Summary: You may already be warming up before a workout, but are you ending your workouts properly? Find out how to end them properly in this article.

What you do before and after your workout are both key to having a good workout. However, prepping your body for recovery is also important so that you do well the next time you hit the gym. It’s like a debriefing after a big project at work. You wouldn’t want to walk away without learning a few lessons or prepping yourself for the next, similar project, would you?

To help you get into a post-workout routine, here are five things that you should be doing at the end of your workout:

  

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1. Cool down. Don’t go from a sprint or a super intense lift to just stopping completely and resting. Cooling down after a workout is crucial to keeping your muscles fit and healthy. Consider doing a short walk, or light moves similar to a dynamic warm up, such as arm circles, toe touches, or foam rolling.
2. Stretch. It’s surprising how many people don’t realize the importance of stretching after a workout, whether you were doing cardio, like running, or you were lifting weights in the gym.
3. Hydrate. While we’re exercising, we’re losing a lot more liquid that you might imagine, even if it’s cold outside, but especially so if it’s hot. Be sure to hydrate both during and after your workout. Otherwise you may start to feel dizzy and nauseous, along with a host of other negative side effects from dehydration.
4. Change and shower. I realize this one might sound obvious, but staying in your sweaty workout clothes for too long after your workout can irritate your skin and cause breakouts. Be sure to hit the showers quickly and put on some fresh clothes before you start to relax.
5. Refuel. Refueling within a half hour to an hour time frame after your workout is critical for helping your muscles rebuild. When we’re working out, we not only use up energy stores, but we breakdown our muscles. By refueling with carbs and protein after a workout, we’re helping our muscles to regenerate bigger and stronger than before.