The Best Cooldown to Do After a Run
At the end of a run, chances are, you just want to sit down and rest. That’s always my immediate desire—along with a nice big glass of icy cold water. But while plopping down on the sofa immediately sounds ideal, skipping the whole cooldown thing is likely to just end up making you more uncomfortable later on.
“It's important to incorporate a proper cooldown after your run in order to enhance recovery,” Katie Harper, D.P.T., of Bespoke Treatments Physical Therapy, tells SELF. One immediate reason is that skipping can leave your muscles sorer and stiffer than if you had taken a few minutes to cool down and stretch. "We should always move through our full available range of motion post-exercise in order to reduce the risk of muscle and joint adhesions and stiffness, which can ultimately compensate our ability to move down the road," Harper says.
When it comes to a run, it's ideal to end with 5 to 10 minutes of easy jogging or walking. "It allows you to return your heart rate to baseline gradually, instead of abruptly. This is better for the sake of training adaptation—if your heart anticipates a sporadic change in pace every time you run, then it is not going to know how to regulate itself properly in future training endeavors," Harper explains. Abruptly stopping a workout also abruptly slows circulation, causing blood to pool in your legs instead of promptly returning to the heart and brain, which can cause lightheadedness and even fainting. Slowing down gradually and letting your body return to baseline is an easy way to prevent this from happening.
It also just feels good to stretch and cool down, especially if you've been running for a while. No one ever regrets spending some quality time in Downward Dog, right?
Harper recommends the dynamic stretching sequence below post-run. Compared to static stretching, the benefit of a cooldown with more movement lets you use a broader range of motion, so you can find and address any mobility issues you need to work on. The stretches here focus on the parts of the body that need some extra love post run: the hips, legs, and butt.
- Easy jog or walk — 5 to 10 minutes
- Hip circles in lunge — 30 seconds each leg
- Lunge and twist — 30 seconds each leg
- Pigeon Pose — 30 seconds each leg
- Downward Dog with alternating calf marches — 30 seconds each leg
- Run through all the above stretches on one leg first, then switch sides and do them all again.
Tory Rust1Hip Circles in Lunge — 30 seconds each leg
- Stand with your feet together.
- Step forward with your right leg, and lower down until your body is in a lunge position with your front knee bent at a 90-degree angle directly over your toes and your back leg extended behind you.
- With your front foot planted and your back foot on your toes, circle your hips clockwise five times.
- Do five circles counterclockwise.
- Continue this movement for 30 seconds.
Tory Rust2Lunge and Twists— 30 seconds each leg
- Staying in a lunge position with your right leg forward, rest your left knee on the floor. Place your left hand on the ground for balance.
- Lower your right arm to the floor so that your elbow is next to the instep of your right foot.
- Then, rotate your torso to the right while extending your right arm up toward the ceiling.
- Do this movement for 30 seconds.
Tory Rust3Pigeon Pose— 30 seconds each leg
- Bend your right knee, letting it drop off to the right and crossing your leg underneath your torso. Extend your left leg straight behind you.
- Lean your body over your right leg, resting your forearms on the ground if you can.
- Try to keep your hips square with the ground, pressing them into the ground to deepen the stretch.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
Tory Rust4Downward Dog With Alternating Calf Marches — 30 seconds
- From lunge position, step back into a high plank.
- Then, push back into Downward Dog by lifting your hips and butt high into the air and straightening your arms and legs. Keep your head in line with your torso and look back toward your feet to avoid straining your neck. Press your heels into the ground.
- Lift one heel off the ground and bend your knee while keeping the other heel planted and leg straight. Continue alternating feet in this marching motion for 30 seconds, making sure to really press the heel down each time to stretch out the hamstring.
Katie Harper is wearing an Adidas by Stella McCartney sports bra (similar styles at adidas.com), Sweaty Betty leggings (similar styles at sweatybetty.com), and Adidas sneakers (similar styles at adidas.com).
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