Cool Downs

Cool Down Importance

  • Cool down is as important as warm-up.
  • Cool downs often get neglected.
  • Cool down is a prime opportunity to address mobility and range of motion issues.

Cool Down Goals

  • Target range of motion improvements.
  • Provide protein supplementation or carbohydrate mixes with protein.
  • Team building through stretching together, led by captains.

Static Stretching in Cool Down

  • Static stretching improves range of motion without compromising performance.
  • Static stretching can help reduce delayed onset muscle soreness.
  • Static stretching may increase the rate of recovery (not definitive).

Cool Down Strategies

  • Multiple elements may be included in a cool down:
    • Active recovery.
    • Breathing and relaxation exercises.
    • Static stretching.
    • Foam rolling.
  • Cool down duration:
    • Long cool down: 40 minutes (all elements).
    • Shorter cool down: 10-20 minutes (breathing, stretching, foam rolling).

Static Stretching Duration

  • Very short hold stretching is useless.
  • NSCA suggests a minimum of 30 seconds.
  • Longer hold stretching (2-5 minutes) promotes more range of motion and flexibility gain.
    • Minimum threshold: 30 seconds.
    • Extended threshold: 2-5 minutes.

MMA Fighter Cool Down Example

  • Sample cool down:
    • Frontal Scorpion: 2 sets of 30 seconds.
    • Static spinal extension (abdomen and hip flexors): 2 sets of 30 seconds.
    • Backward roll (cervical and lumbar spine): 2 sets of 30 seconds.
    • Lateral base (gluteals and lumbar): 2 sets of 30 seconds.
  • Total duration: ~6-7 minutes (including time between activities).

MMA Cool Down Exercises

  • Lumbar cool down using a scissor movement.
  • Trunk cool down.
  • Back roll mimicking fighting movements.
  • Light stretches of the lumbar region and anterior thigh muscles mimicking fighting positions.

Banded Distraction / Joint Distraction

  • Limited literature supports its benefit.
  • Galat study on banded stretching distraction vs. passive postural training:
    • Experimental group showed front split improvements (statistically significant but small).
    • No gain in the control group.
    • Significant (but small) gain in sit and reach test.
  • Banded distraction may be useful for people with mobility challenges in the cool down.

Foam Rolling

  • Foam rolling can be beneficial during cool down.
  • Galat study
    • Foam rolling resulted in significant improvement in range of motion.
    • Cycling did not.
    • Significant gain in active straight leg raising (right and left), active flex leg raising (right and left), and extension of the right hip.

Foam Rolling and Soreness

  • Foam rolling may reduce muscle soreness post-exercise.
  • McDonald study (2014):
    • Good effect size for reducing delayed onset muscle soreness at 48 and 72 hours.
    • Potential for benefit at 24 hours after exercise.

Foam Rolling Benefits

  • Self massage response:
    • Reduces anxiety, tension, stress, depression.
    • Improves mood.
    • Increases relaxation.
    • Increases sense of well-being.
    • Enhances perception of well-being.
  • Restorative effects:
    • Restorative massage (20-30 minutes) enhances sense of recovery.
    • Self massage (foam rolling) could be beneficial.

Cool Down Considerations

  • Align cool down with training session goals.
  • Address issues from the training session.
  • Target weaknesses in athletes.
  • Carefully consider the selection of cool down activities.