What is active recovery? Simply put, it’s an intentional action that we take to promote healthy repair to our body. This could be a few minutes spent foam rolling, going on a short recovery run, or taking a yoga class. As a rule active recovery should be low intensity at low volume and should mitigate rather than aggravate stress. Think warm up and cool down without the intense workout in between. In other words, your body shouldn’t feel taxed.
Throughout the week we push the limits of our bodies through repetitive movements that are designed to break down muscle and send signals to our brains that trigger adaptation. Whether our reasons are performance based or aesthetic, this is why we exercise.
What many fail to remember is that in order to adapt, the body needs time to repair. The muscles and energy systems to which we’re applying stress, will only become weaker if we don’t give them this opportunity. If left unchecked long enough, this can lead to injury and chronic fatigue.
In order to give our bodies this critical repair time, it’s important to have active recovery days sprinkled into our training plan. Use these days for lower intensity exercise, stretching, or mashing and rolling. Remember that recovering thoroughly is just as important as training intensely. Treat your body wisely and it will reward you in kind.
