Include Warm Up and Cool Down periods in your exercise routine

Warm Up

Warming Up by walking on a treadmill. 

It is a technique of preparing the body for an exercise bout. During exercises our muscles contract. For this contraction of muscles to occur at optimum level, the muscles should be prepared (warmed up) for the upcoming stress, pressure, weight that we put on them during exercise.

If a person starts an exercise bout without warming up the body, that person may well be at risk of being injured. That is because cold muscles are susceptible to injuries. Injury in the form of cramps, sprains, strains etc. are common when an exerciser skips a warm up. Warm up increases the temperature of the muscles and connectives tissues thereby reducing the risk of soft tissue injury.

When an exerciser incorporates warm up periods in his or her workouts, they can finish the exercise with ease.

Walking or slow cycling for 5 to 10 minutes before any kind of exercise (e.g. aerobics, weight lifting) is the best way to prepare (warm up). This will allow the cardiovascular system to adjust to the blow flow. In addition, lifting light weights before engaging in heavy lifts is the best method to prepare your muscles for weight training.

                                             Cool Down

Cooling down with a Quadricep Stretch.

During exercises there is an increased amount of blood returning to the heart. If an exerciser stops all of a sudden without gradually lowering the pace of the activity it may result in pooling of blood. Cool down periods are as important as the warm up periods.

5 to 10 minutes of walking or slow cycling followed by stretching is a good approach to end an exercise session.

Warm up and cool down not only reduces the risk of injury but it also aids going through the whole exercise session without fatiguing.

In short the best action for both, Warm up and Cool down is to simply work at a much lower pace in the beginning and at the end of an exercise session.