While working out, you need to take care that your muscles do not wear out due to an exercise move that is too harsh on them. In our bootcamp sessions, we start off with stretching various muscle groups by doing triceps stretches, hamstring stretches, oblique stretches and so on. Once these exercises warm up the cold muscles and make it active, we proceed to exercises of higher intensities. We also try out various warm up exercises like gliders, jumping jacks, jump ropes etc. Despite the fact that our classes are 45 minutes to one hour long, we always spend the required amount of time to stretch and warm up so that your muscles are not prone to any injuries or stress.
Is there any difference between stretching and warm up exercises?
Certainly! Stretching is of two kinds: static and dynamic. In static, you hold a particular stretch for a short period of time such as 30-60 seconds, whereas in dynamic stretching, you stretch your muscles through a range of motion such as rolling your shoulders backwards and forward. Warm-up, on the other hand, is a series of light intensity exercises such as a light jog that will mildly increase your heart rate and prepare your body for the upcoming, harder exercises. It also increases your blood flow and warms up your body temperature. You really don’t have to know a lot about exercising to warm up, you could jog, or brisk walk. You could even climb stairs a couple of times or jump on the spot. It is all about getting your heart rate at a higher level than normal.
Why is the important to stretch and warm-up?
At Bootcamp Chennai, we religiously stretch and warm up in every session. Every time you exercise, there is a possibility of injuring yourself, and you could tear your ligaments or pull a muscle. The primary reason why we emphasize on the necessity of stretching and warm up exercises is that it prepares your body to deal with the stress the exercises may cause. It helps you ease into your workout.
What is cool-down?
We also perform cool-down exercises post our exercises as well. This will gradually help your body transition to a calmer state. It brings your heart rate back to normal. Doing these cool down exercises help you reduce the risk of straining the heart muscles. It also gives you a good feeling once you are done with your entire workout session. Cool down exercises are slow movements like swaying your arms and rotating your neck. It can also comprise of stretches such as quad stretches, glutes stretches etc. After a strenuous workout, you can also test your flexibility, as your muscles are more elastic and flexible at that point.
We take immense care of your exercise techniques; hence we highly recommend good quality, patient stretching, warming up and cool down. Join us for more tips and information on exercising better!
