WARMING UP AND COOLING DOWN
Warming up
Before you do any form of exercise you should always warm up . This will enable you to perform at your optimal level and will help prevent injury . Start off with a gentle exercise that uses the whole body like jogging . You should do this for 2-3 minutes and it should leave you sweating slightly and breathing a little more heavily than normal . Now that your muscles are warm and the blood is flowing , you can start mobilising the joints . Refer to the next page for a description of the mobility exercises . These mobility exercises are specific to the joints and muscle groups that will be used during this programme . Ensure that the mobility exercises are : - Controlled . - Gradually increasing the range of movement . - Repeated 10-12 times for each mobility exercise .
Cooling down Cooling down is just as important as warming up . By doing so , you will lower the heart rate to resting levels and stretch the muscles to aid recovery . Follow the cooling down programme after every session performed . Remember to perform each stretch in a controlled manner and hold for 30 seconds .
Injuries and illness
Don ’ t exercise if you are injured or feeling unwell . Always warm up and cool down – It allows you to train optimally and recover faster . Make sure that you wear the correct equipment to train in , to enhance performance and to reduce the chance of injury . Remember to have :
• Appropriate trainers .
• Suitable clothing .
• A full water bottle with you .
The next 13 pages outline the RAF health and fitness programme for potential recruits . There is an effective combination of aerobic and muscular endurance exercises , a stretching programme , and advice on diet and lifestyle . If you want to prepare for life in the RAF , it ’ s the perfect way to start .