Do you immediately rush to your day’s duties after doing an intense bodyweight morning workout? Or, do you just sit down and immediately relax without first doing some cool down exercises? 

I just came across an article by Sean Hyson, a fitness writer, that discussed the importance of cool down exercises and some examples you can begin using. 

But let’s examine the basics first. 

Why Cool Down?

“If you leave the gym immediately after training and go sit at a desk for the rest of the day, you’re just reinforcing tightness in your neck, traps, and shoulders that can lead to injury over time.” 

Hyson brilliantly points out the fact that cool down exercises are the necessary bridge between an intense bodyweight workout and a complete rest afterward. Although he’s specifically pointing this out on weightlifting, the same principle applies in any kind of workout. 

It’s about dealing “kindly” with your muscles and thereby preventing injury over time. 

How To Cool Down Or Decompress

Whether you’re doing bodyweight cardio or strength training, Hyson says, 

“There is a proper way to finish up a strength-training session that both initiates the recovery process and helps improve future performance.” 

The fitness expert also quotes the sports performance coach Sam Pogue as saying, 

“Decompression exercises help the muscles return to resting lengths.”

Pogue terms cool down exercises as “decompression.” In fact, it’s what cool down exercises are literally for. They’re meant to decompress the muscles that have been compressed when you did your bodyweight workout. 

With that in mind, you should be ready to know what kind of decompression calisthenics you can perform after intensely working on your muscles. 

Post-Bodyweight-Workout Cool Down Exercises

Take note of the following calisthenics and do a couple of them after each bodyweight workout.

• Kneeling Arm Thread 
• Floor Scorpion 
• Figure Four Lat Stretch 
• Hamstring Bow 
• Shin Box with Extension 

Now Hyson describes how to perform each of the above exercises. Yes, there are no other tools needed. Just you and your body weight. Do you want to give them a try?

View original article at menshealth.com.