# Warm-ups and cool-downs

> Start slowly for at least 6 minutes so your heart rate rises gradually, and warm up every time you exercise. A cool-down is a comfortable way to finish rather than a must-do for recovery; about 5 minutes of gentle stretching or slow walking is enough.

- Type: Guide
- Topic: Getting Moving › Technique & Injury Prevention
- Reviewed by: Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod, Podiatrist (2026-10-21)
- URL: https://twikka.com/learn/warm-ups-and-cool-downs
- Updated: 2026-10-21

- **Start slowly:** the NHS advises a warm-up of at least 6 minutes, with your heart rate rising gradually [1].
- **Light movement beats stretching alone:** routine stretching on its own doesn't reduce overall injury rates [2].
- **A cool-down is optional:** it's a pleasant way to finish, and cool-down stretching doesn't appear to speed recovery [3].
- **Do it every time:** the warm-up programmes linked to fewer injuries were done consistently [4].

## How should a beginner cool down?

Keep it easy and gentle: slow down gradually at the end of your activity rather than stopping suddenly. There's no single best cool-down for everyone [7], so choose one you find pleasant and can do easily.

- **Gentle stretches:** the NHS suggests about 5 minutes after exercise to gradually relax, improve flexibility and slow your heart rate, and says to spend longer if you feel the need [5].
- **A set routine:** the NHS also offers a 10-minute cool-down routine that it describes as suitable for all fitness levels [6].
- **Easy movement:** low-to-moderate effort, low-impact movement in a form you like works as a cool-down [7]. A few minutes of slow walking is an easy option.
- **Calf stretch:** hold it for 15–20 seconds, leaning on the back of a chair or on a wall if you need support [5].

At the end of a walk, you can simply walk a little more slowly each minute for the last few minutes, then finish with the calf stretch. If a stretch hurts, ease off.

## How should a beginner warm up?

Start slowly and let your heart rate rise gradually, rather than going straight from rest to working as hard as you can [8]. The NHS says a warm-up should take at least 6 minutes, and longer if you feel the need [1].

For a walk, the warm-up can be the first part of the walk itself, at a very slow, easy pace. Guidance for people in cardiac rehabilitation suggests 10–15 minutes, starting slowly and gradually making your movements bigger and faster, to raise your heart rate and loosen your main joints [9]. Healthdirect describes a good warm-up as one that slowly raises your heart rate and prepares your muscles for activity [10].

Treat stretching as an optional extra, not the whole warm-up. The general principle for starting out is "start low and go slow": begin with activities that are achievable and build up gradually [8]. Fit your routine to your usual activity, your health and how you respond to exercise [11].

> **Try this:** On your next walk, make the first 6 minutes slow and easy, then pick up the pace.

## What does a cool-down do for recovery?

Cool-downs don't appear to speed muscle recovery much, so think of one as a comfortable way to finish rather than something you must do. Stretching after exercise doesn't seem to reduce muscle soreness over the next three days compared with simply resting [3], and an easy active cool-down doesn't clearly reduce it either [7]. A warm-up before unfamiliar, harder exercise may ease soreness slightly more than a cool-down does [12].

What a cool-down does offer is comfort: the NHS describes cool-down stretches as a way to gradually relax, improve flexibility and slow your heart rate [5].

Some muscle soreness is normal. Soreness that comes on a day or so after new or harder exercise, and fades over a few days (rarely more than five), is nothing to worry about. Exercise doesn't have to hurt to work, so you don't need soreness to make progress.

If you sometimes skip the cool-down, that's fine. What matters most is that you keep being active.

## How does warming up prevent injury?

Health organisations advise warming up to lower your chance of injury. Healthdirect says a good warm-up slowly raises your heart rate and prepares your muscles [10], and the NHS advises at least 6 minutes [1]. Neither says by how much it lowers the risk.

What the warm-up contains seems to matter. The programmes linked to fewer injuries mixed stretching with strengthening, balance exercises, agility drills and landing techniques, and were done at every session for more than three months [4]. Stretching alone is a weaker bet: routine static stretching doesn't reduce overall injury rates [2]. A warm-up that follows stretching with active movement is recommended for reducing muscle injuries in healthy active people [13].

In practice:

- **Include light movement** that gradually raises your heart rate, rather than relying on holding stretches.
- **Warm up every time,** because consistency is what the successful programmes had in common.
- **Build up your activity gradually.**

These programmes were designed for sport. It isn't clear yet how well they apply to older adults, who may be at higher risk of injury when their activity levels change [4], so keep your early sessions light.

## When to check with a health professional

If you're starting exercise after a long break, it's always a good idea to see your doctor first.

For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio. They can also advise how to adjust your warm-up if your joints are stiff.

If something hurts, stop or ease off. For a sore muscle or joint, ease off, and see a doctor or other health professional if it persists or gets worse.

Feeling sick, sweaty or unwell, or dizzy or breathless in a way that doesn't settle, during or after activity is not something to ease off for. If it has settled, see a doctor soon. If it doesn't settle, use the emergency advice below.

Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn't safe. Don't wait to see whether chest pain passes, and don't drive yourself to hospital: call an ambulance.

## Quick answers

### Do I really need to warm up before a walk?

Health organisations advise warming up before exercise, but for a walk it can be simple. Start at a slower pace than usual and let your body ease into it, then pick up speed when you feel ready. You don't need a separate routine.

### Is stretching before exercise a good idea?

It's optional. Stretching on its own isn't a reliable way to prevent injury, so begin with light movement that gets you warmer and nudges your heart rate up. If you enjoy stretching, add it afterwards, keep it gentle and stop if anything hurts.

### Is it a problem if I skip the cool-down sometimes?

Not usually. A cool-down is a comfortable way to finish rather than a requirement, so missing it now and then is fine. Keeping up your regular activity matters far more than doing a perfect routine every time.

## Sources

1. NHS (2026). How to warm up before exercising. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/how-to-warm-up-before-exercising
2. Small K, McNaughton L, Matthews M (2008). A systematic review into the efficacy of static stretching as part of a warm-up for the prevention of exercise-related injury. Research in Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438620802310784
3. Afonso J et al. (2021). The Effectiveness of Post-exercise Stretching in Short-Term and Delayed Recovery of Strength, Range of Motion and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Frontiers in Physiology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8133317/
4. Herman K, Barton C, Malliaras P, Morrissey D (2012). The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies, that require no additional equipment, for preventing lower limb injuries during sports participation: a systematic review. BMC Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3408383/
5. NHS. How to stretch after exercising. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/how-to-stretch-after-exercising
6. NHS (2023). Cool-down video. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/strength-and-resistance/body-blast-cool-down
7. Van Hooren B, Peake JM (2018). Do We Need a Cool-Down After Exercise? A Narrative Review of the Psychophysiological Effects and the Effects on Performance, Injuries and the Long-Term Adaptive Response. Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0916-2
8. NHS. Exercise safely with CVD. https://www.myhealthlondon.nhs.uk/be-healthier/move-more/exercise-safely-with-cvd/
9. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Cardiac rehabilitation walking guidelines and programme. https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/cardiac-rehabilitation-walking-programme/
10. Healthdirect Australia. How to start exercising. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/healthy-living/physical-activity/tips-for-getting-active
11. Garber CE et al. (2011). American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318213fefb
12. Law RYW, Herbert RD (2007). Warm-up reduces delayed onset muscle soreness but cool-down does not: a randomised controlled trial. The Australian Journal of Physiotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0004-9514(07)70041-7
13. Behm DG et al. (2016). Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: a systematic review. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2015-0235

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Source: Twikka (https://twikka.com/learn/warm-ups-and-cool-downs). General information about physical activity, not medical advice.