Exercise

October 18, 2009

Is Cooling Down Necessary After Exercise?

The New York Times had an excellent article about the importance (or lack thereof) with “cooling down” after exercise (and it’s good to see a publication that consistently gets it’s fact right on exercise). For years, I’ve discussed this topic in my Facts and Fallacies of Fitness seminars. And the fact is, there is scant research supporting the necessity of the post-workout cool down.

As pointed out in the Times article, one of the primary theories behind cooling down is to reduce lactic acid buildup and thus post-exercise muscle soreness. Unfortunately, the idea that lactic acid causes muscle soreness has no credence. Zilch! For those interested in the specifics of post-exercise muscle soreness, see my article Understanding Exercise-Induced Muscle Soreness. Bottom line is that cooling down won’t have any effect on diminishing muscle soreness — it isn’t consistent with the genesis of how and why people get sore from exercise.

Now the cool down *might* have some benefit in helping to restore blood flow after very intense exercise. Blood can pool in muscles following intense training, and gradually reducing exercise intensity can potentially help to restore circulation throughout the body. However, as Dr. Paul Thompson notes in the Times article, the vast majority of people don’t just plop down on the couch as soon as their workout ends. Rather, they walk around for at least a little while, providing the same effect as cooling down. Only a few minutes of light activity should be necessary to produce desired benefits.

Certainly there is nothing inherently wrong with cooling down after exercise, but there is a cost: namely, it takes time. And time is one of our most precious commodities. Most people want to finish their workout as efficiently as possible, and the cool down is a good place to trim unnecessary time from your routine.

Stay Fit!

Brad

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