Cooling down after training is the final part of any well-organized sports program. Unfortunately, this element is often overlooked, but, meanwhile, it is no less important than, for example, a warm-up before running or any other sport. The latter prepares the body for stress, warms up the muscles, and accelerates blood flow. The first, on the contrary, promotes a smooth transition from a stressful state to a calm one. Not all athletes understand the importance of a cool down and ignore it in order to save time.
So that you understand how the body feels at this moment, imagine a sled flying from a slide. And now, instead of smooth and gradual braking, they crash into a tree at full speed. Forgot to mention - you are, of course, riding this sled. How are you feeling?
But they quickly finished the congress ...
Roughly the same thing happens with the body. Of course, he will survive the blow, but will he want to sit in this sled next time? Who knows, perhaps because you don't cool down after strength training, your muscles ache so much, and your fighting spirit has completely disappeared. And now, the purchased subscription is already boringly gathering dust in the bag.
What is a hitch?
Let's move on from metaphors to the main topic of conversation. What is a cool down after a workout at the gym or at home?
This is a short set of simple relaxing exercises designed to cool the body, calm the nervous system and pulse. Most often consists of low-intensity sets, breathing exercises and stretching. The complex smooths the transition from active load to a calm state, promotes accelerated recovery, and has a relaxing effect.
Most often it consists of 3 stages:
- Low-intensity exercises with a gradual decrease in rhythm and pace - light jogging with a transition to a step, an exercise bike or treadmill with a decrease in speed, short sparring with a pear (low-intensity), calm swimming, swings, bends, circular rotations;
- Stretching - it is necessary to especially work out those muscles that received the greatest load during training;
- Yoga and breathing exercises.
Cool down exercises after a workout can be done at home or in the gym. If conditions permit, go out into fresh air. The total duration of the complex should not exceed 10-15 minutes.
What is a cool down after a workout?
Now you know what the right post-workout cool down is. To make you even more imbued with the significance, let's look at its usefulness.
To get a good understanding of what a hitch is needed after a workout, let's imagine our state at this moment.
- Muscles are tense;
- The heart is actively beating, pumping blood intensively;
- Your body temperature is slightly elevated and you sweat;
- Feel fatigue, slight depression, muscle aches;
- The nervous system is agitated, breathing is accelerated.
At this moment, it is important to smoothly reduce the pace, normalize pressure, temperature and pulse. Sudden changes adversely affect the cardiovascular system. Also, it is necessary to ensure a gradual outflow of blood from the warmed up muscles - this will significantly reduce soreness after training. It is important to relax the muscles so that it returns from the compressed state to its normal state, which means that the recovery process begins faster. Stretching and stretching after a workout is excellent for calming the nervous system and breathing. A person feels pacification, and weakness is replaced by pleasant fatigue.
So let's summarize, what is a cool down after a workout?
- Promotes rapid recovery of damaged microfibers in muscles. Stimulates their growth;
- Makes the muscles more elastic, which means that it reduces the risk of soreness;
- Like a warm-up, a cool-down after a workout in the gym sets the nervous system in the right way. Only the first sets the fighting spirit, and the second smoothly prepares for the upcoming rest;
- Normalizes blood flow, which means that it accelerates the nutrition of muscles and organs with oxygen and nutrients;
- Smoothly reduces heart rate, which has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system;
- Why else do you think there is a hitch at the end of a workout? We've written extensively about the importance of relaxing after an intense workout - that's what a good cool-down can do.
Thus, as you can see, if you do not cool down after training, you can deprive the body of a chance for normal recovery. Let's remember the sleds again! We hope we have convinced you.
How to cool down after a workout?
Let's take a quick look at how to cool down after a workout. Remember school physical education lessons? What did the physical education instructor say after the cross? Do not stop abruptly, walk a little, make bends.
- If you've been exercising at home, the post workout cool down for girls and men should start with running in place. Then gradually move to a step, you can walk in a circle around the room;
- Breathe deeply and measuredly - inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth;
- If you exercise in the gym - sit on an exercise bike or turn on a slow pace on the treadmill;
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. As you inhale, raise your arms up, as you exhale, lower them, while bending towards the floor. Try to touch it with your palms. Sway in this position for a few seconds;
- In a tilt position, without bending your knees, hug each lower leg in turn. Feel your muscles stretch. Freeze for a couple of moments;
- Make smooth inclinations of the body to the sides, forward and backward. Keep your hands above your head, fastened in a lock;
- Raise one hip to your chest, wrap your arms around it, stand in this position for 5-10 seconds, then change your leg;
- Make an alternate overlap of the lower leg back, with your hands pressing the heel to the buttocks, do not part your knees. You will feel a stretch in your anterior thigh muscles. Stand this way for 10-20 seconds with each leg;
- Roll in a squat from one leg to the other, gently stretching the inner thighs;
- Sit in the lotus position, take 5-7 deep breaths and exhalations.
Exercises after workout for hitching up for girls are more aimed at stretching, increasing flexibility. For men, after strength training, it is important, in addition to muscles, to restore the condition of the joints.
- To the exercises mentioned above, it is worth adding circular rotations of the knee joints and ankles;
- Swing arms and legs (forward and to the sides);
Here are some tips on how to cool down after strength training properly:
- Remember, the main focus of post strength training exercises for men and women should be on the muscles that are actively working today. There is no point in doing leg relaxation exercises if you have been working on the upper shoulder girdle for an hour and a half.
- Alternate dynamic with static. This means that active movements should be replaced by exercises, where the muscle is stretched and held in one position;
- It is important to relax the spine well, so always hang on the bar - at least 60 seconds;
- Stretching is done in random order - it can be from bottom to top, as well as top to bottom, or even chaotic. But try to adhere to the rule - go from large muscles to small ones;
- Move smoothly and measuredly. No jerks, records and new stresses.
An example of a cool down after strength training. Average time - 10 minutes
- Running in place with a decrease in speed - 60 seconds;
- Tilting the body forward, touching the floor with the palms with a delay at the bottom point for 5-7 seconds - 5-7 times;
- Circular body rotation - 30 seconds;
- Hanging on the bar - 60 seconds;
- Circular rotation of the head, wrist, knee, ankle joints - 1 minute;
- Pulling the thigh forward and sweeping the lower leg back - 1 minute;
- Stretching for twine, longitudinal and transverse, simultaneously with breathing exercises - the last 2-3 minutes;
- Deep breath-exhale - 2-3 times.
- Thank yourself for your active work.
Never neglect a cool down after a workout. Make those last 10 minutes of the practice your favorite habit. Remember its advantages, the main of which is the speedy achievement of the desired goal.
