Indonesia
Is Cooling Down Needed after Exercise?
Thomas likes to ride his bike. When he’s about a mile from home, he does his usual thing; sprint to the finish. Then, he pulls up, slams the brakes and hopped off his bikes. He just stop like that without cooling-down.
Superkids, is cooling down really needed after exercise? Well, there is pretty much no science behind the cool-down advice. Everyone thinks the cool-down is an established fact. There are many studies about the warm-up, but cool-down is understudied.
It is believed that cool-down provides the body with a smooth transition from exercise to a steady state of rest. We don’t want to come to a sudden stop after running a marathon, cycling uphill or doing other activity with heart pumping blood at high speeds.
However, cooling down for 10 minutes after a workout has no impact on delayed-onset muscle soreness. In soccer practice, for example, cooling down has no impact on performance, flexibility, or muscle soreness the next day among professional players.
Cooling-down may help prevent the buildup of blood in our veins, which lead to dizziness or fainting. It also brings fresh blood into areas to remove lactic acid. It helps lower a raised heart rate down to resting heart rate safely. It may also help you to simply unwind after an intense workout. It reduce heart and breathing rates and restore physiologic systems close to baseline.
So, it is good to cool-down. However, if we’re eager to get on with our day, we may just grab a quick shower or pull on a sweatshirt without post-exercise cool-down.
TEGUH WAHYU UTOMO
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