Do You Really Need to Cool Down After Your Workout?
Theoretically, a cool down is part of every workout. Whether it’s a weight training session at the gym or an outdoor jog, you should do something slower at the end and maybe even stretch a little. But to be honest, I don’t always have time. And when I skip cooldown, nothing bad happens. What gives?
To understand this, we have to look at cooldown targets. Remember when we talked about the warm-up , the warm-up has several tasks? Depending on what you’re trying to do that day, you may want to warm up, stretch what you need to stretch, work on technique, and so on. Some workouts will require all of this. Some will not need anything. And warm-ups are individual, so you need to make sure your warm-up gives you what you personally need.
Cooldowns are the same. If you’ve been skipping them and you’re feeling good, there’s probably nothing wrong with keeping your normal habits. But let’s look at a few tasks that a full restore does.
It helps your circulation
You may have heard that the blood can “stagnate in the legs” if you don’t cool off, and this is partly true. During exercise, your heart pumps hard to deliver blood to your muscles. And the movement of your muscles helps to massage the blood back up the veins and back to the heart. (Venas can’t contract to help pump blood, but they do contain one-way valves so muscle movement moves blood in the right direction.)
If you suddenly stop exercising, the blood in your limbs will literally go uphill. Your heart was pumping blood to your legs and arms, and now that blood has far less help to get back on its way. If you’ve had a sudden stop and feel good, congratulations! You have a healthy circulatory system. But the current cooldown theory states that some people’s bodies can’t handle this transition.
A gradual cool-down that slowly returns your heart rate to normal as the intensity of exercise decreases can help prevent dizziness or fainting after a workout.
This is a great time to stretch.
Static stretching (where you hold the position for, say, 30 seconds at a time) is not always appropriate for a warm-up or in the middle of a workout. Intense stretching can even interfere with strength training . But after your workout is over, it’s time to stretch. Your muscles are warmed up, which makes them more flexible. You can get into a position that is usually impossible.
And you’re already dressed in sportswear, you’re at the gym, you know you should probably be stretching more than you’re doing… so why not?
It may help in recovery
There are a lot of supposed benefits of reloading that are probably not true, but again, we can’t be sure. Some athletes and coaches swear that after recovery, you are less likely to feel pain the next day. Others note that increased circulation during the recovery period helps flush lactate and other metabolites from the muscles.
This 2018 review paper looks at 15 different cooldown claims and finds that research is inconclusive in most cases. They couldn’t even answer the question if the cooldown prevents fainting (although most doctors and trainers say it does, or at least reduces the risk, which is why we included it above).
This does not mean that these supposed benefits are nonsense. The truth is that much of what we do in the gym and on the treadmill is based more on tradition than science. Sometimes tradition is wrong, but sometimes science just hasn’t caught up with it yet. The benefits of cooldowns are vague and hard to test, so I wouldn’t write them off just yet. In addition to the physical benefits, cooling can also provide a more relaxing and thoughtful transition to everyday life. Athletes often say they feel better after a cool down, so if you’re not currently doing a cool down, you might want to give it a try.
Reloads don’t have to be structured
But here’s the thing. Are you sure you’re not already enjoying the benefits of a hitch? I don’t do cooldowns on purpose, but after a deadlift session, I usually spend 5-10 minutes taking the plates off the bar and putting them back on the racks. I also have a few low intensity assist moves that I can do after most weightlifting workouts. And when I go for a run, I usually stop at a point that is within walking distance of my house or my car. So I probably get a lot of (supposed) benefits from these low-key transitional activities. Maybe you are too.