Mirror me: the cool down

You’ll need

Stopwatch or phone
Audio device with speakers
Internet access, or printouts with details of the five main muscle groups and the cool-down movements

Before you begin

The person leading the activity or a young leader should prepare a playlist for an exercise cool-down. Double-check that all the songs are suitable for young people. The playlist needs to be playable on an audio device in the meeting space.

Run the activity

Having completed your sport or activity, come together to chat about which muscle groups you’ve been using, which need to be stretched and how to stretch them. Try to do this quickly and then get on with your cool-down, before anybody cramps up!

Explain to the group that they’ll be doing a cool-down. Everyone will lead and take part in the cool-down.
Everyone should split into pairs or small groups and find somewhere in the activity space where they have some room to move around.

Start the music. One person in each small group or pair should decide which muscle group to start cooling down. Another person should begin doing a cool down movement that stretches those muscles, which the rest of their group should copy. Do this several times over, holding each stretch for about 30 seconds.

Groups should continue in this way until all five main muscle groups have been warmed up.

Reflection

It’s important to cool down and stretch out after exercising or playing sports, just as important as it is to warm up. When exercising or playing sports, our hearts beat faster than normal and we become hotter. Doing a cool-down slows our heart-rates back to normal at a steady pace, which stops you feeling dizzy or sick. Stretching our muscles helps to reduce lactic acid build-up, which makes the muscles sore, cramp or feel stiff. Take a quick moment to think about your body. How are you feeling? Can you feel your heart-rate slowly returning to a normal pace after the cool-down? Have you stretched your muscles out properly? Do they feel loose?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games: The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
Contact games and activities: Make sure everyone understands what contact is acceptable, and monitor contact throughout the activity.
Music and films: Make sure music and films are age appropriate for the youngest person present.