In my experience, cooling down at the end of a demanding workout is often skipped, which can be a mistake. Most people when they exercise remember to warm-up (equally important), but cooling down can often be rushed, undertaken in a perfunctory fashion or ignored completely.
I encourage everyone to take the time to stretch and to ease the body out of the intense workout mode at the end of a workout. This helps the body to recover from the demand of the workout undertaken and also minimises the risk of soreness and tiredness the next day (which in themselves can be a obstacle to further training).
This Men’s Health article includes some great cool down stretches which most people can do as part of a cool down routine.
Want to avoid feeling sore and cranky the day after exercising?
Then cool down!
Julien