Warm up / Cool down

Voici un topic dédié à l'échauffement (warm up) et au retour au calme de fin de séance (cool down).

Je propose de regrouper ici des articles, des vidéos ainsi que vos méthodes en rapport avec ce thème.




Pour commencer, je vous mets quelques extraits d'un document rédigé par Grant Kerr que vous pouvez lire ICI dans son intégralité.

Warming Up And Cooling Down

Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts recognize the importance of a proper warm-up. Benefits include injury prevention and improved performance. Yet, finding the correct method seems a little more complex. The two most frequently used methods include light aerobic work and/or stretching. Unfortunately, this method does not benefit athletes involved in dynamic sports such as boxing. "The major criticism against the typical warm-up is that it does not adequately prepare the athletes for the demands placed upon them in the ensuring session" (Adrian Faccioni).

A warm-up can be defined as a variety of activities, used to bridge the transition gap between rest and exercise. A typical warm-up usually involves a combination of light exercises and stretching, which gradually increase the level of activity until the specific intensity is reached. Warm-ups can be directly related to the session (use of sporting movements) or indirectly related (general movements). The primary purpose of a warm up is to increase body temperature and heart rate.
[...] Proper warm-ups are extremely important for sports requiring short duration, high intensity work bursts [...]. The improvements in the nervous system are especially helpful for athletes involved in sports that demand high levels of complete body movement.
There are several important factors to consider when designing a proper warm-up. Research by D. Franks brought to light the following points:
* Athletes engaged in short explosive sports benefit most from warm-ups. In trained athletes direct warm-ups are most beneficial.
* Progressive or endurance type sports do not benefit from intense direct warming up, as fatigue may actually decrease performance. Moderate indirect warm-ups however can aid performance.
* Intense indirect warm-ups interfere in performance through fatigue and are detrimental to skilled sports [...].

With these points in mind how do you go about designing a beneficial warm-up?

A sport specific warm-up can be done in 3 stages:
1. General warm-up: joint rotations and aerobic activity
2. Stretching: static stretches and dynamic stretches
3. Sport specific activity: mimicking sporting activity

[...] A proper cool down is also important. A cool-down is used to gradually return heart rate and blood pressure to normal after exercise. The rhythmic contractions of the large muscles help return blood to the heart (large amounts of blood pumped to extremities during exercise). Also, a proper cool-down minimizes muscle soreness. Muscular soreness results from cellular micro trauma, caused by either, torn or damaged tissue, or by metabolic accumulation.
A cool-down is especially important after high intensity exercise with an anaerobic content, such as boxing. Anaerobic exercise results in lactic acid build up in the bloodstream and muscles and a cool-down helps remove these products.
The cool-down consists of 2 parts:
I. Sport Specific Activity - Gradually reduces heart rate and blood flow, as well as removing metabolic by-products. "An active type of recovery is the best way of enhancing lactate removal after exercise" (Gupta 1996).
II.Static Stretching - Completes the reduction of heart rate and metabolic by-products. Also induces muscular relaxation via the firing of the golgi tendon organs [...].



NB : Autres topics sur le forum plus ou moins en rapport avec le sujet :
- http://www.muscupassion.com/entrainement-f3/les-differents-types-d-echauffement-possibles-t700.htm
- http://www.muscupassion.com/entrainement-f3/etirements-et-musculation-t2239.htm

Très bonne idée de topic!

Pour l'échauffement il y a un DVD que je trouve génial c'est Superstrength de Defranco. Il explique longuement l'importance de l'échauffement et des routines d'échauffement pour le haut et bas du corps (chaque fois 10-15 minutes).

Ce que je trouve important dans l'échauffement, c'est de ne pas le faire uniquement avec une barre à vide au mouvement que l'on va effectuer. Je pense qu'il est important de bien s'échauffer (10-15 minutes) selon la partie du corps qu'on va travailler, et ce avant de commencer l'échauffement avec barre à vide.

Par exemple pour le développé couché il est important d'échauffer les biceps, épaules, triceps, pecs, étirer et échauffer le dos,...

Dans la littérature francophone, Michael Gundill en parle dans la méthode Delavier.

Vidéo très intéressante montrant de nombreuses techniques d'échauffement pour le bas du corps (Warm-up for lower body workouts) :