Not too long ago, we were looking into why warming up is important. But what about their counterpart, cool-downs? Why do we do them?
Most cool downs last 3–10 minutes and include slower, gentle movements and stretching exercises. In the app, most are without equipment, but some include a foam roller.
Today, we’ll look into the reasons in general for cool-downs. Stretching and foam rolling are fascinating, and therefore, we will look into them in their own posts soon.
Ready? Let’s 321go!
- Slowing down your heart rate and breath
- When you have just done an exhausting cardio workout and your heart is racing, you want to get back to a normal heart rate slowly over the course of a few minutes. This way, you will help your body to avoid lightheadedness or a feeling of faintness.
- Relaxation
- A cool-down gives you the opportunity to reflect on your accomplishments during your training and to give yourself a pat on the back for the hard work you did in your workouts. This will give your confidence a boost and motivate you for your next session. The relaxation and the feeling of doing yourself something good are a great start to the recovery phase after training.
- Reduce Lactic Acid Build-up
- During high-intensity exercises, you accumulate lactic acid in your body. A short recovery-cool-down can help “flush out” the lactic acid slowly. Active recovery helps delay muscle fatigue and therefore supports better and more efficient training.
- Prevent Injuries
- Just like warm-ups, cool-downs are great to prevent injuries like muscle tears and strains. Stretching your still warm muscles elongates your muscle fibres as they have been under strain during the workout.