Cool Down

The active cool down has become an entrenched component of an athletics session and is widely believed to be an effective tool to assist post-exercise recovery. However, a growing base of peerreviewed literature is raising question marks on this claim.

In April, van Hooren and Peake (2018) published a literature review of the current evidence assessing the effectiveness of the cool down for performance athletes. The researchers found that most evidence indicates that active cool-downs do not significantly reduce muscle soreness or improve recovery. However, there may be some benefits of an active cool down that coaches should still take into account when designing their training sessions.

The review found that an active cool down did lead to an increase in the removal of lactate in blood, but it is not apparent whether this is of any benefit to athletes as it is not necessarily removed faster from muscle tissues and it is unclear whether this is responsible for postexercise lethargy or nausea.

There is some evidence that a cool down can increase the rate of recovery of the cardio and respiratory systems, but there is only weak evidence to suggest that this has any active benefit to athletes. Two studies out of 16 identified cool downs as important for reducing post-exercise muscle soreness, but both used smaller sample sizes and have been contradicted by the weight of research.

Support

Faster removal of lactate in blood, but unknown practical relevance for athletes.

Weak Support

An active cool-down may enhance the long-term adaptive response

Very Weak Support

14 out of 16 studies showed no significant attenuation of muscle soreness post-exercise

No Evidence to Support

No significant improvement in sleep, mood, same-day or nextday performance, hormone concentration, sweat rates, stiffness, range of physical motion or muscle glycogen resynthesis.

Cool Down Recommendations

1. It is difficult to recommend one optimal cool-down protocol for all situations, as the mode, intensity and duration will all be dependant on the preceding activity and the individual preference of the athletes. There is evidence to suggest that you should engage the same muscles that have been targeted during the session at approximately 30% of the intensity of the main session (Mika et al., 2016; Murray, Turner, Sproule & Cardinale, 2017).

Coaching Implication: Select a low intensity activity that engages the same muscles being targeted in the main session.

2. Use dynamic activities to increase blood flow, but keep intensity low enough to avoid additional fatigue. Similarly, activities should involve low mechanical impact to prevent further muscular damage van Hooren and Peake (2018).

Coaching Implication: Avoid high impact activities such as repeated accelerations, jumping or fast changes of direction.

3. Research supports the use of foam rolling to reduce delay onset of muscle soreness, increase range of motion, improve athlete’s self-perception of recovery and improve athletic performance the following day (MacDonald et al., 2014; Rey et al., 2017). Further information is available in your Level 2 Intermediate Club Coach and Recreational Running materials.

Coaching Implication: Incorporate a foam roller into the cool down or after a session to aid recovery and improve performance.

4. Static stretching used as part of a cool down is unlikely to reduce muscle soreness and does not prevent degenerative injuries (Dawson et al., 2005). However, that is not to say activities such as yoga or pilates have no value in an athlete’s program.

Coaching Implication: Understand the appropriate time to incorporate static stretching and the rationale for its use.