The Army Training System - AskTOP

THE COOL-DOWNThe following information explainsthe importance of cooling down andhow to do it correctly.• Do not stop suddenly after vigorousexercise, as this can be very dangerous.Gradually bring the body backto its resting state by slowly decreasingthe intensity of the activity.After running, for example,one should walk for one to two minutes.Stopping exercise suddenlycan cause blood to pool in themuscles, thereby reducing bloodflow to the heart and brain. Thismay cause fainting or abnormalrhythms in the heart which couldlead to serious complications.• Repeat the stretches done in thewarm-up to help ease muscle tensionand any immediate feeling ofmuscle soreness. Be careful notto overstretch. The muscles arewarm from activity and can possiblybe overstretched to the point ofinjury.• Hold stretches 30 seconds or moreduring the cool-down to improveflexiblity. Use partner-assisted orPNF techniques, if possible.The soldier should not limit flexibilitytraining to just the warm-up andcool-down periods. He should sometimesuse an entire PT session on a"recovery" or "easy"training day towork on flexibility improvement. Hemay also work on it at home. Stretchingis one form of exercise that takesvery little time relative to the benefitsgained.Rotation ExercisesRotation exercises are used to gentlystretch the tendons, ligments, andmuscles associated with a joint and tostimulate lubrication of the joint withsynovial fluid. This may providebetter movement and less friction inthe joint.The following exercises should beperformed slowly.4-3