The warm down is often underestimated, but plays a key role: if the warm up is the task of getting ready to the performance, the warm down has to bring the athletes to rest after the load and to start the recovery processes as quickly as possible, thus providing an important contribution to the psychophysical regeneration of athletes.
List now briefly the Factors that influence it:
– PREVIOUS STRESS: the warm down must not be an additional load compared to the performance previously carried out, so it must be an undemanding activity.
– DURATION: Between 10 to 15 minutes.
– STATE OF TRAINING: depending on the training session and condition, it is useful to choose a short warm (bad sensation or short training session) or long (good sensation or long/hard training session), with an extremely low intensity.
– AGE: for older athletes, it must be light and of greater duration, almost relaxing, for young athletes, instead, different and specific methods can be used.
-MOOD: the duration is regulated by general conditions such as the athlete’s mood.
– TIME OF THE DAY: in the morning you need a shorter warm-down than in the evening, because the body is still little ‘run-in’, in fact, in the morning the body temperature is at a minimum and is at most in the evening
– SEASON OF THE YEAR: in the summer, for example, a gradual, longer and less intense warm down is required than in winter.
– CLIMATE FACTORS: with high external temperatures a less intense warm down is achieved, which among other things is accompanied by body cooling measures … and its PURPOSE:
– Quickly recover the psychophysical performance
– Promote relaxation and regeneration
– Increase the subjective state of individual well-being
– Improving health (long-term goals) The warm down, as we have seen, is of considerable importance because it is the first ‘starter’ that favors post-training / race recovery. To these, as elements favoring recovery, these additional measures must be added:
– Immediately after, a recovery shaker with high glycemic index carbohydrates (such as maltodextrin or dextrose) is needed (1gr of carbs per KG). About 5 minutes after whey protein (20-25 gr).
– Stretching, to be performed at least 10 minutes
– Use of compressive socks, or even better recovery boots which allow better blood circulation and avoid the stagnation of waste products and catabolites produced by intense physical activity, with a consequent better expulsion
– Decontracting and / or relaxing massage
-Do not forget about ‘mental recovery’, perhaps that sometimes weighs even more than anything I have said so far.
Matteo Cigala
Founder and Head Coach