Mix and match some of these favorites for a perfect workout finisher.
If there’s any tenet in the fitness world that’s gone unchallenged, it’s the importance of a solid warm-up before your workout. These warm-ups, which usually involve dynamic stretching, or the kind that’s done with easy movement that mimics the exercises you’re about to do later, are essential to ward off injury, help improve performance, and simply make your routine feel better.
One that tends to fall by the wayside? The importance of a cooldown, when you gradually reduce workout intensity and pace to let your breathing and heart rate return back to normal, and ideally add some stretching into the mix along the way. A cooldown is actually just as vital as that warm-up, strength coach Alina Kennedy, CSCS, a New York-based personal trainer at Bloom Fitness, tells SELF.
“The end of a workout is the perfect time to stretch, since you’re warm from exercise, and your muscles and joints are loose, so it’s the best time to work on your flexibility,” she says. “Unlike during a warm-up where you should always do dynamic stretching, during the cooldown, static stretching is best.”
Static stretching refers to getting into a stretching position and holding it for 15 to 60 seconds, Kennedy says. Resist the temptation to bounce in and out of the stretch—that’s actually its own type called ballistic stretching—but instead deepen your breathing and feel yourself relax more into the stretch with each exhale.
In addition to aiding with flexibility and range of motion, cooling down after a workout can help bring your heart rate and blood pressure back to your normal baseline, Mayo Clinic notes. This may be especially important during an endurance event or an activity where you’ve really gotten your heart rate up, like high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. Plus, it can help boost your sense of relaxation after a killer sweat session.
So what are the best stretches to slot into your cooldown after a workout? There’s not one answer here, since that depends on a bunch of things, like the muscles you’ve worked in your routine and what simply just feels best for your body. So we asked 10 fitness pros for their favorites to give you a whole lot of possibilities for your routine. Try three or four of these after your next workout—generally holding for about 15 to 60 seconds per stretch—to chill out fast.
1. Child’s Pose
“Consider this pose a shortcut to putting you in a relaxed state quickly, especially if you focus on deep breaths and relaxation. This will give you a feeling of both relief and nourishment, which is perfect for a cool-down.” —Benedicte Gadron, RYT, yoga instructor at Hilton Head Health in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
- Kneel on your mat with your knees hip-width apart and your feet together behind you. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, lay your torso over your thighs.
- Try to lengthen your neck and spine by drawing your ribs away from your tailbone and the crown of your head away from your shoulders.
- Rest your forehead on the ground with your arms extended out in front of you.
- Hold for 15 to 60 seconds.
2. Lying Figure-Four Stretch
“Not only does this allow your heart rate to slowly come down, but this stretch helps release muscular tension around the spine and pelvis and also relaxes the upper body, particularly in the shoulders.” —Rocky Snyder, CSCS, Rocky’s Fitness Center in Capitola, California
- Lie on your back.
- Cross your left foot over your right quad and bend your right knee.
- Hold the back of your right leg and gently pull it toward your chest.
- When you feel a comfortable stretch, hold there for 15 to 60 seconds.
- Switch sides and repeat.
3. Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
“Quad and hip flexor stretches are important for the flexibility and range of motion of the quadriceps and iliopsoas muscles (the large, compound muscle in the inner hip). Good quad and hip flexibility allow for unrestricted, pain-free movement of the hip and upper leg. As a variation of this stretch, you can also remain standing rather than putting your back knee down, giving it an element of balance and core stability.” —Jessica Schatz, RYT, certified master Pilates instructor at The Core Expert in Los Angeles
- Kneel on your left knee. Place your right foot flat on the floor in front of you, knee bent.
- Lean forward, stretching your left hip toward the floor.
- Squeeze your butt; this will allow you to stretch your hip flexor even more.
- Hold for 15 to 60 seconds.
- Switch sides and repeat.
4. Lunge With Spinal Twist
“This helps with workout recovery in your cool-down by keeping your entire body from tightening up. You can modify this one, too, by dropping the back knee, which will turn it into a Spiderman lunge and get deeper into the hip muscles. This move is one of my favorite warm-up exercises as well because it involves your whole body.” —Noam Tamir, CSCS, founder and CEO of TS Fitness in New York City
- Start by standing with your feet together.
- Take a big step forward with your left foot so that you are in a staggered stance.
- Bend your left knee and drop into a lunge, keeping your right leg straight behind you with your toes on the ground, so you feel a stretch at the front of your right thigh.
- Place your right hand on the floor and twist your upper body to the left as you extend your left arm toward the ceiling.
- Hold for 15 to 60 seconds.
- Repeat on the other side.
5. Upward Facing Dog
“Especially if you’ve been challenging your back muscles during a workout, stretching those muscles can be helpful for preventing soreness and supporting the muscles around the spine.” —Carol Mack, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist and strength coach based in Cleveland
- Start in low plank, which means come into plank pose as if you’re about to do a push-up, then lower halfway to the floor, keeping your elbows close to the body.
- From there, drop your hips down to the floor and flip your toes over so the tops of your feet touch the floor.
- Tighten your core and straighten your arms to push your chest up. Pull your shoulders back, squeeze your shoulder blades, and tilt your head toward the ceiling to open up your chest.
- Hold the stretch 15 to 60 seconds.
6. Lying Quad Stretch
“Our quadriceps support knee motion and are involved in almost every lower-body exercise like squats and lunges. They also work with other muscles like the hamstrings in running and plyometrics. This stretch is best executed post-training sessions when the body is warm, helping you feel powerful in the next workout. Make sure to breathe deeply, especially when it feels tight. It even gets you a deep hip flexor stretch. It’s the perfect stretch for cyclists, runners, and anyone who spends time strength training.” —Amanda Katz, NASM-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor for Equinox in New York City
- Lie on one side.
- Keep your bottom leg straight and bend your top knee so your foot is by your butt.
- Hold your top foot with your hand, pulling it toward your butt.
- Keep your hips stable so you’re not rocking back as you pull.
- Hold for 15 to 60 seconds. Then repeat on the other side.
7. Knees to Chest With Slow Rock
“Part of any cooldown is doing motions that simply feel good to your body and help you feel supported and able to relax easily into that pose, along with a small amount of motion if that’s useful. This is a perfect example of that.” —Aaron Leventhal, CSCS, founder of Fit Studios in Minneapolis
- Lie on your back.
- Hug both knees into your chest.
- Slowly rock your torso back and forth while firmly holding onto your legs.
- Do this for 15 to 60 seconds.
8. Standing Forward Fold
“This stretches that entire upper body and relieves tension from the shoulders, making it perfect after any workout, especially one where you’ve been doing a great deal of upper-body work.” —Reda Elmardi, CSCS, of The Gym Goat in New York City
- Stand with your feet together, shoulders back, chest proud, gaze straight ahead, and hands at your sides.
- Breathe in, and as you exhale, start by tipping your chin to your chest, and then continue to slowly roll down, bringing the crown of your head toward the floor. Imagine moving each vertebrae one by one as you slowly fold your chest forward toward your thighs (your chest may not actually touch your thighs, depending on your flexibility).
- Once you are folded forward, you may choose to interlace your fingers around your big toes (as shown), clasp the opposite hand around the opposite elbow, or gently press both hands against the floor.
- Gently shake your head “yes” and shake your head “no” to relieve any tension in your neck.
- Stay here for 15 to 60 seconds.
9. Seated Neck Roll
“Especially if you’ve been doing a strenuous, high-impact workout, your neck may have been working harder than you thought. Neck rolls are an ideal way to get any lingering tension out of these muscles after a workout. Do your best to keep your shoulders relaxed during this. Hunching them to get your head closer to your shoulders will defeat the purpose. Take your time, take deep breaths, and feel these stretches work.” —Caroline Grainger, CPT, trainer at virtual training app FitnessTrainer
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, or sit down with your back straight and chest lifted.
- Drop your left ear to your left shoulder.
- To deepen the stretch, gently press down on your head with your left hand.
- Hold for 15 to 60 seconds.
10. Thread the Needle
“This is great to stretch the muscles of your upper back, such as the trapezius, rhomboids, and your rotator cuff muscles. I love doing this one with clients who sit at desks all day for their jobs.” —Renay Bregaudit, CPT, Blink Fitness in Dobbs Ferry, New York
- Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and hips over your knees.
- Reach your right arm underneath and across your body with your palm facing up.
- Bend your left elbow as you gently lean into your right side; you should feel a stretch in the back of your right shoulder.
- Hold for a few seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat.
- Continue for 15 to 60 seconds. Then switch sides and repeat.