The Cool Down - Recover Faster & Avoid Injury!

Many people dismiss the cool down as a waste of time, or simply
unimportant. In reality the cool down is just as important as
the warm up, and if you want to stay injury free, it’s vital.

Although the warm up and cool down are just as important as each
other, they are important for different reasons. While the main
purpose of warming up is to prepare the body and mind for
strenuous activity, cooling down plays a different role.

Why Cool Down?

The main aim of the cool down is to promote recovery and return
the body to a pre exercise, or pre-workout level. During a
strenuous workout your body goes through a number of stressful
processes, muscle fibers, tendons and ligaments get damaged, and
waste products build up within your body. The cool down,
performed properly, will assist your body in its repair process.

One area the cool down will help with is “post exercise muscle
soreness.” This is the soreness that is usually experienced the
day after a tough workout. Most people experience this after
having a lay-off from exercise, or at the beginning of their
sports season. I remember running a half marathon with limited
preparation, and finding it difficult to walk down steps the
next day because my quadriceps were so sore.

Post exercise muscle soreness is caused by a number of things.
Firstly, during exercise, tiny tears called micro tears develop
within the muscle fibers. These micro tears cause swelling of
the muscle tissues which in turn puts pressure on the nerve
endings and results in pain.

Secondly, when exercising, your heart is pumping large amount of
blood to the working muscles. This blood is carrying both oxygen
and nutrients that the working muscles need. When the blood
reaches the muscles the oxygen and nutrients are used up. Then
the force of the contracting (exercising) muscles pushes the
blood back to the heart where it is re-oxygenated.

However, when the exercise stops, so does the force that pushes
the blood back to the heart. This blood, as well as waste
products like lactic acid, stays in the muscles, which in turn
causes swelling and pain. This process is often referred to as
“blood pooling.”

So, the cool down helps all this by keeping the blood
circulating, which in turn helps to prevent blood pooling and
also removes waste products from the muscles. This circulating
blood also brings with it the oxygen and nutrients needed by the
muscles, tendons and ligaments for repair.

The Key Parts of an Effective Cool Down

Now that we know what the cool down does and why it is so
important, let’s have a look at the structure of an effective
cool down. There are three key elements, or parts, which should
be included to ensure an effective and complete cool down. They
are;

1.Gentle exercise;

2.Stretching; and

3.Re-fuel.

All three parts are equally important and any one part should
not be neglected or thought of as not necessary. All three
elements work together to repair and replenish the body after
exercise.

To follow are two examples of effective cool downs. The first is
an example of a cool down used by a professional athlete. The
second is typical of someone who simply exercises for general
health, fitness and fun.

Example Cool Down Routines

Example 1: - For the Professional •10 to 15 minutes of
easy exercise. Be sure that the easy exercise resembles the type
of exercise that was done during your workout. For example, if
your workout involved a lot of running, cool down with easy
jogging or walking. •Include some deep breathing as part of your
easy exercise to help oxygenate your system. •Follow with about
20 to 30 minutes of stretching. Static stretching and PNF
stretching is best at this time. •Re-fuel. Both fluid and food
are important. Drink plenty of water, plus a good quality sports
drink. The best type of food to eat straight after a workout is
that which is easily digestible. Fruit is a good example.

Example 2: - For the Amateur •3 to 5 minutes of easy
exercise. Be sure that the easy exercise resembles the type of
exercise that was done during your workout. For example, if your
workout involved a lot of running, cool down with easy jogging
or walking. •Include some deep breathing as part of your easy
exercise to help oxygenate your system. •Follow with about 5 to
10 minutes of stretching. Static stretching and PNF stretching
is best at this time. •Re-fuel. Both fluid and food are
important. Drink plenty of water, plus a good quality sports
drink. The best type of food to eat straight after a workout is
that which is easily digestible. Fruit is a good example.

Getting serious about your cool down and following the above
examples will make sure you recover quicker from your workouts
and stay injury free.

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