Imagine for a second the most intense lower body workout that you have endured, and then picture the walk that your co-workers or teammates were blessed to witness for the next couple of days.

Think of that high impact core training class that you may have attended that left you not wanting to cough or  laugh for fear of the inevitable sharp pain in your abdominal wall – the one you know is there waiting for you with your next false move. If you’ve experienced these types of recovery issues, you actually have some work to do on your recovery process and probably need to consider yourself a passive recoverer.

Implementing different active recovery methods will allow you and your training partner to oxidize more of the dreaded lactic acid build-up and can aid in helping an individual relax and sleep better (1). Study after study available to us shows that lactic acid removal is greatly affected by active recovery techniques, such as walking in between exercises while performing high intensity leg training. One highly effective practice that I will consistently use during upper body sessions with current figure and bodybuilding athletes is to have them perform mandatory poses.

If you are training at an advanced level, you may include various light stretching techniques after each exercise in your routine for thirty seconds increments. Nutrients definitely help buffer or clear out lactic acid, while supplementation is another way to accelerate the “between sets” recovery time. I typically will recommend arginine, ketoglutarate and sodium bicarbonate because they will deliver more nutrients to the muscle cell and reduce the amount of acid in the muscles by driving the acid out into the blood.

On training

Active Recovery is primarily rooted in the fact that doing some type of exercise the morning after a high intensity training session, like going for a session in the pool or a thirty to forty five minute walk outside, will greatly improve your recovery speed allowing you to have the focus and attitude required to head back to your training facility and truly give it your maximum effort. This is where gains are made and goals are met.

The second form of active recovery includes performing low intensity work after a strenuous workout. This essential type of recovery is wonderfully effective for athletes who are keenly focused on changing body composition or weight loss. A perfect example would be to go for a 20 to 30-minute workout on an elliptical machine with minimal incline on the cross ramp after finishing with an intense session like CrossFit style training or a resistance session chock-full of supersets and giant setting. Implementing active recovery strategies like these will lead to a decrease in DOMS (delayed on set muscle soreness), which has cost numerous athlete to skip critical training sessions, resulting in less than optimal long-term training results.

Passive Recovery, in my opinion, should be used sparingly. Active Recovery should definitely be a staple of any disciplined training regimen. This should be a welcomed addition to any athlete because the results will be imminent. So get up and get moving. It’s the only way you’ll actually be moving the next day!

Sources:

1.  Effect of incorporating low intensity exercise into the recovery period after a rugby match, M. Suzuki. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2004; 38; 436-440

Recommended Supplements to Aid Active Recovery

• Glutamine for Immunity and Muscle Recovery
• Powerful Antioxidant and Nutrient Delivery System
• Pure Whey Protein Isolate

Tags: active recovery

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