Active Recovery: What does it mean?
You may have heard the term active recovery used in and around the gym - but what does it really mean?
Active recovery sessions are a great way to help your body release from the gym and return with maximum energy - keep reading to find out more…
What is an active recovery session?
An active recovery session still involves some light exercise and movement but in a way that helps your body release from previous training sessions. They are a great session to do if you like to keep moving even on your rest days.
Active recovery sessions can last anywhere between 20 minutes to 1 hour but should always be focused on very light intensity and movements that will help release the muscles.
What to include in an active recovery session
Your active recovery session can include whatever is going to help your body feel better but usually we focus on the following:
Cardio at a very light intensity (helps to release tight muscles with soft movement)
Stretching (Helps aid flexibility and mobility)
Foam Rolling (Helps ease tension from large muscle groups)
Light Core work (Helps to lightly build strength in abs and lower back)
What intensity should I be working at?
The idea of an active recovery session is that it’s light and easy.
Cardio: This should be conversational pace, you should be able to comfortablly chat to someone the entire time and it should not feel like your are pushing the body.
Cycling or walking on the treadmill are very good options!
Core Work: Core work should include simple exercises and we recommend doing around 8 -10 reps of each for 2-3 sets so that you are not overdoing it. Try to just do 2-3 exercises to keep things easy.
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