Warm-Up, Stretch,
& Cool-Down
“Early to bed and early to rise, makes
a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
~Benjamin Franklin
Why Warm-Up?
• Prepares your body physically
and psychologically
• Increases blood flow to your
muscles and increases your body
temperature.
– Achieve optimal performance
– Reduce the risk of injury
How do you Warm-Up?
• The warm-up should last about five
minutes.
• Slow walking is a good warm-up for a
moderate-paced walk.
• Brisk walking is a good
warm-up for more vigorous
activity.
Warm-Up Conditions
• Make sure your warm-up does the
following:
–
–
–
–
Increases heart rate
Increases breathing rate
Elevates body temperature
Utilizes muscles you will use in the
upcoming activity
– Takes your joints through a full rage of
motion needed for the upcoming activity
Stretching
• Light stretching should be done after the
warm-up
• Deep stretching after the entire workout
• Remember to breathe when you stretch!
• Benefits of stretching, include:
– Improving and maintaining
joint range of motion
– Helps reduce risk of injury
– Helps reduce soreness
– Promotes better posture
– Improves circulation
– Relieves stress
Warm-Up Stretching
• After the warm-up, stretch the muscles that
you will be using during your workout.
• Each stretch should last 10-30 seconds.
• Going on a Walk?
Concentrate on stretching your…
– Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals, adductors, hip
flexors, calves, and lower back.
Workout
• Remember that your workout
should be at a moderate intensity:
– The ‘Talk Test’
– Your Target Heart Rate Range
(between 60% and 85% of your
maximal heart rate)
Cool-Down
• Never skip this step of your workout!
• If you abruptly stop an intense activity, you
risk:
– Increasing your chance of experiencing heart
arrhythmias
– Hindering the removal of cellular
waste from your muscles,
increasing the likelihood of muscle
soreness
– Blood pooling
– Becoming light-headed
How do you Cool-Down?
• Slow the intensity of the activity you are
doing
• Gradually slow your pace down to a walk
• End the cool-down by doing some deep
stretching.
– Focus on the muscles that you were using
during your workout, this will help reduce the
incidence of stiffness or soreness later.
Cool-Down Stretching
• After the entire workout, stretch the whole
body.
• Make sure to focus on the muscles that
were used during the workout.
• Each stretch should last 20-30 seconds and
be repeated.
Cool-Down Benefits
• Slowly ending your workout gives your
body a chance to:
– Relax
– Decrease your heart rate
– Decrease your breathing rate
• Reduces potential for muscle soreness
• Reduces chance of dizziness or fainting
Power Panther Professionals
School-Wide
• Announce to students that teachers will be
focusing on increasing their levels of physical
activity. Encourage students to “catch”
teachers doing something physically active.
• Take students on at least a 10-minute walk.
– Encourage incorporating a warm-up,
stretching, and a cool-down during the
walk.
• Incorporate physical activity into a lesson plan.
• Ask students about their favorite activities
including warm-up, stretches, and cool-downs.
• Sponsor a school-wide fitness activity like a
fitness night or an intramural league.