Workout Basics: Warm-Ups & Cool-Downs
February 3, 2021
By Nick Parkinson, M.Ed., AT, ATC, TSAC-F
Henry Ford Health Systems
You may know a good warm-up — and cool-down — are essential to getting a good workout. You may also know that warming up your muscles and stretching them out after exercise can help prevent injury and keep you at the top of your game.
They’re the two bookends that help maximize a workout. Unfortunately, a lot of exercise enthusiasts don’t know how to warm up and cool down correctly.
Warm-Up Basics
A warm-up is exactly what it sounds like: The goal is to warm up your muscles and prepare your body for whatever you’re asking it to do. Warming up increases your body temperature and helps blood flow to the muscles that you’re using.
So if you’re going to play soccer, your warm-up should touch all of the muscles in your legs and core. Shooting hoops? You’ll need to add shoulders and arms to your routine. Circuit training at the gym? Choose a warm-up that flexes all of the muscles you’re about to use.
The thing that all warm-ups have in common is that they require dynamic (or constantly moving) motion, not static stretching (holding poses for a certain amount of time). In fact, static stretching prior to a workout can inhibit power and strength, especially if you’re doing something like weightlifting.
The anatomy of a solid warm-up:
• Before any activity, do about 10 minutes of light cardiovascular activity, whether walking, biking or jogging.
• Dynamic stretches. After you get your muscles moving, do a series of lunges, jumping jacks or toe touches to stretch a bit.
• Dive in. When you start your workout, begin slowly and gradually increase power and speed.
Cool-Down Basics
After you’ve put your body through a challenge, a good cool-down is essential. It helps slow down your heart rate gradually, relax your muscles and stretch them out.
Cool-down routines should always include some type of motion before you get to static stretching, especially if you’ve just finished a high-intensity workout. Static stretching improves flexibility and performance and it can also help stave off future injury.
As with warm-ups, the right cool-down exercises depend on the activity you engaged in. If you biked for 20 miles, you might coast on your cycle for a while before coming to a stop. If you ran, you might jog or walk before you begin stretching. As with your warm-up, the key is addressing every muscle group you worked during your workout.
The anatomy of a solid cool-down:
• At the end of your workout, slow the pace and intensity of whatever activity you’re doing. So, if you’re running, slow to a jog and then a walk for 5 to 10 minutes before stopping.
• Stretch out the muscles you work, but don’t push past the point where you feel tight. Then, hold the position for at least 30 seconds. That’s how long it takes for the body to overcome its stretch reflex.
• Breathe through your stretches and make sure to finish your cool-down with deep, belly breaths.
Running short on time? Target muscle groups you may have injured in the past or that tend to get sore after activity. Cooling down will preserve your athleticism — and your ability to participate in daily activities — over the long term.
Be Good to Your Body
While there’s some controversy about whether warming up and cooling down can help prevent injury, there’s little dispute that they can help you ease in and out of activity.
The key is to find something that works for you. Your warm-up could be as simple as walking to the gym and doing a set of jumping jacks when you arrive. Your cool-down might just involve ending your workout 10 minutes early so you can slow down.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to give your heart and blood vessels a chance to breathe before and after activity.
Nick Parkinson, M.Ed., AT, ATC, TSAC-F, is the Supervisor of Athletic Training with Henry Ford Sports Medicine and also leads Sports Performance training at the William Clay Ford Center for Athletic Medicine. Learn more about Nick.
Want to learn more? Henry Ford Health System sports medicine experts are treating the whole athlete, in a whole new way. From nutrition to neurology, and from injury prevention to treatment of sports-related conditions, they can give your athlete a unique game plan.
Visit henryford.com/sports or call (313) 972-4216.
Century of School Sports: 200+ Representatives Fill All-Time Council Roster
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 6, 2025
When Plymouth-Canton Community Schools superintendent Monica Merritt attended her first meeting as a member of the MHSAA’s Representative Council on March 21 in East Lansing, she became the 203rd voting member to serve on the association’s legislative body since the first Council convened Dec. 13, 1924.
We covered how the Council is comprised in our Dec. 3 installment – “MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council.” Briefly, the Council is the 19-member legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
During a typical school year, the Council meets three times, and convened for the third time for 2024-25 this past Sunday and Monday in Gaylord.
The first Representative Council included 11 members, from Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, Eaton Rapids, Escanaba, Flint, Grand Rapids, Ishpeming, Otsego, Petoskey and Saginaw. While it’s difficult to say how many high schools specifically have been represented over the years – for example, Detroit Public Schools as a district has one representative, and there are multiple statewide positions – it’s accurate to say at least 130 communities (made of one or more schools) have sent at least one delegate over the last century.
Total, 54 Council members have served at least a decade, and 11 of those 54 have served at least 20 years: Detroit’s George Mead (1930-62) and Roy Allen (1976-96), Gwinn’s Leo P. McDonald (1930-52), Saginaw’s Roy J. McMurray (1932-50, 1952-57), Escanaba’s Dan Flynn (1988-2010), Grand Haven's Scott Grimes (2001-24), Deerfield, Beal City, Hartford and Cheboygan’s Paul Ellinger (1985-2007); Gaylord, Benzonia and Bear Lake’s Karen Leinaar (2000-2021); Clare, Maple City and Sanford Meridian’s William Newkirk (1988-2007), Trenton and Gibraltar Carlson’s Eric Federico (1986-94, 1996-2009) and current director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit Vic Michaels, who has represented non-public schools on the Council since 2003.
A total of 17 Council members have served multiple terms but not entirely consecutively, with Petoskey’s Robert Doctor the only one with two breaks; he was on the Council from 1972-80, 1988-90 and 1994-95. As noted by his 32 years above, Mead was on the Council longest, representing Detroit Public Schools during his tenure as health and physical education director.
At least eight Council members have represented multiple schools, including current member Fred Smith, who has served a combined 15 years over two tenures while employed at Comstock, Buchanan, Benton Harbor and currently Bangor.
Michigan Department of Education representatives are not counted in the totals above as they are non-voting members – but they has provided an invaluable viewpoint during Council proceedings over the years. The current MDE representative on Council is Ross Fort, who serves as special assistant to the deputy superintendent.
The photo above was taken Monday morning. Front row, from left, are MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl, Michaels (who also serves as Council secretary/treasurer), Midland athletic director and Council president Eric Albright, and Brighton athletic director and Council vice president John Thompson.
Second row, from left, are Gobles athletic director Chris Miller, Freeland Middle School principal Jennifer Thunberg, Kingsford athletic director Chris Hartman and Camden-Frontier superintendent Chris Adams.
Third row, from left: Boyne City High School principal Adam Stefanski, Harbor Springs athletic director Anna Novak, Wyoming Godfrey-Lee Public Schools superintendent Arnetta Thompson, Mt. Morris athletic director Jeff Kline and Fenton High School principal Mike Bakker.
Back row, from left: Westland John Glenn athletic director Jason Malloy, Smith, Merritt, Fort, Detroit Public Schools executive director of athletics Jay Alexander and Calumet assistant principal Sean Jacques. (Portage Northern athletic director Chris Riker is not pictured.)
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
April 29: MHSAA Programs Prioritize Health & Safety - Read
April 23: Patches Signify Registered Officials' Role in MHSAA Story - Read
April 16: Student Advisory Council Gives Voice to Athletes - Read
April 9: State's Storytellers Share Spring Memories - Read
April 2: Sharp Leadership Synonymous with MHSAA Success - Read
March 25: Athletic Directors Indispensable to Mission of School Sports - Read
March 18: 2025 Finals Begin Next Half-Century of Girls Hoops Championships - Read
March 11: Boys Basketball's Best 1st to Earn MHSAA Finals Titles - Read
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation - Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History - Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read