Of all the items on the training menu, the most often ignored is probably the cooldown. And it’s understandable: you warmed up, did some strength work, did some aerobic exercise. No matter how easy or fun it is, following everything that works with more cooldown exercises can seem overly.
However, there are many reasons why you should devote some of your workout to cooling, from lowering your heart rate to oxygenating your muscles. If you’re not sure where to start, try these eight exercises.
1. Light, low impact aerobic exercise
This is the simplest cooldown of all. After workout, perform 3-5 minutes of low-intensity aerobic exercise, including walking, rowing, cycling.
If possible, try to avoid impactful exercises such as running and jogging as cooldowns. The impact puts strain on joints that tend to reverse you rather than cool you down.
2. Yogaplex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwq2a4nu9cg
- Assume the position of push-ups: The balls on the hands and feet on the floor are both shoulder-width – straight to the body from the heel to the crown of the head.
- Assuming the dog’s posture behind you, keep your back, arms and legs straight, and lift your hips as high as possible. Hold for two deep breaths.
- Step on your right foot forward and place it on the floor on the right side of your right hand. The knees should be stacked above the ankles. If your hip mobility is limited, grab your feet with your hands to advance.
- Straighten your left leg, sink your hips to the floor as much as possible, and take two deep breaths.
- Return to the downward facing dog. Hold for two deep breaths.
- Repeat the above sequence. This time, step forward with your left foot and breathe deeply in each position. After completing the entire series on both sides, return to the standing position, repeating, running the entire yogaplex (both sides), for a total of 4-5 times.
3. Ramp and twist
- From the push-up position, step forward your right foot and place it on the floor on the right side of your right hand (the right knee should be near your right shoulder).
- Keep your left foot as straight as possible and keep it there throughout the journey. Contract the right glute muscle.
- You reach your right hand below your body, as if you were trying to touch something on the floor near your left hip.
- Arrived on your right, head backwards, expanding your fingertips towards the ceiling. Pull your right shoulder blade back towards your spine.
- Run 10 reps, switch sides and repeat.
4. Static stretch
Static stretching is when you gradually stretch your muscles and hold them for a long time. They help improve your post-training flexibility and cool down.
Hold the yogaplex sequence (lunge, downdog, forward bend) position for 30-60 seconds. These movements are some of the most effective cooldown exercises when you breathe completely while trying to deepen your stretch with each exhalation.
However, if you feel tension in other muscle groups, like the shoulders, spend time stretching to those parts of your body.
5. Stretch variations of reverse hamstring and gro diameter
- Place the mat on the floor with one of the ends that touched the feet of the wall. Sit on the mat facing the wall.
- Lie on the mat and raise your legs so that the back of your calves, thighs and heels can be pressed against the wall (it looks like you are “sitting” on the wall with your back on the floor).
- Make your head, back and sacrum come into contact with the floor, press your feet and buttocks against the wall, straighten your knees and bend as much as possible. (If you can’t keep your butt on the wall while decorating the sacrum on the floor, slide a few inches away from the wall.)
- Hold for up to 3 minutes, then spread your legs out (as wide as possible) and repeat.
6. Rock on the knees of the wall
- Slide backwards from the above position so that you can kneel and bend your hips and place the soles of your feet against the wall.
- Slowly shake your knees left and right, stretching your hips and hips. Move slowly to the left and right for up to 3 minutes.
- In a quiet place, lie flat on your back and close your eyes.
- Focus on the breath and observe the speed and depth of each breath without changing it.
- Each time you exhale, you relax deeper to the floor.
- If your mind wanders, focus on your breath.
- Continue for up to 10 minutes.
8. Static Back Pullover
- Lie on your back with your lower legs raised on a chair, sofa, Ottoman or aerobic step. There should be a 90-degree angle between the waist and the spine, and between the lower and upper limbs.
- Reach out to the center of your chest and interlaced while in a static back position.
- Keep your elbows straight, lower your arms above your head, and try to touch the floor with the side of your thumb.
- Reverse the movement and repeat with 2-3 sets of 20-30 person in charge.
- Once you’ve completed the pullover, stay in the static back position for another 5-7 minutes.
Why Cooldown Exercises are Important
Cooling may not burn many calories or build a lot of muscle, but that doesn’t mean you need to skip it. This is what an effective cooldown gets you.
1. They oxygenate your body
Strong exercise increases the muscle demand for oxygen. When you exercise, oxygenated blood, just carried by the force of the beating heart, plunges into the muscles. On the return trip, it is repeated muscle pumping that drives deoxygenated blood towards the heart and lungs.
Skip post-exercise cooldown exercises to shut down the muscle pump. This can pool blood in the limbs, strip the brain of oxygen, thinning the light head, and in extreme cases lead to loss of consciousness. (If you’ve ever felt dizzy in the shower after workout, this is probably the reason.)
When cooled, the muscle pump lasts longer, pushing blood back towards the brain, allowing newly oxygenated blood to return to the muscles.
2. They begin to recover
Exercise won’t make you stronger – recover after workout. Put it in a strong strength or aerobic exercise session and slight damage to muscles, tendons and connective tissue (microscopic tears) will be created, and the body will scramble and repair it. It starts this process faster to put fresh blood into damaged muscles after a hard workout, so you’re ready for your next workout.
3. Provides the perfect window for stretching
Have you ever noticed how quickly morning creaks dissipate after a quick walk or some light stretch? Movement brings heat and fluid to the muscles and connective tissue, making it longer, softer and more flexible. This is double truth after intense training.
Therefore, there is no better time to stretch your muscles than after a hard exercise session. The range of motion of the joints is at its peak, allowing for further stretching, perhaps even more, with difficult stretches, while minimizing the risk of injury.
4. They relieve stress
Chronic work, family and life stress often puts us in a state of almost continuous “fighting and flying.”
It focuses on lowering effort levels, breathing deep, slowing heart rate, closing your eyes, and cleaning your mind after challenging workouts, stimulates the opposing parasympathetic “rest, repair, digestion” response from the nervous system.
