natmessnig, Günther Matzinger, Sascha Wingenfeld, and Emily Stewart
It’s no secret that doing warm-up exercises The cooling process extends be important if it is a race or Just Usual weekly operation.(1) But many runners don’t know How to create a file Warm-up exercise and wondering, “What is a cool-down? ”
We have clarified Heating and cooling benefits, tips and Submitted Examples of warm-up exercises.
table of contents
Warm-up benefits
Warm-ups are essential to your efficiency, recovery, and progress. The The positive effects of warming up improve your racing performance. Here’s why the warm-up works:
1. Raise your body temperature
Moving Warm up before workouts Raise your body temperature by warming up your muscles. It also boosts your metabolism and speeds up your muscles’ energy supply.
2. Improve muscle performance
As your muscle temperature increases, your muscle viscosity (or resistance) decreases. This results in faster muscle contraction and relaxation, which enhances your performance.(2)
3. Boost heart function
Your heart also benefits from a warm-up. Exercise increases cardiac output and respiratory minute volume (RMV), thereby expanding VO2 max.
4. Improving the load distribution in the joints
Contrary to previous belief, new research shows that even short-term exercises like warming up can help build joint cartilage. A thick layer of cartilage increases the bearing surface and distributes loads more evenly.
5. Help prevent injuries
Properly warming up has been shown to reduce the risk of injury. It increases the flexibility of tissues and muscles and prepares your body to perform fast and explosive movements. Additionally, the muscle is less likely to stretch or tear.
6. Increase coordination and oversight
As an added benefit, warming up improves your mental focus and speeds up your reaction time.
How to Warm Up Before a Workout: Tips for Runners
Warm-up running tips:
- Focus on those muscles that will do the most work.
- The warm-up effect is short-lived, so keep warming up until the start of the race/run. Research has shown that your body temperature remains elevated for only 10 minutes after you warm up. After 45 minutes, all traces of warming up disappear.
- It may seem counterintuitive, but if you are preparing for a race, the shorter the race, the longer the warm-up should be.
- Never start with fast sprints or explosive moves. You should gradually increase the intensity of the warm-up.
- The warm-up should never exceed the anaerobic threshold (for example, it should not be more than 65% of your maximum effort).
In addition, there are many factors to consider when deciding how long and how hard to warm up before running: race/run distance, time of day, weather, age, and fitness.
Warm-up exercises
Most Race day The last warm-up exercises Somewhere between ten minutes and 45 minutes. The proper warm-up is divided into Pieces:
- The general part consists of running (ten for 15 minutes) and dynamic stretching exercises.
- The specific segment focuses on running exercises such as jumping, butt and ankle kicks.
- Acceleration is also useful before short or medium–Distance races to get you ready to change gears. The idea is to start slowly and steadily and increase your pace until you reach a sub-maximum sprint (90% of the max sprint).
Timing issues:
It is important that you plan your running warm-up to finish shortly before the start of the race.
Dynamic stretching exercises for runners
Watch these videos and read the descriptions of dynamic extensions to do before running.
rush forward
Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your head up and your heart occupied. Take a long step forward with your left foot and lower your front thigh until it is parallel to the ground. Your front knee should be directly above your left foot and your back knee should be touching the ground (almost). Push the front foot back to the starting position and switch sides.
side lunge
Start in the same forward lunge position. Step to the side with your right foot. Push in with your hips and bend your right knee. Lower down until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Your feet should be facing forward all the time. Push the right heel back to the starting position and switch sides.
Acceleration and muscle activation
The final part of the warm-up is to activate your muscles. Acceleration is perfect for this, but try to keep it short. If done for too long, these high-speed bursts can drain your strength and leave you feeling tired before. The a race until it starts.
How to do acceleration: beginning with Jog slowly and gradually increase the speed until you reach a sprint below your max (90% of your max sprint). 60 . distance meters It should be sufficient. Do three or four Acceleration with at least one minute of active recovery (jogging) between accelerations.
Running technique exercises
Including some running technique in your warm-up can help you activate major muscle groups. For ideas, watch this video by marathon runner and Olympian Philipp Flieger. Use these exercises to improve your technique, speed, and cadence.
make it yours
No matter the distance, every pre-run warm-up should include running, dynamic stretching, and running technique training. While primarily used for shorter races, acceleration is one type of warm-up exercise that can help half-marathon and marathon runners before a race. However, there are different opinions on this matter, so each runner must decide on his own.
Example of warming up for different distances
Every warm-up should be specific to the upcoming race. However, they will all have a general running section and then specific race workouts. Here is an overview:
General part (running and dynamic stretches)
- 5 km race: 15 – 20 Minutes
- 10 km race: 10 – 15 Minutes
- Half marathon: 10 Minutes
- Marathon: 5-10 Minutes
Specific part (running and acceleration technique exercises)
- 5K Run: 10 minutes of 3-4 times for a total of 60 metres
- 10km run: 5 to 10 minutes 2-3 times for a total of 60 metres
- Half marathon: 5 minutes of 1-2 repetitions for a total of 60 metres
- Marathon: 5 minutes of one repetition for a total of 60 metres
What is a warm up for endurance running?
first turn ten 15 minutes of endurance training in the warm-up. Start very quietly, then slowly increase your pace, Allow Your body gets used to and prepares for exercise. After this short warm-up phase, the most important muscle groups should be activated again.
Repeat your usual stretches five to six times to activate those muscles and hold for three to four seconds. By tightening and releasing them, you can increase blood flow to the muscles to enhance their performance.
You know you’re awake when…
If you’re sweating, you can do it Nice Make sure you are warmed up properly. However, always make sure to measure the air temperature and humidityAnd the The intensity of the warm-up is taken into account.
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to warming up. sQ, If the warm-up exercises above make you feel cold, try instead:
How do you cool off after running?
Calming benefits
You made your way through your training, your heart still beating like crazy, as you bend over to catch your breath. you should be Proud of you efforts! But Your exercise is not over yet. Proper sedation can speed up your recovery and increase the effectiveness of your training.
To produce an effective training incentive, you Should Get out of your comfort zone and put pressure on your body. The more intense the exercise, the longer it will take your body to recover. During the recovery process, your muscles are rebuilding and strengthening for future workouts. To achieve the greatest possible effect, your recovery should be just as important as the training itself. Cool-down exercises The first step in the healing process. The harder the workout or race, the more important the cooldown is.
Cooling = warming up
The terms “Cool-down” and “Warm-down” refer to the post-workout process of helping the body return to normal balance after stress.
Just as a warm-up prepares your body for exercise, cooling down helps your body return to a resting state. Calming relaxes your muscles and lowers your heart rate and breathing. It helps your body get rid of lactic acid and other waste products faster and repair micro-injuries. a warm up It also supplies your muscles with oxygenated blood, which speeds up the healing process and helps you avoid muscle pain. these The positive effects of cooling help you recover faster from your training.
Warm-up: Go for a run or walk
calm down Shouldn’t stress on your body, so keep a nice and easy pace. After difficult periods, your heart rate may rise again after a few metres of running. If this happens, you can walk for many of minutes and then try jog again Until your heart rate returns to its pre-workout rate. The main thing is that the pace of cool-down should be slower than the basic training pace.
Why cooling is important:
The cooling off phase begins to recover – your body realizes that the training is over. He can then begin to process the training stimuli.
How long should a cool-down exercise be?
The length of the cool-down exercise It mainly depends on your fitness level and the exercise you just completed: the better your body is, the longer the cooldown.
To cool off after training, turn on the latter five to ten Minutes at a low intensity, then tighten all the major muscle groups. As opposed to warming up, try to hold the stretches for at least 30 seconds. Your muscles will know it’s time to reduce tension and rejuvenate.
Why calm down after running?
Runners who cool down regularly recover faster, are ready for their next workout sooner, and have lower risks of injury and overtraining.
Yoga for warm-up and cool-down exercises
Yoga is one of the best ways to explore warm-up and cool-down exercises. The yoga series on the adidas training app can help you explore the best warm-up exercises. You’ll find other calming exercises with pictures on the app as well. Bring it here:
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