What is the real reason for a cooldown and what is the best thing to do when cooling down?

To each their own i guess.

I read a recent study that showed deep massage straightaway after a session is the best form of cooldown, in regards to flushing the lactic and preventing muscle soreness/tightness.

Ill try and find the link.

But the other variables were jogging, walking, nothing, stretching, iceing, hot/cold immersion and anti inflamatories.

enhances recovery

lactic acid does not cause muscle soreness or tightness...it is flushed out of the system within 15 minutes of being finished with the event

repeated trauma to muscle fibers from eccentric muscle contractions (the landing phase of your stride) is what causes muscle damage and soreness

the best way to clear lactic acid is to go for a semi-quick run after your race...not fast but not as slow as a jog either

Without a good cooldown, I am in a heightened state several hours after the workout and unable to settle down. If I do not do a sufficient cooldown at late afternoon workouts, it will be tough to get to sleep at night.

jacabo is correct. LA does not cause muscle soreness of tightness.

The purpose of the cool down (and a morning run for that matter) is NOT to remove lactic acid, rather it is to flood the muscles with "good blood". This will help remove other impurities from the workout, most notably Hydrogen ions (which do cause muscle soreness).

i find that smothering my face with dogshit after a workout helps me...

mo-man wrote:

i find that smothering my face with dogshit after a workout helps me...

That's a good one, but I also like to walk briskly around the workout area and urinate on the enclosed borders. Then I usually find the nearest restroom and rub one off while thinking of my splits. This is all breifly before I take the shortest route to my apartment or mom's basement and start a thread on letsrun asking for predictions on how fast I can run for a 5k based on the times from the previously mentioned workout.

It is a good way to add in some miles. Run with your workout mates after the workout,get in a few miles,and talk nonsense. Looking forward to a cooldown used to get me through a workout

Vin wrote:

jacabo is correct. LA does not cause muscle soreness of tightness.

The purpose of the cool down (and a morning run for that matter) is NOT to remove lactic acid, rather it is to flood the muscles with "good blood". This will help remove other impurities from the workout, most notably Hydrogen ions (which do cause muscle soreness).

Hydrogen ions, like lactic acid, have already been buffered too.

jacabo wrote:

lactic acid does not cause muscle soreness or tightness...

No one said it did. Carefully read the post again.

How about decreasing blood pooling effect in the great veins and gradual normalization of BP?

The real reason is to kill a little time before the awards ceremony.

Avoiding WHY we need to cooldown, I can tel you what has been shown to work from a scientific and practical standpoint (study to follow as soon as I find time to write!)

We find the best cooldown for runners involves an informal set of 5x800m whereby the HR starts at around 125-135 for the first 800m or so then increases to 135-145 for the 2nd and 145-150 for the 3rd. Then begin decending the ladder with the 4th at a HR of 135-140 and the 5th at a HR of 125-135 again. All told, this cooldown should take anywhere from 15-20 mins. We have confirmed the speed of recovery of this cooldown by taking blood lactates following the cooldown and having the athlete continue for another 800m if it was >2mM.

jacabo wrote:

lactic acid does not cause muscle soreness or tightness...it is flushed out of the system within 15 minutes of being finished with the event

Actually, lactic acid disassociates much more rapidly than that. I believe it can be measured in seconds rather than minutes. Methinks you are confusing lactic acid with lactate.

Paula Radcliffe takes a 10 minute ice bath after every race.

The physiological reasoning behind a cool-down -

COOL-DOWN

The cool-down period provides a gradual recovery from the endurance/games phase and includes exercises of diminishing intensities; for example, approximately 5 minutes of slower walking or jogging, cycling and approximately 5 minutes of stretching exercises, and in some cases, alternate activities (e.g., yoga, tai chi, relaxation training).

The cool-down is critical to attentuate the exercise-induced circulatory responses and return heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) to near resting values; maintain adequate venous return, thereby reducing the potential for postexercise hypotension and dizziness; facilitate the dissipation of body heat; promote more rapid removal of lactic acid than stationary recovery; and combat potential, deleterious effects of the postexercise rise in plasma catecholamines.

Omission of a cool-down in the immediate postexercise period theoretically increases the opportunity for cardiovascular complications. Presumably, the sudden termination of exercise results in a transient decrease in venous return, possibly reducing coronary blood flow when HR and myocardial oxygen demands still may be high. Cool-down is a critical ingredient of a comprehensive, safe program for both healthy participants, as well as patients with disease.

(ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing & Prescription, 7th Edition)

I hope that answers your question.

but why did coe slightly tempo instead of jogging?

citius99 wrote:

but why did coe slightly tempo instead of jogging?

My guess would be in order to buffer lactate quicker (hence the reason I advocatea slight "ladder" to our cooldown protocol). Studies have also shown that glycogen resynthesis MAY be sped up by a slightly quicker pace, or strides, than just plain ol' slow jogging.

Motor Boatin SOB- wrote:

promote more rapid removal of lactic acid than stationary recovery;

I hope that answers your question.

Even ACSM's "Guidelines for Exercise Testing & Prescription" gets it wrong.