Better Bodies In Training

Source: http://photos.upi.com

You have just completed a very vigorous 5 miles run in under 40 minutes. This is your absolute best time; your heart is racing; you are drenched in sweat; your legs are shaking from the intensity of your run; you are tired, and hungry and want to simply take a shower and relax. But you know you should cool down. At least that is what you have read in the Health and Fitness Blogs that you study religiously. However, you also have a few friends who work out regularly and who never cool down. What do you do?

My recommendation would be that you cool down. That is, you should perform the third major component of your exercise program. Any good exercise session will include three components: warm-up, core/main part, and cool down/recovery.

May people are familiar with the warm-up portion of the exercise session. And while there are far too many people who fail to warm up properly, there is an even larger number of folks who simply ignore or fail to complete any sort of cool-down or recovery portion in the exercise sessions.

In this posting, I want to touch on what cool down is, its benefits, what to do during this phase of the workout, and how long it should last. Now, I am aware that some of you might not agree with me; that is fine. I look forward to reading your disagreements.

What is cooling down?

Cool down is the term used to describe an easy exercise that will allow the body to gradually transition from an exertion state to a resting or near resting states http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooling_down. Or put another way, it is any form of post physical activity exercise where you gradually allow your heart rate and breathing to lower to a comfortable level http://www.netfit.co.uk/stretching_cool_down.htm

Why should I cool down? In other words what are the benefits?

1. Reduces post-exercise soreness;
2. Realign and length muscles that have been shorten during the contracting phases of the workout, particularly after resistant training;
3. During exercise blood is diverting to the working muscles, cooling down encourages blood flow to the heart. When you “allow heart and respiration rates to decrease gradually, this places less stress on body systems than if the activity is abruptly stopped” . http://www.womenfitness.net/cool_workout.htm
4. Nausea, dizziness, and fainting are common in individuals who stop activity too quickly. If activity is stopped quickly, blood tends to "pool" (remain) in the muscles, particularly in the legs. This causes muscle cramping, stiffness, and soreness" http://www.womenfitness.net/cool_workout.htm
5. Aid in the eliminate of waste;
6. Gradually reduces body temperature;
7. Relaxes you.

What do I actually do during this part of the warm up?

There are lots of theories about what to do during this phase of the exercise session. My experience has taught me:

1. that slower paced exercises that are similar in movement to the core portion of the exercise session
2. And that relaxed, static stretching of the entire body or at least the muscles principally involved during the training or exercise session

are the best cool down exercises to perform.

How long should the cool down last?

Cool down generally lasts from 15-20 minutes, depending upon the individual cool down exercise performed. Note, any exercise  chosen should not increase the heart rate nor respiratory rate of the body.

There are some who might argue that a cool down is unnecessary http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/why-you-should-cool-down. Whatever the latest fad is, years of scientifically research and experimentation, and my years of training, leads me to conclude that the overwhelming positive benefits of performing a cool down phase during your exercise session greatly outweighs any questionable, none-proven claims.

But what do you think? Do you exercise? Do you incorporate a cool down element to our exercise sessions? If so, what do you do and how long do you cool down?