4 Easy Exercises to Cool Down After a HIIT Workout
HIIT WORKOUTS CAN have an immediate effect on your physical state. After the final interval buzzer rings, your chest is pounding. Your limbs are aching. You’re so tired. But before you grab your gym towel to hit the showers, do yourself a favor and try this post-HIIT workout cool down.
Dr. Philip Tam, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Bespoke Treatments, with the help of personal trainer Vaughn Gray, NASM-CPT, demo how the quick series is done.“Today I'm going to run through four mobility drills that you can do to help maintain flexibility and start to recover,” says Tam.
Ready? Probably not. But even if you’re exhausted after you HIIT workout and feel on the verge of collapse, let’s dive in before we call it a day.
Benefits of a Cool Down After HIIT Workouts
Loosen up muscles
Promote mobility
Maintain flexibility
Return your body to its resting state
Kickstart recovery for the next training session
The 4-Exercise HIIT Cool Down Series
Inch Worm
“So this is a great one to do after a high-intensity workout because as we all know, it's a very full-body experience using your arms a lot and using your legs a lot,” says Tam. “This is gonna help stretch out your hamstrings and your shoulders at the same time.”
How to do it:
Start in push-up position.
Slowly walk your hands back towards your feet.
Once you’ve brought your hands back towards your feet, hold it here for about five seconds and then slowly walk yourself back out and repeat for 10 times.
Downward-Facing Dog with Foot Pedal
You’re “stretching the shoulders and now getting that stretch in [the] calves after you're done jumping, doing burpees, doing your side-to-side movements,” says Tam of this post-HIIT move for instant relief. “This is a great way to get the muscles stretched out.”
How to do it:
Get into downward facing dog
Pedal your legs back and forth between sides to get a stretch in your calves.
With each pedal hold for about three seconds before you switch to the next side. Aim for 10 reps.
The World’s Greatest Stretch
This movement's name speaks for itself. Make sure to move deliberately through each step to reap all its benefits.
How to do it:
Start off in a lunge position
Put both arms down towards the floor, one on the outside of your foot and one on the inside. “From there you should start feeling a stretch on that leg that's down,” says Tam.
Rotate the arm on the inside of your foot towards the sky. You’re really going to “feel that stretch opening up the hips and you should get some mobility and stretch [through the hips],” says Tam.
Hold for three seconds on each rotation. Repeat 10 times and then switch to the other side.
“Again, very important that we get the hips stretched out after a full high-intensity workout, and now we're getting that back moving, too,” says Tam.
Catcher's Position with Rotation
How to do it:
Start with both legs down in a deep squat position and with both heels down. Keep both hands palm-down on the floor.
Take one arm and just rotate upwards and reach for the sky. You should feel that stretch right in the groin area, as well as the mid-back. It “really [is] getting the hip stretched out after the high-intensity workout,” Tam notes.
Hold for three seconds on each reach and repeat 10 times on each side.
If you’re looking for a great HIIT routine to pair with this cool down, try any of these 14 HIIT Workouts That will Make You Forget Boring Cardio.
For more advice from physical therapists to help you move and feel better, check out all of our guides in The Fix series.
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