Post-Ride Stretches and Borg Effort Log
A cool-down after a session on wheels: gentle stretches for the muscles that work hardest when riding or skating (quads, hip flexors, calves, glutes and forearms). It ends with a Borg rating of perceived exertion to connect workload and technique.
How to play
- Put away bikes, skates and pads, then take an easy walk around the schoolyard shaking out arms and legs (2 min).
- Standing: quad stretch holding a partner's shoulder and calf stretch in a lunge against the wall, 30 seconds per side (2 min).
- On the mat: half-kneeling hip flexor stretch and figure-four glute stretch, 30 seconds per side (2 min).
- Forearms and wrists, loaded by handlebars and falls: gentle extension and flexion, palm against palm (1 min).
- Each student writes down their 0 to 10 Borg rating and the task that felt hardest; three students share (1 min).
Rules
- Hold each stretch without bouncing: mild tension, never pain.
- Breathe slowly through the nose in each position.
- Before lying down, check helmets and pads for dents or cracks and put them away.
Variations
Easier
Do every stretch standing, without getting down on the mat.
Standard
Five stretch blocks and an individual Borg rating.
Harder
Each student compares their Borg rating with the previous session and writes a short explanation of the change.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: does the upper-body and hip stretches seated in the wheelchair.
- Knee injury: replaces the half-kneeling stretch with a standing hip flexor stretch.
- Visual impairment: a partner describes each position and helps set it up by touch, with permission.
Learning goals
- Recover actively after a session on wheels.
- Identify the muscle groups that work most in cycling and skating.
- Rate personal effort with the Borg scale.
Equipment for a class of 25
- yoga mats: 30
- worksheets: 30
Teacher tip
Keep the Borg sheets from every session in the unit so students can see their progress at the end.
PatioLab has "Post-Ride Stretches and Borg Effort Log" and 5176 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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