In the past, after riding a bike and having a full meal, I could go out shopping with friends or hike in the suburbs without resting. But recently, I found that if I didn’t take a short nap after showering post-ride, my whole body would feel very uncomfortable, especially with a severe headache. This was a new experience for me, and I started to wonder if my physical stamina was declining.
Recently, I took the opportunity to ask some experienced cyclists for advice. One friend specifically asked me whether I did any “cool-down exercises” after every ride? Cool-down exercises?! But I had just finished cycling—what was this about? That question opened my eyes to how much there is to know about exercising. We’ve all learned since childhood to warm up before exercising, but no teacher ever mentioned the need to cool down afterward. After further inquiry, I learned that cooling down is a very important step, especially for cycling enthusiasts.
Cooling down is also known as “warming down” or “recovery exercise”; the English term is “cool down.” It’s similar to driving a car. When you get home and park the vehicle, everyone knows that you shouldn’t turn off the engine immediately after a high-speed drive because the engine is still hot. The system anticipates that the driver might accelerate again soon, so it keeps the engine running at a certain RPM to respond quickly to acceleration commands. Only after keeping the car in P or N gear for a while and letting the RPM gradually decrease can you safely turn off the engine and maintain optimal engine condition. The human heart is like a car engine. If you immediately sit down and rest after cycling without allowing your heart rate to gradually slow down over time, it’s just like turning off the engine right after parking—very damaging. But how exactly should you do it?
I remembered that every time I stopped recording my ride with my heart rate monitor, it would display “Start cool down?” Previously, I’d already be sitting down, so I’d just press “No” and then “Save.” But after my friend’s reminder, last week when I got home and pressed the stop button on my heart rate monitor, I saw the words “Start cool down.” This time, I pressed “Yes,” and a 5-minute countdown appeared. That’s when I realized it was reminding me to do 5 minutes of recovery exercise (which can be extended depending on the situation) after intense activity. So, with a sheepish nod to self-awareness, I hopped back on my bike, switched to a lower gear, and slowly circled around the flat roads near my home. Perhaps because I was mentally prepared to wind down, my leg muscles didn’t push hard at all. It was almost as if my front foot was simply guiding the back foot in a circular motion—I wasn’t really “pedaling.” For the first time, I saw my heart rate numbers gradually decline and stabilize. If you were to chart the decline in heart rate over time, it would form a gently sloping curve. My heart rate slowly dropped to 100–120 BPM, which is within the 50–60% range of my maximum heart rate. This felt completely different from immediately sitting down to rest after a ride. When the 5 minutes were up and the monitor beeped to signal the end, I turned around and rode back home. But during that short ride, it felt just like a regular walk on flat ground—like I was in a “non-exercise” state. The difference was huge. And of course, once I got home and went about other activities, my body felt completely different from before. In the past, even during a shower at home, I sometimes still felt a bit breathless or had palpitations. But after doing this cool-down for the first time, I immediately noticed that both my heart (heart rate) and muscles were relaxed together.
Of course, the benefits of cooling down go beyond that. It includes accelerating the metabolism of waste products in the body (like lactic acid), allowing blood to flow back to the internal organs more smoothly, helping the body and muscles cool down gradually, and maintaining muscle elasticity, among other advantages. Of course, if you experience excessive muscle soreness due to a single overlong ride, additional recovery measures may be needed. But after personally experiencing the benefits of cooling down, I was shocked to realize just how important and essential this step is. I also noticed that many fellow cyclists overlook this self-protection measure. We all take such good care of cleaning our bikes—the true source of a bicycle's power, our own hearts, definitely deserves proper care too. I sincerely hope that all cycling enthusiasts can achieve real health benefits by understanding more about the sport of cycling.
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