Now that your resolution to stick to a structured exercise regimen is in full swing (or at least I would hope), it’s crucial to implement a warm-up prior to initiating your workout sessions, as well as finishing up with a quick cool down.

Although a specific warm-up mimicking the movement of the subsequent “heavier” sets, such as a bench press, is usually well-practiced, it’s common to forget hitting the treadmill or elliptical for a short general warm-up. It might seem that a low-intensity walk presents minuscule importance, but spending only five- to 10-minutes to do so provides quite an impact physiologically and biomechanically.

“Physiologically, light repetitive exercise will increase blood flow to working muscles,” said Dr. Tamara Hew, assistant professor of Exercise Science at Oakland University. “When you start your workout, blood flow and substrates (molecules within the body required for energy) needed to fuel exercising muscle will be maximally primed and ready for action.

“Biomechanically, light repetitive exercise performed before your workout will increase the pliability (flexibility) of all soft-tissue structures,” Dr. Hew said. “Gentle warm-up activity will allow your muscles, tendons, ligaments and joint cartilage to become ‘loose’ and enhance the efficiency of neuromuscular coordination.”

Not only is a warm-up significant to maximize the benefits of your workout, but a cool down to close out your hard-working bout of resistance or cardio training is just as vital.

“A cool down after resistance and cardiovascular activity will allow for blood to continue to flow throughout the working muscles and continue to remove the metabolic byproducts (lactic acid) of muscle activity,” Dr. Hew said. “This will allow the muscles to recover quicker, as well as allow more nutrients to get to the working muscles after a workout.”

After realizing just how important a quick, simple general warm-up and cool down can be for your entire body, despite how anxious you may be to hit the weights or exhausted you are conquering that last rep or tenth of a mile, some side effects may be experienced if neglected too often.

“The biggest risk of an inadequate warm-up is musculoskeletal injury, particularly when exercise is performed in the cold weather,” Dr. Hew said. “The biggest risk associated with not performing a cool down would be postural hypotension (blood pooling in the lower legs and not returning to the heart and brain). Postural hypotension may lead to exercise-associated collapse immediately following the cessation of activity, particularly those that require heavy, repetitive leg activity.”

You work so hard to get through your painstaking workout in order to see positive results. Why risk enduring the exact opposite by not including merely five to 10 minutes of what would be the simplest aspect of your entire training bout?