Active Recovery Strategies for Strength Athletes

What Is Active Recovery?

In Your Guide to Passive Recovery Strategies, we discussed the forms of passive recovery strategies that athletes can use to help increase the likelihood that they are at full capacity when the time comes to resume training at high intensities again. This blog will dive into some arguably unique recovery training methods that serve as active recovery.

Active recovery is defined as low-intensity physical activity performed during rest days or between training sessions. The goal is to “flush” your tissues to promote blood flow, reduce muscle soreness, and improve overall mobility without causing additional fatigue.

Some common active recovery sessions include light Zone 2 aerobic work like walking/hiking or swimming, mobility and stretching routines like yoga, or low-intensity bodyweight movements.
Active recovery helps athletes avoid complete inactivity, which can lead to stiffness or decreased mobility, while still allowing the muscles to recover adequately for the next training session.

Here are some of the best active recovery pieces to work into your training routine.

Top Active Recovery Strategies for Strength Athletes

Easy Tempo Work

Tempo training is very valuable for any speed or power based athlete. Tempo work helps to satisfy various functions in the human body from improved systemic circulation, heat generation, nutrient and hormonal delivery, metabolic waste removal, increased parasympathetic nervous system activity, improved body composition, improved aerobic fitness, and more.

Moreover, many of the credible authors I’ve studied in the industry over the years show definitive PCr regeneration with improved aerobic fitness [1]. Basically, if you want to expand your alactic or anaerobic envelope and repeat bouts of high speed and power then you have to possess some degree of aerobic capacity.

If you aren’t participating in regular tempo work on your non-training days then you might be doing you and your body a disservice. I dedicated an entire section to this form of training in my book, so check it out if you haven’t already.

Bodyweight & Core Circuits

Everything from pull-ups, chin-ups, pushups, multi-directional split squats and lunges, inverted rows and more can be combined in a circuit at moderate volumes and lower intensities to help achieve everything I mentioned in the tempo category.

I always try to search for some solid variation for my athletes when it comes to active recovery work, mainly to help raise psychological appeal over the long-term. Athletes are training week in and week out, and seem to respond better from a motivational standpoint with an array of options to perform on their off days.