To cool down, do a steady, low-intensity exercise, such as
a slow jog or skipping rope, for about ɹve minutes.
Subsequently you can brieɻy stretch the muscle groups
that were predominantly activated in the main part of
your training and that clearly feel tense. This approach
helps to “switch oʃ” from training and prevents the
muscles from shortening. If your training was very
intensive and you feel too tired to stretch, you can
postpone the exercises for one to two hours.
In the ɹnal phase of training, you should also not hold
a stretch position for more than ten seconds. This
recommendation follows the current ɹndings in training
science in order not to slow down the regeneration
process. Furthermore, do each exercise only once; don’t
do a second set of stretches with extended positions.
Important areas for post-stretching that merit speciɹc
mention are the muscles of the chest, neck, and calves as
well as the front, rear, and inner thigh muscles.
Stretch Training: Stretching as the Main
Objective of Training
You can do separate training sessions to improve your
agility. In stretch training you can develop a better feeling
for the muscles, and you can get rid of muscle
contractions that developed, for example, during one-
sided training activities or after injuries. Some Muay Thai
techniques require good ɻexibility in certain muscle
groups that you can work on in separate training
exercises. Again, you don’t have to assume any extreme