Effects on vascular system of warm up and
cool down
Warm up
- Vasoconstriction of arterioles/pre-capillary sphincters – decrease
blood flow to organs.
- Vasodilation of arterioles/pre-capillary sphincters – increasing
blood flow to muscles.
- Increase in body/muscle temperature – decreases blood viscosity
(improving blood flow) – increasing disassociation of O2 from
haemoglobin in muscle tissue. (As muscle tissue warms up –
haemoglobin lets go of O2 more readily to diffuse into the muscle
tissue where it is needed).
- Increased enzyme action.
- Decrease in OBLA during anaerobic work. Less lactic acid is
built up after warm up.
Cool down
- Keeps muscle and respiratory pumps working, maintaining
elevated venous return and preventing blood pooling.
- Keeps SV, HR and Q, and therefore blood flow and pressure at
elevated levels.
- Maintains dilated capillaries to muscles allowing them to be
flushed with oxygenated blood, helping to remove lactic acid/CO2.
- Maintains elevated levels of metabolic activity/enzyme activity –
gradually decreasing HR and respiration.