You completed your most intense workout session the day before yesterday and the next day…

You are COMPLETELY knackered!

You think sitting on the couch all day will solve the problem since your body can “rest”.

But after a whole day at home,

You get up today and… NOTHING HAS CHANGED!

You think you must’ve not rested enough and now, you are panicking.

However, know that sitting down all day is not an active recovery method.

If so, what is “active recovery”?

What is Active Recovery?

Engaging in low-intensity exercises or movements like walking qualifies as active recovery.

It increases the blood flow to your muscles which can aid in flushing out waste products (like lactic acid) that accumulate during intense workouts.

This improved circulation can speed up the recovery process.

Because of the gentle movements during active recovery, your muscles should feel less sore and tight, ready for your next workout session!

These are 3 Main characteristics of active recovery: 

• Low intensity: Performing activities at a much lower intensity than regular training.
• Increased blood flow: Engaging in light exercises 
• Reduced soreness: Relieves post-workout muscle soreness or stiffness by promoting gentle movement without overworking.

However, it can also have psychological benefits as it helps to maintain a regular exercise routine, reducing the likelihood of falling out of your schedule and lazing about.

Why is Active Recovery Important?

You must speed up your recovery to perform better in your next workout session.

Therefore you will promote more strength gains and muscle building and burn more calories at rest.

Because strength training is a driving factor of weight loss, it’s crucial to ensure you perform your best in each session.

Why Doesn’t Sitting Down all Day Recover You?

It’s clear because sitting down holds the exact opposite characteristics of active recovery; you don’t move about so the blood flow to your muscles reduces.

Because your muscles aren’t that engaged, they will remain stiff and the lactic acid in them will remain for much longer.

But this is not the same as passive recovery.

What is Passive Recovery?

Passive recovery contains minimal or no physical activity. Instead of actively engaging in low-intensity exercises, passive recovery emphasises rest and allows the body to recover naturally without additional stress or stimulation.

Passive recovery can be beneficial after intense workouts when the body needs time to repair and regenerate.

Here are the 4 Key characteristics of passive recovery include:

• Rest: Passive recovery primarily involves rest, allowing the body to heal and recharge. This includes getting sufficient sleep and taking rest days from intense physical activity. 
• Minimal physical activity: Unlike active recovery, passive recovery does not involve deliberate low-intensity exercises or workouts. Instead, you focus on letting your body recover without extra physical stress or injury.
• Muscle healing: Passive recovery allows muscles to repair microtears that occur during intense workouts, which is crucial for muscle growth and overall performance improvement.
• Injury prevention: By giving the body adequate time to recover, passive recovery can help prevent injuries due to overworking and reduce the risk of burnout or fatigue.

Examples of passive recovery techniques include:

• Resting: Taking a day or more off from intense training and engaging in low-stress activities.
• Sleep: Prioritising sufficient sleep, supporting the body’s recovery processes and aiding in muscle repair.
• Nutrition: Consuming a balanced diet with appropriate nutrients, supporting recovery and repair.
• Stretching: Performing gentle stretching exercises to promote flexibility and reduce muscle tension.

Similarities and Differences

Here are the similarities between both recoveries:

• They both involve getting enough sleep
• They both involve getting good nutrition for muscle healing
• Stretching is both active and passive recovery and releases the tension of your muscles.

These are the differences between the types of recovery:

• Active recovery involves deliberate low-intensity movements or exercises but passive recovery involves virtually no physical activity.
• Active recovery increases your blood flow significantly more than passive recovery.
• Because of increased blood flow to your muscles, active recovery reduces sore muscles quicker than passive recovery.
• Passive recovery involves minimal physical activity so your muscles won’t undergo any tension. They can then potentially rebuild quicker than through active recovery which includes yet still physical activity where your muscles undergo some tension.
• There’s a lower risk of injury through passive recovery than active recovery due to less physical activity.

Your Best Bet

You should incorporate both active and passive recovery into your recovery days!

Because they each have their benefits, they can provide you with the ULTIMATE RECOVERY METHOD when utilised.

These are 6 tips you should consider to help you build the fastest recovery method: 

1. Have minimal activity in your day, but not activities that will put unnecessary tension on your muscles. Going on decent-length walks to get blood to flow to your muscles is a great option.
2. Incorporate stretching to loosen up your muscles and release tension in them.
3. Sleep adequately to help your muscles rebuild and heal muscle or joint pain. You must sleep to recover mentally as well.
4. Don’t overwork yourself; if you feel any pain when performing a low-intensity exercise, slow the movement down or stop immediately and move on to a different movement.
5. Get your required nutrients, especially protein, for your muscles to rebuild. But balancing it with the other macronutrients: your fruit & veg, and carbs, is fundamental!
6. Avoid sitting down for too long which results in your muscles getting cramped. This can put you into that original state of muscle fatigue. Sitting for no longer than 1 hour can be very helpful!

Takeaway

When on your recovery day, listen to your body as best as you can, so you don’t overtrain yourself. Maintaining the tips mentioned above can aid in you performing excellently in your next workout session, promoting more muscle growth and strength gains.

Following a light routine on these days can help ease your laziness and constantly keep you active. Fundamentally, strive to get as much sleep as you can because it’s what drives muscle growth!