Trainer's Running Cooldown
Cool Your Body Down After a Run With These 3 Trainer-Approved Stretches
Warming up before a run and cooling down after are important to increase your body's internal temperature pre-workout and bring it back to its normal state post-workout. Your muscles also benefit greatly from both. NASM-certified Peloton Tread master trainer and USATF/RRCA run coach Rebecca Kennedy told POPSUGAR that warmups are essential for getting your heart rate elevated and targeting your hamstrings, glutes, and hips (you can find her go-to moves for that here).
A cooldown is necessary, Rebecca explained, because you want to lower your heart rate after a run. In fact, one sports medicine expert told us in a previous interview that skipping a cooldown is potentially dangerous because stopping abruptly from your cardio could lead to light-headedness or even fainting. A cooldown restores your body temperature and normal blood flow, and Rebecca said that Peloton's digital app offers cooldown runs to do after your more intense treadmill workouts.
When it comes to static stretches, which Rebecca said are also important for your muscles to help combat soreness from (DOMS), she provided us with her top three essential moves. These will help open up your hips, hamstrings, and glutes — do them in whatever order works for you.
1 Kneeling Stretch (Half-Kneeling Hip Opener)
