I know that cooling down after exercise is meant to be good for you. Taking the time to stretch can improve your flexibility and help your heart rate return to normal. But when I started strength training two years ago I didn't slot it into my schedule and it never became part of my routine.
However, I hit a training plateau recently and noticed that my strength gains and muscle growth had stalled. I decided to add a cool-down session to my workouts for 30 days to see if it would improve my performance. I committed to doing five to 10 minutes of static stretching after every workout, targeting my most-used muscles.
What I found
1. I was less sore
Prior to this challenge, I was constantly battling delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). A grueling lower body strength training session would leave my quads and hamstrings sore for days, but cooling down after these tough workouts proved to be useful in minimizing soreness. While cooling down didn’t eradicate my soreness, I was less stiff overall throughout my 30-day experiment and rarely experienced any DOMS.
2. I had more energy during my workouts
After the first week of stretching after every sweat session, I noticed less fatigue while working out. This made heavy lifts feel easier to perform and I was able to repeat movements more easily. Stretching also changed my mindset going into my workouts. Knowing that I wasn’t going to feel completely drained halfway through made me more excited to get started.
3. I transitioned out of exercise mode more easily
I expected physical benefits from stretching, but I was surprised at how the activity impacted my mental state. I work from home and typically exercise during my lunch break. Before I started cooling down, I found it difficult to transition from high-energy exercise mode to a calmer state more appropriate for work. By giving myself a few minutes to slow down after each workout, I was better able to make the mental shift.
4. My metrics didn’t improve
While I experienced less soreness and fatigue during this month-long challenge, I didn’t notice an increase in muscle rate, which I track using my FitTrack app. My Oura ring readiness score (which uses contributors like sleep, activity level and resting heart rate to determine how prepared you are to tackle challenges) didn’t improve either.
While I was disappointed these metrics didn’t improve, I was pleasantly surprised with the mental benefits I experienced by adding a daily cool down into my fitness regime.
Benefits of cool-down sessions
Amanda Paluch, a physical activity epidemiologist and kinesiologist, says everyone should cool down after exercising. According to Paluch, skipping your cool down could cause “waste products to accumulate in the muscles, leading to severe and prolonged muscle soreness”. These waste products can cause fatigue during your next workout, which could slow you down and hinder progress.
Elizabeth Barchi, a sports medicine specialist at ChristianaCare, adds that an effective cool down can be done in as few as 10 minutes and should consist of static stretches.
If you want to try something similar, have a go at these flexibility stretches after your next workout, or try this four-minute routine from fitness instructor FitbyMik.
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