What a cool-down is for
A cool-down is a gradual drop in effort at the end of a session, so your breathing and heart rate come down while you are still moving. Most people do it for comfort: finishing a hard interval and sitting straight down can leave you feeling heavy or light-headed, while a few easy minutes lets the session wind down. It is also a natural moment to write the session in your log before you forget the numbers.
A coach can build a cool-down into your plan and adjust it to anything you have told them about your health. See personal training at RPM.
What the evidence says it does, and does not do
A 2018 review in Sports Medicine compared active cool-downs, meaning light exercise after training, with simply stopping. Its verdict was that active cool-downs are largely ineffective for most markers of recovery, but may still offer some benefits over doing nothing.
| Common belief | What the 2018 review found |
|---|---|
| It helps you perform better tomorrow | Largely ineffective for performance later that day or the next, though some studies reported benefits the following day |
| It prevents injuries | Active cool-downs do not appear to prevent injuries |
| It stops soreness | Most evidence showed no significant reduction in muscle soreness |
| It clears lactic acid | Lactate cleared from the blood faster, but not necessarily from the muscle |
| It helps breathing and heart rate settle | It may help the heart and lungs recover faster |
| It restores flexibility | No significant effect on recovery of range of motion or muscle stiffness |
| Doing it every time blunts your progress | Early evidence suggests regular cool-downs do not reduce long-term training gains |
The review also notes that an active cool-down can interfere with refilling muscle glycogen, the carbohydrate stored in muscle.
Stretching gets its own verdict. A 2011 Cochrane review of 12 studies found that stretching soon after exercise reduced soreness the next day by about one point on a 100-point scale, and concluded that stretching before or after exercise does not produce clinically important reductions in soreness in healthy adults.
A simple three-step cool-down
| Step | What to do | Roughly how long |
|---|---|---|
| Ease down | Easy cycling, a cross-trainer at low resistance or a steady walk, at about 2 or 3 out of 10 | Three to five minutes |
| Settle | Slow breaths, standing or sitting, until you could hold a normal conversation | One to two minutes |
| Stretch, if you want range | Gentle holds for muscles where you would like more movement | Two to five minutes |
The stretch step serves flexibility, not soreness. WHO's 2020 guidelines describe flexibility exercises as improving a joint's ability to move through its full range.
The warm-up runs the other way, building effort up before the session. Its three parts and the evidence behind them are in how to warm up before a gym session.
Cool-downs by session type
| Session | First few minutes | Then | Leave out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Unload the bar and walk the floor, or a few easy minutes on the bike | Stretches for any area you want more range in | An extra hard set added as a finisher when the plan did not call for it |
| Conditioning circuit or intervals | Keep walking or pedalling easily until your breathing settles | A minute of slow breathing, then optional stretches | Lying flat straight after the last round |
| Fitness boxing | Light shadow boxing, then shoulder circles | Unwrap your hands and drink water | A last flurry on the bag after the final bell |
| Treadmill or bike | Lower the speed or resistance in steps | A short walk off the machine | Stepping off a moving belt at speed |
| Pilates | The instructor's closing exercises usually serve as the cool-down | Nothing extra unless you want it | Rushing straight from the studio to a hard session |
If you feel dizzy after hard intervals, many coaches suggest walking slowly rather than lying down straight away, and sitting if the dizziness does not pass. The 2018 review notes it is unknown whether a cool-down reduces the chance of fainting, so dizziness that keeps returning is a question for a doctor.
Cooling down before the heat outside
- From May to September, the walk to the car park and a hot car can feel like more exercise. Let your sweating ease in the air-conditioning before you leave.
- Drink water during the cool-down, and keep a bottle in the car for the drive home.
- In Ramadan, if you train before iftar, keep the cool-down gentle and short, then rehydrate once you break your fast.
- For anything outdoors, follow official heat guidance. Heat and humidity add to the strain of exercise.
- Chest pain, unusual breathlessness or confusion are reasons to stop and get medical help, not to cool down harder.
Sauna, steam or ice bath after training
None of these replaces the easy minutes of a cool-down, and none is a proven shortcut to recovery. If you enjoy them, use them after you have cooled down and had some water. RPM's recovery suite has a Finnish sauna, an aroma steam room and an ice bath, and which tiers include it is confirmed on enquiry.
Ask your doctor before using heat or cold if you are pregnant, take regular medication or have a heart or blood-pressure condition, or if you are unsure. Leave straight away if you feel unwell.
A two-minute version, and cooling down at RPM
- Ninety seconds of easy cycling or walking, slowing as you go.
- Thirty seconds of slow breathing before you pick up your bag.
- Stretches only for the area you are working to loosen, if you have time.
RPM is one club, on Level 4 of AD HUB Sports Complex in Al Manhal. Floor photos show treadmills, cross-trainers and an upright bike by tall windows, plus spin bikes, so the easing-down step has several options. The functional area's turf has room to walk and stretch, and the women-only Ladies section has its own cardio equipment.
Sources
- Van Hooren B, Peake JM. Do we need a cool-down after exercise? A narrative review of the psychophysiological effects and the effects on performance, injuries and the long-term adaptive response. Sports Medicine, 2018
- Herbert RD, de Noronha M, Kamper SJ. Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2011
- World Health Organization, WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020)
Questions, answered.
Is it bad to skip the cool-down?
The 2018 review found most of the measured benefits small or absent, so by that evidence a missed cool-down costs you little. Many people still like a few easy minutes to let their breathing settle before the drive.
Does stretching after the gym stop soreness?
Not in any meaningful way. The 2011 Cochrane review found about a one-point drop on a 100-point soreness scale the next day. Stretch for flexibility if you want it, not to avoid soreness.
How long should a cool-down take?
Most take five to ten minutes. After a short or light session, two or three minutes of easy movement is plenty.
Do I need a cool-down after lifting weights?
Less than after intervals, because heavy sets come with long rests and your breathing settles between them. A short walk or three or four minutes on the bike is enough for most people.