by Whether you’re lifting weights at the gym or returning from a 10K run, keeping in mind a post-exercise cool down is crucial to help prevent injury and relieve delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) (opens in a new tab) and stretch your muscles.
Cooling down after exercise is just as important as warming up, as it helps keep blood flowing through the body and prevents unpleasant side effects, such as dizziness, which can occur when a sudden stop in exercise causes our blood pressure to drop.
While there are many different ways to cool down after exercise, stretching tends to be the most widely used method. You can do this without tools by simply holding each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, or if you really want to step up your cool down routine, you can incorporate one of the best foam rollers. (opens in a new tab) or better massage guns (opens in a new tab).
To learn more about why a cool-down routine is so important after exercise, we spoke with our sport and physiology experts, to find out why it’s so integral to recovery, the best way to cool down after a workout, and a example of the stretches that we can incorporate into our routine.
Why it is important to cool down after exercise
Many of us know that warming up before exercise is a great way to prevent injury and improve blood flow, but the post-exercise cool down session is just as vital.
“To understand why it’s important to cool down after exercise, we first need to understand what happens during exercise,” says Uzo Ehiogu, Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist (MSK Rehabilitation) at the Royal Orthopedic Hospital Birmingham, UK. “During exercise, we put stress on the body, which can affect muscle, connective, neurological and bone tissues.”
Uzo Ehiog
A former Royal Marines Commando, British Army officer and military paratrooper, Uzo is an NHS Clinical Lecturer at the Royal Orthopedic Hospital Birmingham and a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist.
Regardless of whether you’re doing intense or less intense training, exercise places stress on your body, which, as Ehiogu explains, facilitates tissue breakdown and body physiology.
“The cool down process after exercise leads to the restoration of the body’s ability to function and recover and, over a long period, this leads to an improvement in performance. Most notably, however, cooling is often associated with improvements in circulation. Consequently, this leads to the removal of metabolic by-products after intense exercise and may facilitate the reduction of muscle and tendon stiffness.”
How to properly cool down after a workout
“After you’ve finished your main component of exercise, a brief period of progressively slower and less demanding exercise may be beneficial as part of the recovery process, such as yoga,” says Ehiogu. “This is beneficial when the exercise is of low intensity and is designed to return the body to its pre-exercise physiological state.
It is also beneficial to include stretching exercises to help improve your flexibility. (opens in a new tab). These exercises can be static stretching activities, which improve the primary muscle groups you used while exercising. For example, if you were jogging, muscle groups like your calf muscles, quads, and glutes would be used. Participating in static stretching exercises for these muscles to develop and maintain their flexibility would be beneficial to your long-term recovery.
Cooldown stretches to try
Stretching is a great way to keep DOMS at bay, slow your heart rate, and lower your body temperature if you’ve been sweating. Stretching can be both dynamic and static. The main difference between the two is that the former involves muscle movement, while the latter involves holding the movement for a period of between 30 and 60 seconds. Usually a combination of both is best. A cool down is equally important. Physiotherapist Phil Evans of Urban Body suggests the following poses
Urban Body’s Senior Physiotherapist, Phil Evans, has a private practice in Solihull and was an Official Physiotherapist at this year’s Commonwealth Games, working with elite athletes.
child’s posture
- Start on all fours (your hands and knees).
- Drop your buttocks back onto your heels.
- Stretch your hands forward, letting your head drop between your shoulders toward the floor. She will feel this stretch in her back and upper arms.
- Hold the stretch for 60-90 seconds with discomfort levels not exceeding 4/10.
pigeon pose
- Start on all fours (your hands and knees).
- Drive your right knee forward and get as much external rotation as possible at your hip.
- Place your leg on the mat and lower your chest to the ground as far as you can. You will feel this stretch through your right hip/glute.
- Hold the stretch for 60-90 seconds with discomfort levels not exceeding 4/10.
- Repeat for your left hip.
This article is not intended to offer medical advice, and readers should consult their physician or health care professional before adopting any diet or exercise regimen.
