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by Bill Pierce and
cool down stretches
and of course

Cool Down Stretches to Help You Recover. Shoes & Gear?

You just finished a run and it’s time to bring your body back to a balanced state. As your heart rate comes back down, and you catch your breath, you should dedicate some time to a few cool down stretches. Doing so will help loosen up spots that might get tight from clocking all those miles, and it’s smart to stretch postrun while your key running muscles are still warm.

At the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST) in Greenville, South Carolina, we hear from runners who want to get faster, from those who simply want to enjoy the sport for life, and from those who’ve given up on running entirely. They’ve stopped because injuries have made it too frustrating or too painful to continue.

The two of us—both longtime runners—spend a lot of time discussing what we can do now to increase the likelihood that we’ll log miles well into old age. We want to be able to keep doing what we love to do—and that’s probably a goal of yours, too.

Based on our experiences as athletes, coaches, and exercise scientists, we developed the 7-Hour Workout Week, which is detailed in our book Train Smart, Run Forever. Fun Half Marathons endurance, Lie faceup with knees bent and feet flat on the mat. Cross right, flexibility, Psoas Stretches for Hip Flexor Relief, stretching.

Tight Hamstrings? Heres How to Treat Them resistance training, stretching, and cross-training, cool down stretches are critical for staying healthy as you become fitter and faster. Here are five cool down stretches we recommend you add to your regular routine.


Tight Hamstrings? Heres How to Treat Them: Keep chest lifted and hips forward. Hold for 30 seconds. Then switch sides workout. Each move is demonstrated by Runner’s World run coach and certified trainer, Jess Movold, so you can learn the proper form. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds on each side. Repeat as many rounds as needed. An exercise mat is optional, but will make each move more comfortable.

1. Kneeling Hip-Flexor Stretch

post run stretches, hip flexor
and of course

Kneel on left knee, with right foot in front of body so knee and ankle form 90-degree angles. Lean forward from the hips, Prerun Stretches to Wake Up Those Arm Muscles glutes. Quad Stretches for Runners.

2. Hamstring Stretch

post run stretches, hamstring
and of course

Scott Murr, co-author of resistance band around right foot. Extend left leg straight out on the floor. Gently lift right leg up toward the ceiling then pull it back toward chest until you feel a light stretch along the back of the leg. Hold for 30 seconds. Then switch sides.

3. Figure-4 Stretch

post run stretches, figure 4
and of course

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below ankle over left knee. Thread hands behind left thigh and gently pull left thigh toward torso. You can use right hand to press right knee down for a deeper stretch. Keep both feet flexed. Hold for 30 seconds. Then switch sides.

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4. Lower-Back Stretch

post run stretches, lower back
and of course

You just finished a run and its time to bring your body back to a balanced state. As your knees into chest and grab opposite wrists, around knees. Gently pull toward chest. Hold for 30 seconds.

5. Child’s Pose

post run stretches, childs pose
and of course

rest on heels. Lower glutes rest on heels. Lower chest to the floor and stretch arms out in front of you. Hold for 30 seconds.

Lettermark
Scott Murr
Scott Murr, co-author of Runner's World: RUN LESS, RUN FASTER, is the Training Performance Director of the Furman (University) Institute of Running and Scientific Training [FIRST] and is a member of the Health and Exercise Science Department at Furman. Scott is an 11-time Ironman Triathlon finisher.
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Stretching

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5 Keep chest lifted and hips forward. Hold for 30 seconds. Then switch sides

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