5 Best Active Recovery Exercises for Athletes

Athletes should perform active recovery exercises to help improve their health and performance.

These workouts can be done almost anywhere. Active recovery techniques are easy, as they do not put a person in a strenuous position or require any equipment.

There are many benefits of active recovery exercises that can help athletes get stronger and faster.

These benefits shouldn't be discounted, as active recovery workouts help you recover from high-intensity events and strenuous workouts. They also make for a low-level exercise that help improve endurance.

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What is Active Recovery?

When people exercise, their muscles get fatigued. This is known as exercise-induced muscle fatigue.

Active recovery can help prevent long periods of muscle fatigue after a workout. It involves working a muscle group after exercise, such as walking or swimming. After a workout, you should partake in active recovery for overall performance improvement.

Active recovery can also help by reducing lactic acid build-up in muscles, increasing blood flow to muscle tissue, removing metabolic waste from the muscles, and reducing muscle pain. It can be most beneficial when people go at their own pace.

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Five Best Exercises for Active Recovery

Here's a look at five such exercises:

1) Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a form of martial arts that builds strength, balance and body awareness. This soothing form of yoga is characterized by slow, flowing movements. It’s ideal for activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body calm down and recover from the stress of intense workouts and daily life.

Research suggests that Tai Chi may have a host of benefits, including boosting aerobic fitness in healthy adults, reducing pain in people with arthritis, and improving mental health. Tai chi is also strikingly versatile — it’s a classic mind-body exercise that's also a meditative way to reduce stress.

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2) Walking

Brisk walking is perhaps the most common form of active recovery, as it requires no special equipment or training.

On your next active recovery day, lace up your sneakers, and go for a walk around your neighborhood. Studies show that walking can help support good sleep, and boost memory and feelings of calm and ease.

If you're feeling achy, doing an active recovery session can be a great way to beat muscle soreness. You can control the pace and intensity, which means the workout will never be boring.

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3) Hip and Core Activation

The core and hips include the abdominals, low back muscles, glutes, hip flexors, and hip adductors.

These muscles help provide power for any movement you attempt: getting up out of a chair to refilling your coffee mug or squatting with a heavy barbell. By keeping these critical muscles firing on your off days, you will be better prepared for more intense work.

The best way to keep the muscles limber is to keep them active. Incorporate these five moves into your daily routine: bird dog, dead bug, bodyweight glute bridge, fire hydrant, and plank.

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4) Cycling

Another way to get an active recovery workout in is to hop on a bike and go for a ride. Remember that on active recovery days, try to avoid hills or heavy resistance.

Cycling can help promote blood circulation to the legs. As long as you keep it light and easy, it can also prevent stress to muscles that may be recovering. Consider adding this activity to your routine if you typically lift weights, do strength-train, or perform HIIT exercises.

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5) Foam Rolling

When you use a foam roller for the first time, you will probably notice how much it helps your muscles. This small piece of equipment has a big impact on the muscles and will likely have an impact on flexibility as well.

Foam rolling can be done along with stretching or practicing alone by rolling over the muscles in a strategic way. Make sure to follow a video or watch a tutorial when you first start, to ensure that you don't injure yourself.

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Takeaway

Active recovery should be a key part of your workout regimen. It will keep you healthier and make you faster every time you step into the gym.

Now that we've covered this subject, you will need to choose an activity to try out on your off days. There are many options, including swimming, yoga, cycling, and foam rolling — so personal preference is going to determine which one you try out first.

By making active recovery a part of your regular exercise routine, you can help reduce muscle soreness and risk of injury, allowing you to train harder when you work out — and helping build a better body. Active recovery is an essential part of overall health and wellness.