Cooling down (also known as limbering down or warming down) is the transition from intense physical activity to a more typical activity level. A typical cool-down activity after a workout might involve a jogging slowly or walking for a few minutes. Cooling down allows the heart rate to return to its resting rate.
Overall, the process has little or no effect on short-term or long-term benefits, such as delayed-onset muscle soreness or injury prevention. However, many athletes say that they subjectively feel better if they have engaged in a cool-down activity.
Stretching
thumb|Static stretching
Static stretching is a typical cool-down activity. Each muscle used in mid-high-intensity exercise should then be stretched during the cool-down. Many sporting groups use cooling down jackets during half-time. Australian elite sporting teams such as those in the AFL, Olympic teams, military and elite athletes across all sporting fields use cooling down vests to increase performance and gain a competitive advantage over their competition.
Performance effects
An active cool-down does not improve sports performance the next day or later in the same day (e.g., if the person has an early-morning workout followed by a competition in the late afternoon). Cooling down has been promoted with the hope that it will reduce the risk of fainting after a workout. However, whether it is successful for that purpose is unknown.
It has been hypothesized that individuals who are at risk for cardiovascular disease may develop negative cardiovascular outcomes in the event that cool-downs are not completed following bouts of exercise. However, current clinical evidence disputes this. Reviews on the inclusion of exercise-therapy for management of cardiovascular disease have indicated that regular exercise instead induces positive long-term adaptions for the cardiovascular system that reduce the risk of death and outcomes requiring hospitalization.
Muscle soreness and injuries
Overall, active cool-downs generally do not have a significant effect on delayed-onset muscle soreness (feeling sore the next day).