Take Advantage of “active Rest” for Faster Recovery After Exercise
When it comes to resting for recovery, there are two categories. The first is passive rest — a “do nothing” approach in which you take a break to relax and avoid anything that looks like exercise. Recreation, by contrast, is a technique designed to help you recover by performing the movements of your workout, but with less intensity or volume.
For example: Say that in your regular workout, you can squat 130 pounds for a maximum of 10 reps. On an active day, you should do half to two-thirds of that weight, that is, about 65-90 pounds, for 3-5 reps. Basically, your workout should be simple: you shouldn’t be burdened by the weight or intensity of your workout so that you don’t add to the overall stress caused by your regular workouts.
But if we are concerned about stress, why bother with outdoor activities at all? Why not just take a day off? There is a reason for active rest: just by doing the exercises in your workout without forcing yourself to strain, you will be able to develop and recover faster.
First, it gives you the ability to focus on problem areas. If you have trouble squatting in the right shape or are working on a jogging gait, lowering the intensity down a notch can help you focus on correcting the problem without being distracted by actual effort.
Getting active can also speed up recovery. By keeping your body moving, you increase blood flow to the areas you do regular exercise and thus deliver the essential nutrients you need for muscle repair. There is also the added benefit of burning calories – a bonus if your goal is to lose weight.
To incorporate outdoor activities into your program, nutritionist and author Lyle MacDonald provides the following guidelines to follow for effective outdoor activities:
- The volume should be 1/2 to 2/3 of your normal workout.
- Intensity should be approximately 60% of your maximum heart rate for endurance athletes and up to 75% of 1RM for strength machines.
- You should end your workout feeling better than you started.
Try to take an active day once a week after your hardest workout to get the most benefit. To learn more about active and passive recreation, check out Lyle’s article at the link below.
Active and passive recovery | bodyrecomposition.com