Cool-down stretching is an interesting topic. 

On the one hand, there are a lot of people that swear by it. You’ll often hear people say that they end up sore if they don’t stretch and it’s often stated that you can stretch further when you do them post-exercise, which promotes improved flexibility and recovery.

But there’s very little research to support the benefits of cool-down stretching.

However, I do like to do some cool-down stretches. Not because I believe it reduces pain, promotes recovery or increases range of motion. I like to bring my body back into a rested state. Strength training has a large sympathetic nervous system response from weights and specific breathing patterns required to manage large weights. Spending some time to focus on recovery breathing to switch the body into a more parasympathetic, state is a great idea. 

Yes, of course, you could do this lying down with your eyes closed, but I enjoy the focus it brings to each body part as I work through some different postures. 

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