How to cool down after exercise: what a cool-down does, and how to do one

What it is

A few minutes of easier movement after training, such as walking, easy jogging or cycling, often followed by stretches. Many athletes do 5 to 15 minutes. It's also called a warm-down.

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What it does

Your heart rate and breathing settle a little faster, and lactate clears from your blood faster, though it returns to normal within about 20 to 120 minutes anyway.

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What it doesn't do

In trials it didn't stop next-day soreness, prevent injuries or improve the next day's performance.

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Why it's still worth doing after hard efforts

Stopping suddenly and standing still after hard or long exercise can make you light-headed, because blood pools in your legs. Easing off makes sense from how the body works and from case reports, but no trial has tested whether it prevents fainting.

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How long

Our editorial default is 3 to 5 minutes of easy movement after hard cardio, kept well under the review's limit of about 30 minutes. Stretches are optional: the NHS routine takes about 5 minutes.

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Who needs a longer one

People with a heart condition (at least 10 minutes), people on blood pressure medicines, people with PoTS and people with asthma.

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Heart rate and breathingEmerging evidence

With an active cool-down, heart rate was significantly lower 10 minutes after exercise than when people stopped and rested, probably because the nervous system's balance recovers faster. Breathing settles faster too.

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LactateEmerging evidence

An active cool-down clears lactate from your blood faster, though not necessarily from your muscles, and blood lactate returns to resting levels within about 20 to 120 minutes even if you sit still. Lactate isn't what causes next-day soreness.

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Performance laterEmerging evidence

When the next effort is 10 to 20 minutes away, such as between heats, easy movement in between helps. For performance more than 4 hours later or the next day, active cool-downs made little difference, with a few small benefits and harms. A review in competitive athletes found 6 to 10 minutes of active recovery the most consistently useful, on weak evidence.

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SorenessEmerging evidence

In a trial of 52 adults made sore by 30 minutes of walking backwards downhill, a 10-minute uphill walk afterwards changed soreness 2 days later by 0 points on a 100-point scale, while a warm-up beforehand cut it by 13 points. Most studies agree, though better-trained athletes may benefit a little.

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InjuriesEmerging evidence

In three studies that followed runners, regular cool-downs didn't reduce injuries. In a trial of 421 male recreational runners over 16 weeks, a warm-up, cool-down and stretching programme didn't either: 5.5 injuries per 1,000 hours of running with it and 4.9 without.

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Stiffness, temperature and refuellingEmerging evidence

Active cool-downs didn't reduce stiffness or lost range of movement for up to 3 days, and on a bike they didn't lower core temperature faster, though people sweated more. Very long ones, from 45 minutes to hours, slowed the refilling of the muscles' fuel stores, so keep a cool-down under about 30 minutes.

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Long-term progress and how it feelsEmerging evidence

In one preliminary study of well-trained team-sport athletes, a 15-minute jog after every session didn't hold back 4 weeks of training gains. Most people feel a cool-down helps, but measured psychological recovery doesn't change, and part of the benefit may be expectation.

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Blood pressure falls after exerciseEmerging evidence

After exercise, blood pressure stays a little lower for several hours, a normal response. If you stop and stand still, your leg muscles no longer pump blood back to the heart, and blood pressure and blood flow to the brain can drop. In lab tests, 50 to 80% of healthy people show signs of fainting if tilted upright for 15 minutes after exercise, against about 8% normally. After marathons, 27% and 10% of runners in two studies were close to fainting when they stood still.

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Collapse after racesEmerging evidence

Collapsing just after an endurance race, unable to stand or walk unaided, is mainly this drop in blood pressure as blood pools in the legs, once serious causes such as cardiac arrest, heatstroke and low blood sodium are ruled out. Heat and dehydration aren't needed for it to happen, and standing still in the finish-line funnel has probably contributed to some cases.

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Does easing off prevent it?Mixed evidence

It makes sense from the physiology and from case reports: moving your legs, squatting, crossing your legs and tensing your muscles helped people prone to fainting after exercise, and keeping moving is standard advice after races. But no trial has tested whether a cool-down prevents fainting or heart problems, so treat it as sensible rather than proven.

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Stress hormones keep risingEmerging evidence

In 10 healthy men, noradrenaline, a stress hormone, kept rising after exercise stopped, to about ten times its resting level, which may matter more with heart disease. Cardiac rehabilitation standards note that low blood pressure, reduced blood flow to the heart and irregular heartbeats can occur in the first 30 minutes after stopping.

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If you feel faintStrong evidence

Lie down with your legs raised, or sit with your head lowered between your knees, and drink some water. Crossing your legs while standing, rocking up and down on your toes or clenching your fists can help. Call 999 if someone faints while exercising.

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It won't speed recoveryStrong evidence

Across 10 pooled trials (229 people, mostly young men; very low certainty), stretching after exercise didn't speed the recovery of strength or reduce soreness over the next 3 days. A Cochrane review found it reduced next-day soreness by about 1 point on a 100-point scale. A panel of 20 international experts, all agreeing, doesn't recommend stretching as a recovery routine, though it may suit personal preference.

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But it's a good time to build flexibilityEmerging evidence

Flexibility exercise works best when your muscles are warm. ACSM advice for flexibility is to hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds and repeat it 2 to 4 times, so it adds up to about 60 seconds, on at least 2 or 3 days a week. Our flexibility guide has more.

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The NHS cool-downStrong evidence

The NHS routine takes about 5 minutes: buttock, hamstring, inner thigh, calf and thigh stretches, each held for 15 to 20 seconds, "to gradually relax, improve flexibility and slow your heart rate".

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After a run or race

Walk for a few minutes, and keep walking after a race rather than stopping dead at the finish. Then stretch your calves, thighs and hips if you like.

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After weights

A cool-down is optional: a short walk or a few stretches if you like them. Light-headedness during or just after a heavy lift is linked to straining and over-breathing, so breathe out on the effort and sit down if you feel dizzy.

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After intervals or a class

After high-intensity intervals or a fitness class, ease off until your breathing settles, then stretch if you like (our suggestion).

Heart conditionsStrong evidence

With a heart condition, the British Heart Foundation advises a cool-down of at least 10 minutes. Cardiac rehabilitation standards describe a graduated cool-down, a reverse of the warm-up, lasting at least 10 minutes, with floor exercises left until afterwards; people who can manage only a short session may need a shorter one to match. Follow your rehab team's plan.

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Blood pressure medicinesStrong evidence

The American Heart Association advises people taking blood pressure medicines to extend their cool-down to prevent low blood pressure. Stand up slowly afterwards (our suggestion).

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PoTSStrong evidence

PoTS UK advises avoiding sudden stops or standing still for too long, a low-intensity cool-down, then lying or sitting with your legs raised higher than your hips. Compression garments can help.

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AsthmaStrong evidence

A European position paper on asthma suggests 5 to 10 minutes of light to moderate activity, then 5 to 10 minutes of whole-body stretching.

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PregnancyStrong evidence

In later pregnancy, avoid lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes, as it can make you dizzy, so stretch standing or on your side. Keep cool, and stop if you feel too hot or unwell.

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Older adults

Cool-downs still need study in older people. Change position slowly and keep a chair nearby (our suggestion).

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Heat exhaustion

Tiredness, dizziness, a headache, cramps, heavy sweating, feeling sick and a high temperature are signs of heat exhaustion: get somewhere cool, drink plenty of water and rest. Call 999 if someone is still unwell after 30 minutes of cooling, or has hot skin that isn't sweating, fast breathing, confusion or a fit.

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Call 999 now (911 in the US)

Stop and call 999 (don't drive yourself to A&E) for:

• Chest pain that feels tight, like squeezing or pressure, or like burning or indigestion and doesn't go away, or pain that spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back.
• Chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness.
• Severe difficulty breathing: gasping, choking or not able to get words out.
• Someone who faints while exercising, can't be woken within a minute, or hasn't fully recovered.
• A headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, or comes with numbness or weakness, trouble speaking, confusion or loss of vision.

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Get help the same day: NHS 111 (in the US, your doctor or urgent care)

• You're suddenly more short of breath than usual, or have chest pain with a heartbeat that races, slows, skips or flutters.
• A headache that exercise brings on or makes worse: ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact 111.
• An injury that is very painful or getting worse, swells a lot, or that you can't put weight on. Call 999 or go to A&E if you heard a crack or the injured part has changed shape.
• In the days after an unusually hard session: dark, red or cola-coloured urine, passing less urine, or muscle pain, stiffness or weakness far worse than normal soreness. These can be signs of rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle that can harm the kidneys.

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See a GP

• After any faint, even if you feel fine now.
• Before you start, if you haven't exercised for some time or have a medical condition or concerns.
• If new symptoms appear as you do more. Light or moderate activity doesn't usually need a check first if you have no health conditions.

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Stop and swap

Stop straight away if you feel pain or become unwell, and contact NHS 111 if a symptom worries you or doesn't go away. A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a set, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use the move's easier option, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal.

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"A cool-down flushes out lactic acid and stops you being sore"Emerging evidence

Blood lactate returns to normal within about 20 to 120 minutes anyway, lactate isn't what makes you sore, and a cool-down changed next-day soreness by 0 points on a 100-point scale in a trial.

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"Skipping the cool-down causes injuries"Emerging evidence

Studies of runners found no effect, including a trial of 421 men.

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"Stretching after exercise speeds recovery"Strong evidence

It didn't speed strength recovery or reduce soreness in pooled trials, and experts don't recommend it for recovery. It does help flexibility over weeks.

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"A cool-down cools you down"Emerging evidence

On a bike, an active cool-down didn't lower core temperature faster. If you're overheated, getting somewhere cool, drinking and resting are what work.

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"Hold cool-down stretches for at least two minutes"Strong evidence

The NHS cool-down holds each stretch for 15 to 20 seconds, and ACSM flexibility advice is 10 to 30 seconds, repeated. Long holds aren't needed.

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"Stopping suddenly is dangerous for everyone"Emerging evidence

For most healthy people it's harmless, though light-headedness is common after hard or long efforts if you stand still. People with heart conditions do need a graduated cool-down.

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