3 Hidden Risks of Skipping Your Cool-Down Stretch
"I always finish my runs with a good stretch and a cooldown. It's an essential part of my recovery routine." - Mo Farah, British distance runner and multiple Olympic gold medalist.
Do you cool down after a run?
Are you one of those runners that skips the cool down?
In this episode, let me try to convince you why it’s important to cool down properly and the hidden risks to skipping it.
WELCOME
Imagine having the freedom to move your muscles with ease and fluidity, without the fear of injury holding you back.
By improving your range of motion through regular stretching, you're not only enhancing the health of your tissues, but also reducing the likelihood of them becoming damaged from overexertion.
Simply put, a little bit of flexibility can go a long way in preventing injury and keeping your body in tip top shape.
WHAT ARE THE OBVIOUS BENEFITS TO THE COOL DOWN STRETCH?
Improving your joint mobility offers range of motion advantages. By increasing your range of motion and fluidity of movement, you can effectively lower your risk of injuries.
This is due to the fact that your muscles and tendons become better equipped to handle the demands placed on your joints, allowing for greater adaptability and resilience.
There was one study that found static stretching and PNF are effective post exercise.
“These results suggest that both SS and PNF training are effective in attenuating eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage and that flexible muscles are less susceptible to the damage.”
(https://europepmc.org/article/MED/20689450)
Interestingly, there was also another study that I found that shows the benefits of compression clothing on reducing muscle soreness after exercise.
This was a British Journal of Sports Medicine meta-analysis of 12 studies. The study concluded:
“Analysis of pooled data indicated that the use of compression garments had a moderate effect in reducing the severity of DOMS.
These results indicate that compression garments are effective in enhancing recovery from muscle damage.”
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23757486/)
It’s also worth noting that there is conflicting science around the subject of cooling down and whether it should be active stretching or passive (walking, cold water immersion, low intensity cycling).
Most of the focus in the science literature focuses on reduction of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), delayed recovery of strength and return to ROM as focused on in this study:
“For now, evidence-based recommendations on whether post-exercise stretching should be applied for the purposes of recovery should be avoided, as the (insufficient) data that is available does not support related claims.” (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34025459/)
But then, you find detailed and clear information like the following quote from Harvard Medical School:
“Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.”
(https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-stretching)
So, I think that seems fairly clear when you put it in those terms.
Logic shows us:
If your body moves better, you will move better.
If you move better you will run better. Therefore…
You can improve how well your body moves by stretching.
So by that logic. Stretching makes your body move better.
Improving how well your body moves helps you run better.
I think we can agree on that.
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THE HIDDEN RISKS TO SKIPPING POST RUN STRETCHING
There are some hidden risks that I believe we miss when we take too much of a scientific view of everything.
Stretching makes us feel good.
A Research Gate study I found states the following:
“Research has shown that static stretching activates your parasympathetic nervous system and inhibits activation of your sympathetic nervous system.
Your parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for your rest and digestion functions. It can also help induce feelings of calmness and relaxation.”
(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274517864_Acute_Changes_in_Autonomic_Nerve_Activity_during_Passive_Static_Stretching)
If we are finishing our run feeling good, activating our parasympathetic nervous system thats a good thing surely?
Every single session I take a client through a cool down I will always hear things like:
’ooh that feels nice’
’Oooh yes thats a good stretch’
’I need that stretch for my hamstrings’
’My calf muscles are enjoying this’
If it feels good and it nourishes your body, do it!
Also, the cooldown is an effective way to debrief/unwind and review your run. The perfect opportunity to understand what was happening during the run.
Was your mind focused on something that needs your attention?
Was your body feeling stressed or heavy in certain areas?
Maybe you noticed a slight niggle creeping in?
By allowing time to stretch and cooldown you give yourself this opportunity to replay and review your run.
You can then take any action needed. If you have a running journal take notes. You can then look back at any patterns you see.
Maybe you notice that on a Tuesday you always get a little bit stressed on your run. On review you notice the relationship between your Tuesday run and the fact you work from home that day, sat down all day and your body feels lethargic and heavy from that.
Breath recovery is an often hidden risk to not properly cooling down.
If you’re finishing a run and then going straight back into your daily life without allowing your breathing pattern to calm down. You could be going from one stress event to another and keeping your body in a stressed out state.
My client Kate would finish a run and go straight back into being a parent of 3 children and all of the demands and stresses that would come with that.
Kate would often say that she literally felt anxious about going for a run because she would immediately come back to cooking tea or getting the kids school clothes and packed lunch ready for the next day whilst she was still out of breath and sweaty from her run.
Kate now allocates at least 10 minutes post-run to stretch and breathe to unwind and recover ready for the rest of her day, whatever she faces!
She gives herself physical and mental space to recover after a run.
These are three examples of how a cool down stretch can help your mental health.
SUMMARY
Cooling down is not all just about the stretching, as good as it is for your body to move well.
Cooling down properly makes you feel good, it increases paraysmpathetic nervous activation this relaxes us.
Cooling down properly allows you time and space to review and make any changes or notes of action if you have a running journal.
And finally, cooling down properly gives you time to breathe and allow your breathing rhythm to return to baseline. Keeping your breath in a increased/hyper pattern, keeps your body stressed.
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I shall speak to you in teh next episode my fellow runners!