Cooling down after an exercise routine is a fundamental part of the recovery process after a workout… or at least that’s what we’ve always been told. Which makes sense. After all, it’s when we reduce the strength and intensity of exercise that our muscles begin to relax, our breathing returns to a regular rhythm, our body’s sweating gradually stops, and even our mind returns to stillness.
A post- exercise cool-down can include, for example, stretching after strength training or slowing down your cardio, such as walking after a run or jogging a little slower after finishing a routine that may have elevated your heart and breathing rates.
The benefits of cooling down after exercise are well known to athletes, who often dedicate an extra 10 minutes or more to their exercises during their routine just for cooling down, because we know that this helps reduce lactic acid, reduce the risk of injuries or cramps, improve muscle recovery, stabilize blood pressure and heart rate, and restore breathing and reduce stress.
However, recent studies have called into question the importance of stretching in an exercise routine. Especially because for many people, finding 20 minutes a day to exercise is difficult enough, and the idea of ​​expanding that to 30 or more minutes sounds too complicated.
In these cases, the question arises as to how important it is to stretch or reduce the intensity of exercise after a routine.
How important is cooling?
Cooling down after exercise is important, but not for the reasons we usually think. Since the 1980s, the idea that cooling down helps, for example, reduce lactic acid, has been debated and rejected. In reality, cooling down with stretching or reducing exercise intensity doesn’t seem to have a real effect on reducing lactic acid, improving results in the gym, or preventing soreness after a workout.
In any case, it can be used as a way to process the effects of exercise, regain energy, and reduce stress, and even, in some gyms and classes, as a time for socializing.
According to Monika Fleshner, a professor of physiology at the University of Colorado, cooling down doesn’t have as many benefits as we think, but it also has no negative effects. So if a person has the opportunity to integrate this recovery part into their routine , they shouldn’t skip it.
And the warm-up?
It’s important to mention that while cooling down has been questioned as a method for preventing injuries, warming up continues to prove its importance for this same goal. So be sure to warm up with a few minutes of moderate movement before training.
What do I do if I can’t cool down?
In any case, with this information in hand, we know that if you don’t have time to include a cool-down process in your routine, you can at least spend a few seconds focusing on your breathing and reducing its rhythm and intensity, as this will also give you the effect of re-regulating your heart rate and breathing that you may be looking for with the stretching process.
You can also use the walk back home or to your mode of transportation as a cool-down process, making your breathing conscious as you walk back to your routine.
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