Easy Post-Ride MTB Cool Down

A cool down is crucial to your recovery after a ride, here’s a quick one you can do anywhere…

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Here’s a quick cool down that you can do after a session on the bike. All the moves are deliberately designed to be done standing so you can do them anywhere, including the car park after a ride.

These are especially great if you’ve got a bit of a drive back home, doing a quick stretch to relieve any tension and stress built up during the ride can be a great way to avoid stiffness before you sit back down in a similar static position- feel free to do these post drive as well! You’ll feel much better for it! 

Before we start stretching, we want to make sure that we return our bodies to a pre-exercise state, so that means reducing our heart rate and beginning to relax the body out of the high stress zone it’s been in whilst we ride. So take a slow pedal around the parking lot, or gradually reduce your intensity, pedal slower and start to cruise on your way back to the car. The likelihood is that you’ve already started to do this naturally as you come to the end of the ride. 

If you really want to up your fitness game and see a difference in your riding then take a look at our MTB specific fitness programmes.

- Let’s Cool Down -

Now, it’s time for some stretching. These 5 stretches only take about 6 minutes! Ideally you’d hold them for a bit longer or repeat the sequence once more, but we’ve all got busy lives, so doing 6 minutes is way better than doing nothing!

I’ve included a Quick Look version at the end of this blog, without all the ‘Whys’ and extra information, so that you can save it or take a screenshot of it for easy access at any time. 

- Neck Circles -

Time: 30 seconds total- 15 seconds in each direction

Tip: Go easy with this one, start small with half circles and then increase to full circles as your neck starts to loosen.

Why?

• This is going to feel so good. We’ve had our neck in a flexed position and chances are the majority of us have poor thoracic (upper back) mobility, which means our necks are put in an extra strained position whilst we ride (if you want to know more about this check out Why is Mobility Important for Mountain Bikers. 

• Neck circles will relieve any tension built up from the ride and reduce neck stiffness.

- Alternating Upper Back Stretch to Cactus -

Time: 60 seconds total- hold each position for 10 seconds then slowly transition to the next

Why?

• If you’ve checked out our Quick Pre Ride Warm Up, you might already be familiar with this move; it offers so much ‘bang for its buck’ that it's an absolute no-brainer to incorporate it into a quick cool down. You’ll notice this time however, whilst we're still switching between each movement to mobilise the spine and shoulders after being in a forwards static hold for so long, we’re also adding in a hold. 

• This is to help open up and really stretch the upper back, shoulders and chest; plus you already know how to do it, so there is nothing new to learn here- we like to keep it simple.

- Wide legged forward fold with twist -

Time: 60 seconds- hold for 30 seconds on each side

Tip: Aim to hinge from your hips, we don't want a rounded spine in this position. If you are finding this one difficult, have a bend in the knees to release some pressure from your hamstrings.

Why?

• The forward fold stretches the entire backside of the body; after a ride, you’ll really feel this stretch in the hamstrings and calves, some of our prime movers. Tight hamstrings can affect the alignment of our pelvis and tight calves can affect the alignment of our knees, both of which can lead to injury if ignored. 

• But before injury occurs, this misalignment means we won’t be able to generate as much power through the pedals than we would with good form, so our performance on the bike suffers, then we get injured. It’s a slippery slope! 

• This move also opens up the hips and stretches the spine, relieving any tension that has been built up in our fixed riding position on the bike. The rotation adds in a nice stretch for the upper-back. 

- Classic Quad Stretch -

Time: 60 seconds total- hold for 30 seconds on each side

Tip: Tuck in your pelvis and squeeze your glutes to really feel this in your hip flexor too.

Why?

• Our quads are often our main power houses when we cycle, even though they shouldn’t be; in actuality our glutes and hamstrings should be the stars, but are often lazy. Many of us don’t actually know how to ‘switch on’ our hamstrings and calves, so our quads tend to take over- aka quad dominance. 

• If this stretch is performed properly you should get a nice hip flexor stretch- our quads are made up of 4 muscles (hence the name ‘quad’) and one of these is our main hip flexor, which has been working super hard whilst we’ve been riding. It typically stays in a shortened position while we’re riding so it can become super tight. Tight hip flexors can lead to hip and lower back pain, so let’s stretch them out! 

- Standing Glute Stretch -

Time: 60 seconds- hold for 30 seconds on each side

Tip: hinge at the hips, keep your chest up and shoulders back to avoid rounding of the spine. 

Why?

• Our glutes are another main mover during our pedal stroke, they actually help to stabilise the pelvis in our riding position. Our glutes should be working hard and tend to get very tight after a ride, so this stretch targets the deep glute muscles which can lead to lower back issues if they are tight.

• This move also works as a hip opener by targeting our outer hip which assists in keeping your knee in alignment throughout the pedal stroke. This will feel pretty intense so ease into it. 

- Time to Rehydrate, Refuel and Plan Your Next Ride! -

Now you’ve had a quick cool down, make sure you drink enough water and eat to refuel your body- and I’m talking whole foods. I know a cold beer and salty snacks taste great after a ride, and we don’t expect anyone to give this up so please don’t stop enjoying this on our behalf- maybe just don’t reach for a beer after every ride! Water and good nutrition can aid recovery and will make a big difference to your next ride.

If you struggled with any of these moves, whether they were too challenging physically or you struggled with the mobility aspect, then don’t worry- just keep at it. By challenging yourself you’ll slowly improve your fitness and your mobility. 

 If you do want some help in this area then check out our other free fitness content, we’ve got some great basic strength and mobility moves to help you advance. Alternatively, if you want to take your fitness more seriously and take your biking to the next level then check out our paid programmes.

- Your Handy Quick Look Version -

Remember to reduce your heart rate before you jump into these stretches!

• Neck circles: 30 seconds total- 15 seconds in each direction

• Alternating upper back stretch to cactus: 60 seconds total- hold each position for 10 seconds then slowly transition to the next

• Wide legged forward fold with twist: 30 seconds each side

• Classic Quad Stretch: 30 seconds each side

• Standing Glute Stretch: 30 seconds each side