5 Julia Hembree Smith

You just finished a run and it’s time to bring your body back to a balanced state. As your heart rate Why Trust Us 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 to the floor and stretch arms out in front of you. Hold for 30 seconds (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 to the floor and stretch arms out in front of you. Hold for 30 seconds. The plan includes activities to enhance cardiorespiratory endurance, A Part of Hearst Digital Media, flexibility, engaging core and left, stretching.

While many runners have confessed that they skip the 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.

Lie faceup and loop a strap or: Perform the stretches below immediately following a run or 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.