Skipping a cool-down might be tempting…
… but might make you feel worse after you finish exercising.
Have you done a great workout but are under a time pressure? Instead of doing a cool-down you might be tempted to run straight to the shower or your car and crack on with the million things that you have on your task list for the day. However by skipping a cool-down, even if it is only a few minutes, you might rob yourself of some great health benefits. Let’s have a look at what happens when we exercise and what impact a cool-down actually has.
Why not to skip cool-down?
Although you might be tempted to skip a cool-down at times, it prevents you from getting muscle cramps and feeling dizzy after the workout. This happens because it slowly slows down your heart rate and breathing to the resting state. In addition to that a good cool-down should incorporate a few stretches that lengthen your muscles and so improve your range of motion.
What is DOMS (Delayed onset of muscle soreness)?
Even though DOMS is a normal part of exercise, we all would be quite grateful to avoid them. Nevertheless we normally experience it 24-48 hours after exercise They appear after exercising a new muscle group or after a high intensity or endurance training, no matter if you are a beginner or a seasoned athlete. But why does it happen? In the past it used to be explained as a buildup of lactic acid. However more recently various studies suggest that reasons behind DOMS might be more complex and yet to be fully understood. Currently there are a few things believed to be behind DOMS.
- During exercise, particularly under the eccentric part of the movement where muscle lengthens under tension, our muscle fibers tear. These muscle tears are microscopic and as they repair the muscle becomes stronger. Nevertheless in the meantime the body starts sending signals that this heling process needs to take place. These signals might manifest themselves as DOMS.
- But it is not only muscle fibers that tear during exercise. Besides that a damage also occurs in the cell membranes. This then causes disruption of a homeostasis of calcium ions in the injured fibers, resulting in cell death. This process peaks a couple days after exercise. As a response to this, body will react by sending inflammatory response to the damaged area. This then results in healing.
- As exercise leads to increase of dead cells, these need to be removed. As a result some of the dead cells temporarily accumulate in the network of collagen fibers and fluid-filled spaces that surround the muscles. This then irritates the nerve endings present in muscles and contributes to the feeling of DOMS. (3)
A cool-down helps to prevent injury
When you finish exercise, your muscles are warm and more flexible. This makes it a perfect time for stretching and improvement of overall flexibility which is otherwise harder to do when muscles are cold. If you stretch repeatedly, your muscles adapt to it by lengthening. This increases their range of motion making you more flexible. Becoming more flexible significantly lowers your chance of any injuries.
A cool-down helps to manage blood flow (blood pooling)
When you exercise, your heart works harder and your muscles increase in size. This is because oxygenated blood is being pumped through them at higher speed before returning back to your heart and lungs. If you skip exercise abruptly, blood might accumulate in the lower part of the body. As a consequence this reduces the blood flow to the brain.
In addition to that our cardiovascular system contains one way valves. These valves prevent the blood from returning back to the heart. If you stop exercise too quickly, for a short while the blood gets blocked by these valves. This is called blood pooling. Blood pooling is a reason why you might feel a bit dizzy when you stop exercise too abruptly.
How should we do a proper cool-down?
A correct cool-down consists of two parts. Cool-down movement and cool-down static stretching. But don’t worry, this does not mean that cool-down will take much of your time. It can literally mean a few minutes of a walk followed by a few cool-down stretches. This will already have a great impact on your health.
Cool-down movement
The aim of the first few minutes of a cool-down is to bring heart rate steadily down more towards the resting state. This can be done in various ways. A few minutes of walking, cycling, rowing where we slowly reduce speed are a perfect way of cooling down.
Cool-down stretches
The best way to finish a cool-down is with a few cool-down stretches. Cool-down consists of static stretches. This means that we do not flex and contract muscles like in a case of a warm up, but we hold each cool-down stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. We try to incorporate the main muscle groups and then if needed add a few stretches focusing on the area that we exercised the most during the main exercise.
Child’s pose
Child’s pose improves overall body flexibility (ankle, neck shoulder, hip and knee). It is a stretch that originates in yoga and allows us focus on breathing. It is a perfect exercise for an end of a cool-down.
Start by sitting on your knees, lean forward and keep your bum touching your heels. Touch the floor with your forehead. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply for around 10 breaths. Return to original position. Repeat.
Standing hamstring stretch
Standing hamstring stretch helps with lower back pain, legs and knees. Tight hamstrings are often a result of a sedentary lifestyle. For this reason it is a stretch that benefits most of us nowadays.
Start by standing upright, bend forward, try to touch your toes with your fingers. Hold for 15 to 30 secs while inhaling and exhaling deeply. Return to the original position. Repeat.
Downward dog
Downward dog is another yoga pose that found its way to regular cool-down. It is an overall stretching exercise, great for posture improvement. It focuses on hamstrings, calves, tummy, lower back and builds strength in your arms. During this exercise your heart is elevated above your head which promotes blood circulation.
Start on all your fours, legs straight, knees behind your hips, hands shoulder width apart, core engaged, heels pressing towards the floor. Hold for 15 to 30 secs while inhaling and exhaling deeply. Slowly release your knees. Return to the original position. Repeat.
Standing quadriceps stretch
Standing quadriceps stretch is an exercise that focuses on quadriceps and thighs. It is a great way of improving flexibility, balance and range of motion.
Start by standing upright with both feet on the floor, arms next to your hips. Bend one knee by holding your ankle with one hand and moving your knee towards your bum. Keep your heel as close to the bum as possible. Keep knees together. Hold for 15 to 30 secs while inhaling and exhaling deeply. Return to the original position. Repeat and alternate.
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Resources:
(1) Central and Peripheral Fatigue in Physical Exercise Explained: A Narrative Review, José Francisco Tornero-Aguilera, Jorge Jimenez-Morcillo, Alejandro Rubio-Zarapuz, and Vicente J. Clemente-Suárez,Paul B. Tchounwou, Academic Editor,Int J Environ, Res Public Health. 2022 Apr; 19(7): 3909., Published online 2022 Mar 25. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19073909, PMCID: PMC8997532, PMID: 35409591, downloaded from the web 16/09/2024, Central and Peripheral Fatigue in Physical Exercise Explained: A Narrative Review – PMC (nih.gov)
(2) Update on the relationship between magnesium and exercise, F H Nielsen, H C Lukaski, Magnes, Res. 2006 Sep;19(3):180-9.downloaded from the web 17/09/2024, Update on the relationship between magnesium and exercise – PubMed (nih.gov)
(3), Mechanisms of exercise-induced delayed onset muscular soreness: a brief review., Armstrong RB,Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 01 Dec 1984, 16(6):529-538, PMID: 6392811, downloaded from the web 19/09/2024, https://europepmc.org/article/MED/6392811
