You’ve just completed your workout, and you’re trying to decide on what to do next to effectively cool down. Do you drink a post-workout shake, eat a quick snack, or pack up and go on with your day? Before you figure out what to do next, you should try to incorporate some post-workout stretches into your cool-down routine. One of the most underrated aspects of staying healthy after you workout is making sure that you’re doing all you can to reduce the likelihood of future injuries and setting your body up for success in future workouts. Post-workout stretches have a multitude of both mental and physical benefits, and we’ve highlighted some of the key benefits you can gain by stretching after your workout to effectively cool down.
You might be incorporating pre-workout stretches into your routine and think that it’s good enough, but there are plenty of benefits that can be gained from adding post-workout stretches into the cool-down phase of your workout as well.
One of the biggest benefits of incorporating a set of post-workout stretches into your exercise routine as part of the cool-down phase is that it helps you actively take steps to reduce the likelihood of injury in the future. After you’ve completed a strenuous workout, you can probably feel what is often referred to as the pump.
Essentially, this is the phase in which your body and muscles are swollen from the rigorous physical activity. Blood is flowing to the muscles, and your muscles can feel tight and strained over time from the physical stress you’ve put them through. Once you’ve completed your workout, those tense muscles don’t just disappear, and it can take quite a bit of time for your body to settle down and begin the recovery process.
Stretching can help you alleviate some of that tension in those muscles by sending a signal to your brain and body that it’s time to begin the recovery process. Once this subconscious signal is received by the muscles, you’re letting your body know that it no longer needs to be prepared to exert tremendous amounts of force or energy for any upcoming activity.
One of the ways in which stretching helps your body prepare for future workouts and initiate the cool-down process from a strenuous workout is the relaxation of the muscles. As new research comes to light each day, stretching can help you increase your muscle’s stretch tolerance and improve range of motion which could help you reduce your risk for injury over time. The last thing you want to happen is to go into a future workout with tense muscles, which may lead to an injury.
Let’s be honest, we can all do with a little bit more flexibility. When you add post-workout stretches into your exercise routine, you’re actively working to increase the flexibility of muscle groups. You’ll find that your flexibility increases gradually over time.
When you consistently add post-workout stretches, your body will become more flexible and you’ll find it easier to bend, squat, stand, and a variety of other flexibility-related tasks. By making your body more flexible, you’re also making it easier to perform certain exercises and workout more effectively with a potentially lower risk for injury in the future.
In addition, improving your flexibility through post-workout stretches will allow you to increase your range of motion. Increasing your range of motion will allow you to perform certain exercises that were previously difficult and decrease your risk for injury over time. Gradually, your body will become more tolerant of certain exercises that push your muscles to the limit, and you won’t have to worry about using your muscles and body in such a way that would cause it to sustain an injury. Adding post-workout stretches to the cool-down phase of your workout will also help you increase your flexibility for the remainder of the day and decrease that tense feeling you get after a tough workout.
During your workout, your body is trying to pump blood as fast as it can to accommodate your elevated heart rate and the oxygen demands for each muscle. Part of making sure that you can actually begin the recovery process after an intense workout is ensuring that your body has the nutrients it needs to recover. When you take advantage of post-workout stretches, you’re making sure that your heart rate can settle down to a reasonable rate and increase the blood supply to those muscles and joints that were taxed during your workout.
As more blood begins to flow to those muscles and joints, you can transport those essential nutrients to begin the recovery process.
Another benefit of increasing or improving the circulation to those essential muscle groups by stretching is that it helps to reduce lactic acid buildup in your muscles. As you’re working out, your muscles are producing lactic acid. This lactic acid can build up over time and will create the sensation that your muscles are sore or tender due to the physical exertion you’ve put your body through.
As you incorporate post-workout stretches into your routine, you can increase the supply of nutrients and oxygen to those muscle groups and decrease the lactic acid production over time. Throughout the course of your post-workout stretches, you will decrease the accumulated lactic acid and eliminate some of that tenderness or discomfort you were previously feeling.
If you’ve ever worked out for the first time in quite some time and felt sore for hours or days on end, you could be feeling that lactic acid buildup. The sensation typically dissipates by itself in a few days, but post-workout stretches can help you get a jump start on eliminating that sensation faster.
Getting rid of that muscle soreness and tenderness sensation will also help you improve your desire to workout, as many individuals will choose not to workout for days when there is a build-up of lactic acid and the sensation of soreness that comes along with it.
Another fantastic benefit of adding stretches to your post-workout routine is that stretching can help you alleviate stress and improve your mental well-being. When you stretch, your body releases endorphins which can help to improve your mood, alleviate stress buildup, and clear your thoughts.
If you’ve just completed a rigorous workout, you might feel “wired” or amped up like you could run through a brick wall. Stretching gives you a chance to settle down, clear your thoughts, and get back into a neutral state in which you don’t feel so wired or amped up. Stretching after your workout will also give you a chance to reflect on your workout. It’s always a good idea to measure your fitness progress and think back on your recent workouts to reflect on how far you’ve come, make some mental notes on ways in which your workout can improve, and think about how your body has responded to the physical exercise you just put it through.
Now that we’ve highlighted some of the key benefits associated with post-workout stretches and you have a better understanding of why you should incorporate them into the cool-down phase of your exercise routine, the next step is to make them a priority after each workout. Whether you’re engaging in a light exercise routine or a rigorous one, we can all benefit from adding post-workout stretches.
At Results PT, our goal is to help patients reduce the pain they’re experiencing, restore function, increase range of motion, and get back to doing the things they love. If you’re looking to add post-workout stretches into your routine and want to know which stretches would best benefit you, Schedule an Appointment Today to connect with one of our physical therapists.
