On days devoted to restorative activities, you should take note of your breathing and choose an exercise that encourages active recovery.
This suggests that after each of these sessions, you should emerge refreshed, full of energy, and prepared for the following day’s exercise or workout program.
The Goal of Active Recovery
The goal of any recovery method is to help the body regain its balance. In other words, after you have fully recovered from exercising, you should feel energized, not sore, and ready to go for your next workout.
The intention of active recovery is to enhance blood circulation with light exercise (30-60% of the maximum heart rate), which allows oxygen-rich blood to reach the tissues while also eliminating any cellular waste created during physical activity.
Think about engaging in physical activity to help your body get more nutrients to your muscles, which will help them to restore themselves faster than if you stayed still.
Do not equate taking a break from intense exercise with being idle or neglecting your workouts. They are training.
It’s easy to feel like we should always be striving to do more due to the prevalence of apps that promote streak challenges, fitness trackers that show unproductive times, and social media posts promoting the idea of #nevermissamonday. As runners, we tend to enjoy the feeling of euphoria that comes from a daily release of endorphins.
In addition, some of our outdated concepts suggest that greater amounts equal a higher quality. The way we think about rest days is broken. Rest has become a source of dread, as if it were a bad word.
The Difference Between Active Recovery and Rest Days
Seeing the words ‘rest day’ in our training programs, most runners do one of two things:
- Rejoice over the fact that we get to be a couch potato
- Throw a tantrum because we’re not allowed to move for an entire day
These two ideas are exaggerated and neither of them are what should take place during a day of rest.
Taking a break from strenuous exercise and allowing your body to rest is what is meant by rest days (or passive recovery). This can include doing everyday activities such as running errands, walking the dog, cycling to work, and doing light chores around the house. Do not offer assistance to your buddy to relocate, decorate the home, or tidy up the garden. Keep it simple and don’t go too crazy.
Elite runners can talk about going for a run even on their days off, but they do not have to manage the same amount of responsibilities as someone who holds down a full-time job in addition to caring for a family and other commitments.
You Need Rest
If you’re feeling worn out and need a break, take the opportunity to relax and use the time to your benefit by reading a book about running. Period. Stop.
If the idea of doing nothing bothers you, then take a day of activity for recovery.
Rest days with light activity or recovery workouts that are not strenuous can help to increase blood circulation, which in turn helps the muscles to recover.
Now is not the appropriate moment to engage in an intense exercise program. Opt for an exercise routine that is less demanding but still gives you an aerobic workout and helps enhance your running performance.
Benefits of Active Recovery
Taking time for a break from intense training is beneficial for your physical and mental health as well as your personal records. From the smallest scale of your body’s cells to increasing your psychological strength, periods of energetic relaxation can aid you in being the most lasting athlete you can be.
Improve Blood Flow And Muscle Recovery
Doing light exercises on days you are not working out will help circulate blood throughout the body. By taking action, not only will you be more alert and energized (which is likely to be the case), but also.
Drinking water will also help clear out waste products created by the muscles when doing strenuous workouts, such as metabolites and lactic acid. Doing physical activity at a low intensity level assists with muscle recuperation because it gives your body the opportunity to restore balance.
Provide A Mental Break
Doing light exercises on a “rest” day is a valid way for athletes to satisfy their need to work hard while at the same time permitting them to recuperate and get ready for more intense sessions in the future.
You can lessen your stress about training by doing it on days that you would usually take a break.
Maintaining a low level of intensity will be a reminder that sometimes it is essential to relax and not push yourself too hard. Overtraining yourself or continuing to train through unbearable pain will not help you become a healthier athlete, however it is important to know when to take breaks and give your body a chance to rest. Taking breaks on active days can be a great assistance.
Prevent Injury
On occasion, engaging in recovery can involve taking a leisurely walk along the shoreline. That’s a fantastic way to boost your circulation and get rid of any toxins in your body.
But you can also incorporate other components of recovery days that involve activity. Consider doing dynamic warmups, performing mobility and corrective exercises, or engaging in static training. All of these activities can prepare your body to be more resistant to injuries, which will make you better able to perform on the platform.
How To Structure Active Recovery
An effective day of active recovery should be just as carefully planned and organized as a day of lifting weights. Before engaging in low-impact total body conditioning on your active recovery day, it is important to warm up thoroughly in order to prevent any kind of injury. If you were to become injured, it would be going against the idea of a recovery day.
It is advisable to have a plan even if you are just doing continuous cardio or stretching. For instance, you made a wise decision to attend a yoga class for your active recovery day, which has a start, middle, and conclusion.
You don’t just dive into the most complicated poses. In the same way, if you are planning to do a leisurely swim, bike ride, or jog, do some dynamic warmups prior to ensure that your body is prepared.
Steady-State Cardio For Active Recovery
The main aim of this is to raise body temperature and to enhance the circulation of blood in the body. Selecting activities such as cycling in the air, swimming, and rowing can be an excellent way to get exercise without putting too much strain on your body.
When deciding on how hard to work out, aim to maintain a heart rate between 60-80% of your maximum heart rate for a period of 10-30 minutes.
If you intend to do continuous, low-intensity exercise for your recuperation, that is acceptable. It is possible to get exercise in nature without needing a gym; biking, jogging, swimming, and walking are all activities you can do outside. Be sure to do a fast, energetic warmup to get your blood circulating before you go running.
Dynamic Warm Up For Active Recovery
It is essential to not only maintain steady state components, but also to improve your equilibrium, dexterity, and quickness with more athletic-oriented exercises. Forming a routine of doing dynamic warmups as a part of your workout regimen will help you become a stronger lifter.
Using these strategies on rest days can help you recover more effectively and lift more weight too.
If you have an established warmup regimen, it might be a good idea to adjust it for your days of recovery. Alternatively, if you are inexperienced with dynamic warmups, give these exercises a go on your day of active recuperation.
- Cat Cows:3 x 10 breaths
- Bird Dogs: 3 x 10 per side
- Three-Way Ankle Mobilization: 3 x 10 rounds
- Walking Spiderman with Hip Lift and Overhead Reach: 3 x 8 per side
- Inchworm with Hip Opener : 3 x 8
- 90/90 Flow: 3 x 45 seconds back and forth
- Mini Band Wall Slide: 3 x 15
Mobility and Corrective Circuits For Active Recovery
Having the capacity to rebound from difficult exercises will enable you to get more practice time and difficulties over time. Put differently, the slower you move, the further you will get.
Incorporating movement and corrective exercises in a rotation can boost physical endurance. This circuit will cause your heart rate to stay between 60-80% of your highest possible heart rate. That implies the meeting will have some aerobic advantages as well, which is excellent for active downtime.
Perform four rounds of the exercises following your dynamic warm-up to enhance your agility on days that you are taking a break from physical activity. Concentrate on exact recurrences, monitored compressions, and continuous motion from station to station.
- X-Band Walks: 20 steps per leg
- Banded Shoulder Prehab Complex: 10 repetitions per movement
- Face Pull with External Rotation
- Straight Arm Pulldown
- Bear Hug
- Standing Snow Angels
- Banded Overhead Squat
- Archer Row
- Cossack Squat: 5 repetitions per leg
Total Body Conditioning For Active Recovery
If you are new to this exercise plan, this part of the rest day could make you feel tender.
If that is true, it is alright – just make things easier and don’t push yourself too much the next time. It may appear odd, but active recovery is really about increasing your circulation and refining your skills.
For this conditioning workout involving rest and activity, you’ll be alternating between exercises, commonly referred to as EMOMs (every minute on the minute).
You will do the given exercises at the start of each minute. Doing your repetitions in a time-efficient manner will give you more time to rest before beginning the next round.
This is an excellent method to boost your productivity even when you’re carrying out activities at a comparatively low level of intensity. Opting for complete body exercises that are gentle on the body and not too intense can reduce the amount of pressure on the joints and nervous system.
Once you’ve done the necessary preparation work for your body, do a fifteen minute exercise every minute on the minute (five rounds of three distinct activities).
- Sled Push/Pull: 30 seconds at moderate intensity
- Turkish Get Up: 30 seconds at moderate intensity
- Handstand Hold: 30 seconds (modify as full plank or with feet on wall as needed)
Static Stretching And Meditation For Active Recovery
When it is time to relax, you should both physically and mentally calm down. Static stretching has been shown to enhance range of motion and is a great way to de-stress. It is recommended to do this exercise after your muscles have become warm by moving through their full range of motion.
Give these static stretches a go to loosen up and relax after a particularly active day.
- Deep Squat Hold: 30 seconds
- Runner’s Calf Stretch: 30 seconds per side
- Thread the Needle: 30 seconds per side
- Lizard Pose: 30 seconds per side
- Puppy Pose: 30 seconds per side
- Scorpion Stretch: 30 seconds
- Child’s Pose: 60-90 seconds
Taking deep breaths while stretching can help to reduce tension and increase mobility. It can become meditative in nature. On every inhale, make your body longer. On every exhale, sink deeper into the stretch.
If you have just started meditating, the connected breathing technique may be the only thing you do for the time being. If you are prepared to do more work, then you can try to do ten slow breaths in and out while you are sitting or lying on your mat.
Meditating is an effective way to improve your lifts, and if you begin to do it, you will be able to focus on the platform when you are trying to set a personal record.
When Should You Do Active Recovery
It is likely that you believe you should take a full day off to rest after running a marathon, is that correct? Surprisingly, active recovery training is preferable to doing nothing.
Active recovery is not limited to elite runners. After finishing a strenuous run, participating in a race, or pushing their body to its maximum the day before, it is best to take it easy and do a light workout the next day.
In other words, if you have had an intense workout, it is usually a good idea to do some active recovery. Avoid the temptation to do nothing and instead attempt a short, easy workout the following day.
How To Do Active Recovery
Always include active recovery days in your training schedule. Think about how many times you have planned to go for a hard run and make sure to set aside a day for lighter physical activity in between.
It is not so much about deciding how much time you need for recovery in a week, but rather about finding equilibrium with the other parts of your workout plan.
How long should a runner’s active recovery be? The aim is to prepare your body for the following day’s exercise without becoming overly tired. Consequently, an activity that is not overly strenuous but still allows you to move your body and get your heart rate up should be chosen.
What Active Recovery Days Should Aim To Do
Your active recovery days should aim to:
- Boost your heart rate and get you sweating without the added joint stress associated with traditional cardio or high-intensity interval training
- Increase blood flow to sore or stiff areas
- Pay attention to common areas that need work, like bad ankle mobility, tight hip flexors, and weak core or glutes.
When Should You Take a Rest Day
The benefits of engaging in active recovery are clear, however, passive recovery is just as essential. Listen to your body and decide if you should take a break for one or two days.
If you have suffered an injury or are in danger of getting injured, it’s best to take a break and allow your body to recuperate before beginning running again. If you’re going through a rigorous preparation for a marathon and feeling tired, take a break. If you don’t find pleasure in running, take a break.
Honestly, there are LOTS of great reasons to rest. If you ignore the signals your body is sending you, you could find yourself needing to take an extended break from running.
Benefits of Rest Days
What is the purpose of including a regular day of rest in the majority of training plans? A few of the things that happen on a running rest day:
- muscles to heal
- prevents overuse injuries
- increases your performance
- helps you to maintain a love of the sport
When we don’t permit ourselves to take a break or recover, the body gets mad because the formula is tension + rest = development…without the rest, you’re just left with tension!
