Saturday 19 January 2013

How Active Recovery Can Help You Achieve Your Goals



How Active Recovery Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

ACTIVE RECOVERY TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

What Is Active Recovery?

Active recovery is a light exercise session that reduces muscle soreness and tightness and helps the body recover from the stresses placed on it during the latest workout session. It is an important part of the recovery phase.

For More Information On Recovery, Read Our Article: Your Guide To Recovering From A Workout


How Active Recovery Works

Nutrients are transported through the body in the blood. Light exercise increases heart rate and encourages blood flow and nutrients to the muscles which helps them recover faster.


Why Do I Need Active Recovery?

Whether your goal is to lose weight or gain muscle, active recovery can be useful to achieving your goals. Not only will you be getting back to your workout sessions feeling fresher, you'll also have less discomfort from sore and tight muscles.

There are two variations to active recovery:

Specific muscle targetting light exercises - Active recovery that targets muscles that were worked during your last workout session (repeating the same exercises with lighter weights) encourages blood flow to those abused muscles. Increased blood flow to those muscles hastens recovery by allowing for more nutrients to be carried where they're needed.

General light exercise - Performing light exercises that move your body like yoga or hiking promotes circulation of blood throughout your body with a slight increase to your heart rate which also promotes muscle recovery.


What Makes An Effective Active Recovery Session?

Not strenuous - Most importantly, active recovery should make you feel energised by removing muscle soreness and tightness. Strenuous exercise while muscles are still recovering will be counterproductive.

Compound movements - Exercises that work multiple large muscles are ideal for your active recovery sessions.

Not longer than an hour - With the idea behind active recovery sessions being light exercise, it should not take longer than an hour.


"Is active recovery part of your workout routine? Share with us your experiences!" ~ Nick

No comments:

Post a Comment