Warm up and cool down

Warm-up

A warm-up is a crucial part of any physical activity. It helps to prepare the body for the challenges of the upcoming session and reduce the risk of injuries.
It improves the performance by enhancing coordination, increasing body temperature and heart rate, thus facilitating effective circulation of blood and oxygen to the muscles.
It carefully takes your body from a state of rest to a state of action, ensuring that the muscles and cardiovascular system are engaged and ready for the main part of the workout.

General warm-up: This involves light, aerobic activities such as jogging or cycling, which gradually increase body temperature and heart rate.
Sport-specific warm-up: This involves activities closely related to the sport or activity being performed, such as dribbling a basketball for a basketball game or light boxing movements for a boxing session.
Dynamic stretching: This is active movement that takes your joints and muscles through full ranges of motion. Examples include leg swings, lunges, or arm circles.

A thorough warm-up should typically last for 10 to 20 minutes, to ensure the body is adequately prepared for the stress of physical activity.
The intensity during warm-up should be kept relatively low to begin with - around 50% of maximal effort, gradually building up to mirror the intensity of the main activity.
The exercises included in the warm-up should reflect the movement patterns of the main sport or physical activity to promote functional movement.

A cool down is performed after physical activity to allow the body to gradually return to its normal state.
Cooling down helps to eliminate waste products (including lactic acid), reduce the chance of muscle soreness, and decrease the risk of dizziness or fainting caused by blood pooling in the large muscles of the legs when vigorous activity is stopped abruptly.
It aids in the recovery process, which can reduce the risk of injury and improve performance over time.

Light aerobic activity: This helps to clear lactic acid from the muscles and reduce heart rate gradually. It could include slow jogging or walking.
Static stretching: Here, you take a specific joint or muscle to the end of its range of movement, and hold it in that position for some time. It improves flexibility and helps muscles return to their resting length.

As with a warm-up, a good cool-down should last about 10 to 15 minutes.
The intensity should be low and gradually decrease throughout the cool down.
Static stretching during a cool down should be done carefully and within comfort zones, holding each stretch for about 20 to 30 seconds for optimal benefits.
Enough time should be allowed post-cool down for the heart rate to return to near its resting rate before completely stopping activity.