Dynamic Warm Ups and Cool Downs for Runners
Going for a jog on a regular basis is a great way to maintain your health in a number of different ways. Running can keep your cardio-vascular system healthy and also improve your body’s overall stamina. Running on a regular basis will also keep you feeling energetic throughout the day and will go a long way towards helping you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Part of what keeps runners fit and healthy has a lot to do with their warm up and cool down routines. Giving your body time to warm up before a run and cool down after you finish is extremely beneficial for your health and conditioning. A good warm up/cool down routine can go a long way towards keeping your body injury-free, and will help you get the most out of your work out. If you are unsure what type of warm up and cool down methods will work best, you may want to try a few of the techniques described below.
Warm Ups
Your warm up is important to your entire running routine because it is the best way to prepare your body for the intensity of your work out. A good warm up will do a few things for you and your body. First, you will speed up your heart rate as well as your breath rate which will increase the blood flow throughout your body, allowing oxygen to more easily reach your muscles and prevent you from cramping up during the run. A good warm up will also stimulate your muscles and help to remove tightness you may be experiencing to allow for a greater range of motion as your run intensifies. You’ll want to target the muscle groups involved in a running motion in your warm up. These are the muscle groups that will be repeatedly stressed and will be working hard to get your body moving and keep you going. There are many ways to get warmed up before a run, and some of the best methods are known as
Dynamic Warm-ups, which include:
• Walking Lunges
• High Kicks
• Knee Highs
• Arm Circles
• Hip Rotations/Leg Swings
• Butt kicks
It is important to incorporate some form of dynamic stretching into your warm up routine to avoid straining or over-working any of the muscle groups that will be used the most during your runs.
Cool Down
After you have finished your run, it is equally important to incorporate some static stretches into your cool down routine. Unlike the dynamic stretches from your warm up that keep your body moving while you loosen up your muscles, static stretches are done from a stationary position. Performing static stretches, along with a few other beneficial cool down techniques will keep your body from feeling stiff and sore later on, prevent more serious injuries, improve your flexibility and will flush out lactic acid remaining in your muscles. Try incorporating some of these techniques in your cool down routine:
• Static Stretching (hamstrings, quads, calves)
• Walking or Slow Jog
• Foam Rolling
• Deep Breathing
• Rehydrate (Water, Juice, Fruit)
As one of the best physiotherapy clinics in downtown Vancouver, we understand how important a quality work out is to people, whether they are training as an athlete, or are just focused on achieving their own fitness goals. That is why Van Sports & Physiotherapy is ready to deliver individualized assessments and treatments for each of our clients, and provide them with fitness tips and techniques like these that will fit their lifestyle. In addition, we have a highly skilled team of Vancouver’s top physiotherapy experts who will provide the very best physio care to quickly help you heal.
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