Cool Down Stretching

Your cool down portion of your workout is as important as your warm up. Your body has been under a great deal of stress during your workout so you want to slowly return it to “normal” before going on with your day. Cooling down properly will help the body return to a normal state, reduce chances of injury, help alleviate soreness and stiffness, and allows your heart to return to a slower pace.

 

Begin by slowing down. So let’s say your workout today was a three-mile run. You warm up for ten minutes (you may or may not include this in your three miles), and then run your mileage. When you have completed your mileage (or your time) I want you to slow down gradually before you stretch. If you’re on a track, you might slow your run to a jog, your jog to a brisk walk, and your brisk walk to a slower walk. If you have a heart rate monitor, watch your heart rate begin to return to normal. This should take no less than two minutes, best is 3-5.

 

Now don’t just grab your water bottle and head to the couch! Head, instead, to a wall, the side of the house, a low fence, or even the car. Perform the following stretches, holding each for at LEAST a slow count of 15 (one and two and three and four…).

 

Rules:

  1. Do Not Bounce!
  2. Pull gently to the point of feeling the stretch. If you feel pain, back off slightly.
  3. Do not hold the stretch by placing your hand on a joint (for example, when you do the quad stretch do not hold right at your ankle, hold slightly above).
  4. Breathe normally.

 

Quad Stretch:

  • Stand with one hand holding onto something for balance
  • Stand on one leg.
  • Grasp the other leg behind you above the ankle or at the foot.
  • Hold.

Pull the leg down for more stretch.

 

You can also do this on the floor:

Gastroc and Soleus (calf muscles) stretches:

  • Stand against a wall.
  • Bring one leg forward bending at the knee.
  • Other leg back, straight.
  • Lean into the forward leg, watching to make sure the knee does NOT go over the toe
  • Hold.
  • Now lift the back heel slightly, bending at the knee. This will stretch the soleus.

Gastrocnemous

 

Soleus

Gluteals Stretch:

  • Sit with one leg forward.
  • Bend other knee and bring foot to lateral of straight leg
  • Twist gently feeling the pull through the IT and piriformis

 

Hip Flexor Stretch:

  • Stand straight and bring front leg forward to 90 degree angle.
  • Squat down feeling the stretch through the front of the hip.

Hamstring Stretch:

  • Stand straight and bend slightly at hip.
  • Put one foot out in front so leg is straight.
  • Place your hands on your thighs to support your body weight
  • You should feel this in the back of your legs

You can also use a step, a low fence, or the fender of your car for a deeper stretch.

Other:

  • Shoulder rotations (shrug shoulders rotating forward, rotating back)
  • Ankle rotations (rotate ankles clockwise, then counter-clockwise)
  •  (get on knees, sit back onto feet, lean forward with arms in front and head touching ground)
  • Neck rotation

 

Other:

  • Upward facing dog

  • Down dog
  • Child pose
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