# What is the point of "cooling down" after exercise? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841 "2004-01-05T17:41:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/1 "2004-01-05T17:41:06Z")
I know cooling down is important after vigorous exercise, but exactly why? Also, how close to resting should your respiration rate be at the end of the cool down, and is this margin different for different people? The reason I ask is that my brother came in from a jog ending in a sprint, and he was sitting down breathing fairly quickly. I told him he should have cooled down and he said he did walk for 4 minutes after his 1/8 mile sprint. I told him his respirations were too frequent to have cooled down and he said he was fine the way he was. I’m sure his health was not in imminent danger, but I still believe that if you respirations are still really high, that one should continue to cool down for a longer period of time, for the sake of returning slowly to normal pressure. **Are respirations a good audio-visual cue to determine status of cool down or can you only determine this from checking blood pressure?** Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/2 "2004-01-05T18:24:51Z")
The usual explanation is that cooling down helps pump lactic acid (which builds up in your muscles during rigorous exercise) out of your muscles and into your bloodstream for elimination. This will help reduce muscle soreness the next day. That’s the theory I’ve always heard, anyway. I agree with you that a sufficient cooling down period probably should be long enough to get your breathing rate back to normal. A better indication of whether it’s ok to sit down is heart rate. If your pulse is significantly above your resting rate, you’re probably not cooled down yet. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/3 "2004-01-05T18:47:29Z")
hmm. i usually do not cool down, and that is after 1 hr of biking on a machine with the intensity set pretty high (it says im burning about 900 cals/hr doing it but i think that could be wrong). ive never had muscle soreness. however after i bike its not like i lie down and do nothing, i walk to the locker room, shower, then walk out to the car. This takes about 15 minutes total. Maybe that is the same thing as a cool down to my body. ---
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/4 "2004-01-05T19:02:19Z")
Oh yes, I left out that pulse is a good indicator too… but my brother was arguing about the respirations, so I need to know about that as well. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/5 "2004-01-05T21:06:13Z")
The key phrase is “active recovery”. I don’t have time to go into detail, but a search with that should be enlightening. ---
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/6 "2004-01-06T20:15:36Z")
Soreness and muscle recovery aside, I am talking about a strain on the system from having your heart still in a raging pump while you are just sitting there, if there even is such a “strain”… ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/7 "2004-01-06T21:07:16Z")
I believe that, esp. after an aerobic activity like running, your body needs time to adjust to the fact that it no longer has your powerful leg muscles aiding in circulating your blood. ISTR that you can pass out from the BP drop (usu. if you just ran a GREAT distance, mind you). Let me see if I can find a cite. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/8 "2004-01-06T21:11:12Z")
[http://www.24hourfitness.com/html/invisible/tips/fit\_tips/dnt\_frgt\_the\_cool\_dwn/](http://www.24hourfitness.com/html/invisible/tips/fit_tips/dnt_frgt_the_cool_dwn/) > [@](#): > > Following exercise, a cool-down should always be part of your normal routine. A cool-down helps your body recover from the stress placed upon it during exercise and helps to **decrease the risk of blood-pooling in the veins which can lead to dizziness and fainting.** A typical cool-down is accomplished by performing low-intensity aerobic exercise at a slow rate. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/9 "2004-01-06T21:13:57Z")
same info. from a slightly better source: [http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/exercisefitness/exer3118.html](http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/exercisefitness/exer3118.html) and even better, from the Army War College: [http://carlisle-www.army.mil/apfri/warm\_up\_&\_cool\_down.htm](http://carlisle-www.army.mil/apfri/warm_up_&_cool_down.htm) > [@](#): > > Why Cool Down? > > As the warm-up phase helps the body transition from rest to exercise, so the cool-down helps the body return to near resting levels after exercise. This phase of your daily exercise routine is just as important as the warm-up for several reasons. > > The purpose of the cool-down is to slowly decrease the amount of work the heart performed (heart rate) and the overall metabolism previously elevated during exercise. When your activity ends abruptly, especially vigorous exercise, your blood pressure drops, which could cause dizziness or fainting. Cool-down prevents the sudden pooling of blood and re-circulates the blood back to the heart, skeletal muscles and brain. This phase of your workout helps prevent muscle stiffness or soreness. > > Active rest is very important after an aerobic exercise bout. This type of recovery brings the body back down to near resting levels, helps eliminate metabolic waste products of exercise and prevents the pooling of blood. During the active rest phase, stretching and flexibility exercises should be performed. > > One indication of your level of fitness is your recovery heart rate. The more fit you are, the faster your heart rate will drop after exercise. Your heart rate may drop as much as 20-40 bpm, within two minutes post exercise, depending on your fitness level! This means that your cardio respiratory system is becoming very efficient and working less hard. A suggested cool-down heart rate post exercise is about 125 bpm. If you head to the locker room and your recovery heart rate is still 145 bpm, your body is not sufficiently cooled down. Learn to take your pulse. Monitor your heart rate right after exercise and again at minutes one and two post exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/10 "2004-01-06T21:14:19Z")
Another reason besides the lactic acid buildup is to avoid **blood pooling**. During exercise the muscles assist mechanically in pumping blood throughout your body. If you are doing a particularly strenuous exercise and suddenly stop, the muscle pumping assistance stops. Blood can actually slow down to the point that it can cause dizziness, fainting, and nausea. ---
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/11 "2004-01-06T21:19:08Z")
Great cite **Toadspittle**! Now, what are the characteristics (pulse, respirations, time, ect.) of a proper cool down which will prevent the blood from pooling? For example, let’s say you ran a 3 mile race as fast as you could while finishing it off with an all out sprint… what pulse and resp. rate would be sufficient to end your cool down and plop on the couch? ---
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-cooling-down-after-exercise/222841/12 "2004-01-06T21:22:32Z")
Thanks, got that pulse info, **Toad**. WOnder about respirations though… probably the same ratio related to resting or max as the pulse I would assume.