One of the most important and often overlooked parts of an effective workout routine is the cooldown. A well rounded workout program not only involves a dynamic warm up to get the muscles warm, but should also end with a full cool down.
An effective cooldown should take 5-10 minutes. In this timeframe the major goals are to:
Lower the heart rate gradually
Perform dynamic and static stretches of the major muscle groups involved in the workout. Move from stretch to stretch without rest in order to make the cooldown more active.
Focus on breathing. Take deep calming breaths to promote relaxation and help bring your body back to its set point.
Effective cooldowns have many benefits including, gradually lowering the heart rate, improved flexibility, increased blood redistribution, hormonal regulation, decreased soreness, enhanced mental well-being, and overall decreased risk for injury.
Decrease the Heart Rate
Cooling down allows your heart rate to decrease gradually instead of dropping rapidly. When the heart rate drops rapidly it increases strain on the cardiovascular system. Further, dropping the heart gradually also decreases the risk of rapid changes in blood pressure, which can lead to dizziness or fainting post-exercise.
Improved Flexibility
Thorough stretching during a cooldown promotes muscle and joint flexibility. Directly after a workout the muscles are warm and more pliable. This allows for a greater range of motion to be achieved during these stretches. This will overall increase your flexibility, which in turn, increases your fitness level.
Blood Redistribution
During exercise, a significant amount of blood is directed towards working muscles. When you stop exercise abruptly you are at an increased risk for blood pooling in the lower extremities. Cooldown exercises help redistribute blood flow, decreasing the risk of blood pooling.
Hormonal Regulation
Intense exercise can temporarily increase stress hormones like cortisol. Cooling down assists in normalizing these hormonal levels, contributing to a more balanced physiological state.
Decreased Soreness
During intense physical exercise lactic acid builds up within the muscles, and it takes time for your body to clear it out. Cooldown activities contribute to the removal of metabolic byproducts, such as lactic acid. Efficient elimination of these byproducts reduces muscle soreness keeping you more comfortable and allowing your body to bounce back for your next training session.
Enhanced Mental Well-being
Exercise increases endorphins and cooling down can keep those endorphins flowing by bringing you back to center. According to ACE, a cooldown allows your body to gradually return to a resting state. The cooldown lets you take full advantage of the post exercise euphoric state that those endorphins give you.
Decreased Risk of Injury
A proper cool down allows the body to effectively repair microtears in the muscle fibers that occur during exercise. This reduces muscle stiffness and aids in recovery. Further, increased flexibility and proper blood redistribution also help with injury prevention by improving range of motion.
Every Surge Fit and Surge Strength class ends with a cooldown that will help aid your recovery so our Surge Squad can come back to class stronger than ever! Feel the Surge!
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