At the end of any vigorous or intense workout there should be a 5-10 minute cool down phase. The cool down allows your body to be brought back to normal condition. Your heart rate is brought back to normal speed and your muscles begin to relax. A cool down also involves stretching your muscles that you have used to help prevent stiffness and/or soreness.

A cool down from a cardio workout should consist of walking at a slow pace for up to 10 minutes. This will allow your heart rate to return to normal and it also the muscles in your legs to become more relaxed.

A cool down from a strength training workout should consist of stretching. However, the stretch does not necessarily have to be as intense as the warm-up stretches. On the other hand, the stretches should involve all the muscle groups used during the work out.

A good example of a cool down from a strength training working would be to start off relaxing your neck, move to your shoulders and your arms, and work down to your legs and feet. Any type of light stretches will be sufficient, as long as you always remember to cool down after every workout.

Stretching your muscles after a workout will help prevent painful soreness the next day and allow for your muscles to heal quicker. Also, a proper cool down will prevent you from becoming light-headed.