CGH #049: The Why Of Warm Up And Cool Down

The podcast “Consumer’s Guide To Health” returned to the airwaves in January. This biweekly podcast and live stream airs on BlogTalkRadio every second Thursday at 11:00am central time. Join the discussion!

Episode 49 is entitled “The Why Of Warm Up And Cool Down”.

With the Olympics now in full swing, it only makes sense to have today's Consumer's Guide To Health podcast focus on a sport-related theme. There is no better place to start than the warm up and cool down.

If you ask any 10 athletes what they do in their warm up prior to their training session, they will probably give you 10 different answers. Ask the same 10 athletes about their cool down period post-training, and you will get at least as many answers.

There is a lot of tradition and myth and fallacy involved in the warm up and cool down, much like training in general. This episode of “Consumer’s Guide To Health” will clarify some of these issues.

All previous episodes of CGH are currently available on my BlogTalkRadio channel. You can subscribe via RSS and the podcasts are also available on iTunes. The next episode will be on Thursday,August 16.

Episode 49 Notes: The Why Of Warm Up And Cool Down

Welcome to the Smart Life Project's "Consumer's Guide To Health" for August 2, 2012.

Today's episode 49 is entitled "The Why Of Warm Up And Cool Down".

With the Olympics now in full swing, it would only be appropriate to have today's Consumer's Guide To Health podcast focus on a sport-related theme. Over the years, I have worked with a broad range of athletes - as both a physiotherapist and a coach. These athletes have covered the broad spectrum of experience and performance levels - from new runners to Olympic athletes, and all points in between.

One of the elements of training and preparation that seems to be hotly debated is that of the warm-up and cool-down. It has become a part of sport tradition, literally, to partake in a long warm-up and cool-down process. If you ask any 10 athletes what they do in their warm up prior to their training session, they will probably give you 10 different answers. That list could include an easy jog, calisthenics, stretching, and any number of drills and activities that are supposed to get the athlete ready for training. Then, if you examine the cool down period post-training, you will get at least as many answers.

This came to the forefront of my mind as I watched athletes prepare for a regional masters track and field championship. Athletes of all experience levels - many that have competed in the sport of track and field for decades - were doing a pretty wide variety of activities, even when preparing for the same event! If you contrast that with what we witness at the Olympics, you realize that there is a lot of tradition and myth and fallacy involved in the warm up and cool down, much like training in general. It doesn't matter what level of athlete you are - you have probably been impacted as much by belief and coaching anecdote as you have by the scientific evidence.

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Photo credits: joehardy