Introduction – How To Cool Down With Exercises?
A good workout session in the gym can truly uplift your spirits and make your body feel pumped up, right?
Yes, spending an hour packed with intense exercises in a gym in San Diego is the ultimate adrenaline rush a gym lover needs! However, the intensity of these workouts can get your heart pumping faster than usual, blood vessels dilated, and body temperature raised. Before you hit the shower, it is vital to get control of all these things happening in your body post the workout.
So, how can you relax your body after a workout? Well, simply by learning some cooldown exercises!
Now you must be thinking, exercising after a complete workout, how does that even work?
As per the American Heart Association, you must go by the “warm-up and cool down” rule to maintain the overall health of your body. It claims how coming to a sudden halt post workouts can make you feel dizzy or sick.
Plus, stretching post a workout session makes your body flexible and relaxed, as claimed by many San Diego Fitness clubs. Not just that, ten minutes of stretching exercises can decrease the buildup of lactic acid in your body.
You must make a note of all these cooldown exercises to allow your body to recover from the post-workout strain!
Here are some of the simplest cooldown exercises you should give a go!
- Seated Forward Bend
- Seated Single-Leg Hamstring Stretch
- Child’s Pose
- Lunging Calf Stretch
- Core Abdominal Stretch
- Single-Leg Knee-To-Chest Stretch
- Cat & Cow
- Bent Knee Cross-Body Stretch
- Seated Pigeon
If you feel like taking further help and assistance, you can contact any Personal Trainer San Diego online! Get all your queries answered before beginning with this barely popular post-workout ritual.
- Seated Forward Bend
How To: Sit straight and extend your legs in front of you. Lift your arms and touch the toes, keeping your hands parallel to your legs. Bend forward slowly and hinge at your hips. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds.
Benefits: This position relaxes your back and releases all the strain. You will feel calm and composed staying in this position for a minute.
- Seated Single-Leg Hamstring Stretch
How To: After an intense leg day, this stretch will work like a magic! Sit straight on the floor with one leg stretched out and the other bent towards you. Keep the sole of your bent foot against the outer thigh of your straightened foot. Now, extend your arms and bend forward to touch your toes. Hold it for at least 30 seconds, then switch legs.
Benefits: This position releases hamstring tightness, which is the major contributor to back pain. You must have seen cricketers and footballers stretching like this before their game!
- Child’s Pose
How To: With the help of your San Diego Personal Trainer, practice sitting in the child’s pose for a minute after every workout. All you have to do is kneel with your hands supporting your upper body and aligned with the knees. Move backward to meet your hips with the calves.
Benefits: This position stretches all the small muscles that attach to the vertebral bodies.
- Lunging Calf Stretch
How To: All you need is to add some transition to the regular lunges. Step into a forward lunge while easing into the stretch by making small bounces with the other leg. You will feel your calves relax in this motion.
Benefits: It relaxes the calves, glutes, and hip flexors to a great extent.
- Core Abdominal Stretch
How To: Lie on your stomach with your palms touched to the ground near your shoulder. Press up to your palms and stretch your head backward to look at the ceiling. Release and repeat the position after 30 seconds.
Benefits: Many Personal Trainers San Diego prefer this cooldown exercise for stretching core muscles.
- Single-Leg Knee-To-Chest Stretch
How To: Lie on your back and bend one knee, keeping the other leg straight. Hold the bent knee with both your hands and slowly pull it towards you, pressing it lightly against your chest. Hold it for 30 seconds, then repeat with the other leg.
Benefits: This position will stretch out your lower back properly. If you have lower back pain, you must try it!
- Cat & Cow
How To: Kneel and rest your upper body on your palms, keeping your arms straight. First, arch your back as much as you can and lookup. Hold the pose for five minutes, then crunch your chest while tucking your chin. Keep repeating for ten rounds at least.
Benefits: This stretch will release all the strain and muscle pull from your back and abs.
- Seated Pigeon
How To: Sit on a bench or chair. Keep your left ankle or your right knee. Now, touch your knees and ankles to bend forward and push against the floor gently.
Benefits: This position will release muscle tightness around your thighs. You should try this stretch after an intense leg workout.
Key Takeaways
Apart from all these basic stretches and cooldown exercises, there are several other variants that you can learn. The most effective way is to sort out your stretches as per the workout regime you have followed.
For instance, if your female personal trainer San Diego instructed you to follow a leg-day workout, you must perform post-workout stretches that target your calves and thighs. This way, your worked-out portion of the body will feel more relaxed than ever!
Now that you know the importance of stretching after a workout, do not cringe away from putting in some extra minutes in the gym.
Having said all this, you should look forward to joining a popular gym in San Diego to have your trainers look after all your fitness needs. Famous names, like the Iron Orr Fitness Studio, offer comprehensive services to ensure you never miss out on the essentials of your fitness routine.
Release your post-workout strain easily with effective stretching!
