The Power of Rest and Active Recovery
Recovery is an important part of any training routine. It is the process of restoring your body after physical activity. Recovery training involves both rest days, which give your body time to heal and repair itself, and active recovery days, which involve low-intensity activities, such as stretching or light exercise.
Recovery training is not only important for performance, but for overall health and well-being. When you don’t give your body enough time to rest and recover, you can be at risk for injury or exhaustion. This can be due to a depleted central nervous system or accumulated wear and tear on soft tissues and joints. If you’re looking to perform your best, make sure to include rest days and active recovery days in your training plan.
What is an Active Recovery Day?
An active recovery day is any day that involves low-intensity activities in order to help your body recover from a hard workout. This type of recovery training is important for restoring your body after a hard workout, and can also help to reduce soreness and fatigue.
Active recovery days can involve activities such as stretching, light exercise, yoga, foam rolling, or simply taking a leisurely walk. The goal of an active recovery day is to get your body moving, while still allowing it to rest and recover. The total volume and intensity of your training should be very low.
Benefits of Active Recovery
There are many benefits to incorporating active recovery days into your workout routine.
First and foremost, active recovery can help to reduce soreness and fatigue. When you’re sore and tired, it can be difficult to push yourself during a workout, this is likely due to your nervous system being exhausted. Active recovery can help reduce that soreness and CNS fatigue, allowing you to perform your best.
Active recovery can also help increase blood flow and circulation. This can help to reduce muscle tension and improve mobility, as well as reduce the risk of injury. Most importantly, active recovery can help reduce stress and anxiety by keeping you moving without taxing your body.
Essential Activities for Workout Recovery Days
So, what should you do on a recovery day? The best way to optimize your recovery is to incorporate a mix of low-intensity activities. This can include stretching, foam rolling, light exercise, aquatic exercises, or any other activities that involve low-impact movement.
When it comes to foam rolling and myofascial release, focus on any areas that feel tight or sore. If you don’t have a foam roller, you can also use a PVC pipe and/or lacrosse ball to target specific areas.
Finally, light exercise can include activities such as walking, cycling, swimming, play-time with the kids, fetch with the dog, or any other low-impact and low-intensity activities.
Recovery Exercise Examples
If you’re looking for some specific recovery exercises, here are some examples that you can try:
- Foam Rolling / Myofascial Release: Use a foam roller, PVC pipe, or lacrosse ball to target any areas that feel tight or sore. Make sure to apply pressure and roll over targeted areas slowly.
- Walking: Take a leisurely walk to get your body moving while still allowing it to rest and recover.
- Cycling: Go for a short, easy bike ride to help get your blood flowing and reduce muscle tension — try to avoid arduous hills.
- Swimming: Take a light swim, wade, and/or move in water to help reduce soreness and fatigue.
Tips for Optimizing Your Recovery
If you want to make the most of your recovery training, here are some tips to help you optimize your recovery:
- Incorporate a mix of low-intensity activities into your recovery routine. This can include stretching, foam rolling, light exercise, or any other activities that involve low-impact movement.
- Make sure to focus on stretching the muscles that you’ve been using during your workouts.
- Take your rest days seriously! Make sure to give your body ample time to rest and recover.
- Incorporate rest day workouts into your recovery routine. These short, low-intensity workouts can help to keep your body moving while still allowing it to rest and recover.
- Make sure to stay hydrated and get enough sleep. These are both essential for proper recovery.
- Use STAMINAPRO Electroceutical Recovery Patches. These are great tools to utilize for enhanced recovery. STAMINAPRO patches are charged with the electrons of ingredients known to reduce pain and inflammation in the body. The patches can support you before, during, and after workouts so that your body can recover faster from workouts or day-to-day activities.
Common Recovery Mistakes to Avoid
If you want to make the most of your recovery training, there are some common mistakes that you should avoid.
First and foremost, make sure to give your body enough time to rest and recover. If you don’t give your body enough time to rest, you can be at risk for injury or exhaustion.
Another mistake to avoid is over-stretching. While stretching can be beneficial for recovery, make sure to listen to your body and stop if it starts to feel uncomfortable. Isometric stretching can even lead to serious injury if ligaments and tissues lose tension.
Finally, make sure to avoid doing any high-intensity activities on your rest days or resistance training with significant loads that could further stress your muscles, joints, and CNS.
The better you recover, the better you will grow, develop, perform, and feel. Take it seriously!
