How it works, exercises, benefits and precautions

Workouts can lead to exercise-induced muscle fatigue, in which people find it difficult to use muscles to the same effect as before training.

Muscle fatigue induced by exercise can last from a few minutes to a few days. Active recovery can help prevent a long period of muscle fatigue.

Active recovery simply means that people work muscle groups after exercise, for example by walking or swimming.

People should participate in active recovery after finishing their exercise. The theory is that active recovery after training leads to an overall improvement in performance.

A 2018 study found that active recovery can benefit people by:

• reduce the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles
• increased blood flow to muscle tissue
• remove metabolic waste from muscles
• reduce muscle tears and pain

Active recovery is most beneficial when people go at their own pace.

Active recovery describes a person doing low-intensity activity after a workout.

Passive recovery, on the other hand, refers to rest after activity. For example, a person can lie down for several minutes.

Different people may find active recovery or passive recovery more appropriate, depending on the type of physical activity they engage in.

The authors of a 2017 study suggest that passive recovery may be the most useful type of recovery for people who participate in short, but repetitive, high-intensity exercise. Unlike active recovery, passive recovery does not reduce phosphocreatine levels, which can affect the performance of these types of training.

On the other hand, the same study suggests that active recovery may be more useful for people who do other types of training because it quickly decreases the amount of lactic acid in the muscles, which restores balance. of the pH in the body.

There are several types of active recovery.

Days off

Rest days are the days when a person does not participate in strenuous workouts.

However, gentle exercise – like walking or even flying a kite – increases blood flow to the muscles without the intensity of a workout.

This increased blood flow is part of active recovery, and general light physical activity on rest days can improve circulation and aid recovery.

Between sets of interval training

Active recovery can also be beneficial during sets of interval training.

The American Council on Exercise has found that athletes recover faster by continuing at less than 50% of their maximum effort between intervals, as this still exercises muscles and maintains blood flow.

Recharge time

Active recovery may be more beneficial than passive recovery when recovering from training.

A 2017 study found that 10 minutes of active recovery at a rate of 50 to 60% of the athlete’s maximum effort was beneficial.

A person can use various active recovery methods and exercises, each of which can have different benefits.

While walking

Walking is a gentle, light activity that has many benefits.

It does not require any prior knowledge of gym equipment or gym membership, making it a simple and often free alternative to some other activities.

Going for a brisk walk has the following advantages:

• improve sleep
• improve memory
• reduce anxiety symptoms

Swimming

Swimming is a low impact exercise that is a good method of active recovery.

While it’s not usually as inexpensive as walking, an older 2010 study found that swimming after exercise improved athletes’ performance the next day.

The researchers suggested that this could be due, in part, to the water reducing inflammation, helping to prevent sore muscles.

Cycling

Gentle cycling is another active recovery option. People can use a stationary bike or cycle outdoors.

The main benefit of a lightweight bike as an active recovery is that it increases blood circulation without challenging muscles that might be sore or recovering from a previous workout.

Yoga

Yoga is also a form of active recovery.

Even gentle yoga can have positive effects on the body, helping to regulate blood sugar, reduce musculoskeletal pain, and improve posture.

The stretches that yoga involves also continue to gently work the muscles, which will increase blood circulation.

Auto-myofascial release with a movable roller

Another form of active recovery is self-massage, or auto-myofascial release, which someone can perform with a foam roller.

Some health and fitness experts believe that foam rolling helps reduce tightness, pain, inflammation, and range of motion.

A 2019 study of 20 healthy men found that auto-myofascial release with a foam roller may be helpful in reducing delayed-onset muscle pain after high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

While active recovery can be beneficial in many cases, there are some precautions people should be aware of.

The most important precaution is to avoid active recovery if a person has a sports injury.

Sports injuries can result from:

• an accident, like a fall
• not warming up properly before a workout
• using the wrong equipment or not using the equipment correctly
• a person pushing themselves beyond their capabilities

It is important to stop exercising immediately if you experience pain, as continuing to exercise can lead to further injury and increase the time it takes to recover.

People can treat most minor injuries at home with rest and taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen.

Active recovery can help reduce pain and tightness after a workout. It could also improve a person’s performance in the long run.

However, if a person has an injury or participates in workouts that involve short, repeated high-intensity exercise sessions, passive recovery may be more beneficial.