Motor Control
Senior 2 · Physical Education
Motor Control
Lesson 3 of 3
18 min
After a hard 800 m, some runners collapse on the grass the moment they cross the line. Stopping dead like that can leave you light-headed, because your heart is still racing while your legs have suddenly stopped helping to pump blood back towards it. A cool-down brings the body back to rest gradually. It is also the best time to improve your flexibility and to check yourself for injuries.
A cool-down is 3 to 10 minutes of gradually easier activity after the main work: a run slows to an easy jog, then to a brisk walk. Your heart rate falls step by step towards its resting value. Then come static stretches of the muscles you used, and a drink of water. Research has found that a cool-down does little to prevent next-day muscle soreness, but it is a safe way to finish and most athletes feel better for it.
Lie on your back with your eyes closed. Breathe in through your nose for four counts and out through your mouth for six counts, ten times. Then tense one muscle group (your fists, for example) for five seconds and let it go completely, working from your feet up to your face. The long out-breath slows the heart rate and calms the mind, which also helps before an exam.
Worked example
In January, Gatete's resting heart rate is 84 bpm. After three months of skipping and running four times a week, it is 72 bpm.
Beats saved per minute = 84 − 72 = 12.
Beats saved per day = 12 × 60 × 24 = 17,280.
His heart is not working less hard because it is weaker. It is stronger: each beat now pushes out more blood, so fewer beats are needed to supply the same amount.
Tip
Keep them apart: warm-up stretches are dynamic (moving); cool-down stretches are static (held). If a question gives you "hold for 20 seconds", it is a cool-down.
Put these in cool-down order: brisk walk, static stretches, easy jog, drink water.
Solution. Easy jog, then brisk walk, then static stretches, then drink water (you may also sip while stretching).
Habimana bounces up and down quickly to touch his toes. What is wrong, and what should he do instead?
Solution. That is ballistic stretching. The bounce makes the hamstring tighten against the movement and can strain it. He should ease slowly into the stretch until he feels mild tension, then hold it still for 15 to 30 seconds.
A student's resting heart rate falls from 80 bpm to 70 bpm. How many fewer beats is that per hour?
Solution. 10 beats per minute × 60 minutes = 600 fewer beats per hour.
During a cross-country run a classmate twists her ankle, which swells. List the first-aid steps.
Solution. Stop her running (Rest); apply a wrapped cold pack (Ice); bandage firmly but not tightly (Compression); raise the ankle on a bag above heart level (Elevation); tell the teacher.
Give one physical, one mental and one social benefit of regular exercise.
Solution. For example: a stronger heart or stronger bones (physical); better sleep or less stress (mental); making friends or learning teamwork (social).
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
