{"id":9049,"date":"2025-02-24T08:42:13","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T15:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/howtobefit.com\/coach-blog\/?p=9049"},"modified":"2026-02-09T16:53:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T23:53:22","slug":"the-benefits-of-active-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/howtobefit.com\/coach-blog\/2025\/02\/24\/the-benefits-of-active-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Active Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Active recovery is engaging in non-strenuous movements such as walking, active stretching, yoga, and light cycling to increase blood flow and warm the muscles, helping reduce blood lactate. To learn more about the benefits of active recovery, scroll down to read this article from Stepfanie Romine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Active<\/p>\n

When it comes to crushing your goals and becoming your best self, what you do to recover from exercise can be as important as your actual workout. To help your body bounce back from tough workouts, your weekly routine should include active recovery.<\/p>\n

Adding low-impact, low-intensity exercise to rest days is generally more beneficial than inactivity \u2013 no matter how hard you pushed in your last workout.<\/p>\n

Read on to learn more about the benefits of active recovery, how often you should do it, and which activities count.<\/p>\n

What Is Active Recovery?<\/h2>\n

\"Male<\/p>\n

Think of active recovery as low-intensity activity or simply low-key movement (i.e., vs an extra \u201cworkout\u201d).<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring active recovery, you engage in non-strenuous movements such as walking, active stretching, yoga, and light cycling,\u201d says\u00a0Christine VanDoren<\/a>, CPT.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of this is to boost blood flow and warm your muscles while burning a few extra calories and putting your body under minimal stress. It also helps with\u00a0reducing blood lactate<\/a>\u00a0that can build up and cause muscle fatigue during strenuous exercise,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

Active recovery can help you avoid overtraining and\u00a0aid recovery<\/a>, especially if you\u2019re also doing intense training sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cActive recovery can help improve delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS)<\/a>, which peaks 24-72 hours post-exercise,\u201d explains Jordan August, PT, DPT, CSCS.<\/p>\n

Dedicate your\u00a0rest days\u00a0to\u00a0active recovery\u00a0or use it as your cooldown after a tough workout.<\/p>\n

Even 6 to 10 minutes of active recovery after or between workouts has shown \u201cconsistently positive effects on performance,\u201d according to\u00a0a 2019 review<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Benefits of Active Recovery<\/h2>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you stand to gain when you make active recovery a cornerstone of your workout recovery routine:<\/p>\n

1. Keeps muscles flexible<\/h3>\n

Active stretching\u00a0and\u00a0foam-rolling<\/a>\u00a0are forms of active recovery. These activities are helpful for improving both mobility and flexibility.<\/p>\n

2. Reduces muscle soreness<\/h3>\n

Exercise makes you sore because it causes micro-tears in your muscles (as well as some inflammation). Your body has to repair those tears to grow bigger and stronger. But active recovery can help reduce\u00a0muscle soreness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncorporating movement after a strenuous workout can actually be one of the best things you can do to address\u00a0muscle soreness,\u201d August explains. \u201cThis is done by increasing blood flow to muscle tissue and removing metabolic waste, which can help reduce pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Increases blood flow<\/h3>\n

\u201cConstant movement at lower intensities will help your body recover quicker by stimulating blood flow, increasing heart rate, and preparing your body for the next training session,\u201d says August.<\/p>\n

4. Helps you maintain your exercise routine<\/h3>\n

Active recovery gives your body some breathing room, to help you maintain your momentum without burning out when you perform<\/p>\n

It helps you stay consistent without overdoing it (which can lead to overuse injuries).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why BODi Super Trainer and CORE DE FORCE (available in the BODi Library)<\/a> co-creator Jericho McMatthews includes active recovery in her Morning Meltdown 100<\/a>\u00a0program.<\/p>\n

The 100 unique workouts include a variety of training modalities such as HIIT, resistance, mobility, and active recovery.<\/p>\n

In her active recovery workouts, Jericho leads you through yoga-inspired flexibility and mobility moves that can help optimize recovery. These flow sessions will ease tension and soothe your body.<\/p>\n

Active vs. Passive Recovery<\/h2>\n

\"Man<\/p>\n

While active recovery is any low-intensity movement you do to recuperate after hard-core workouts, passive recovery is total rest.<\/p>\n

Say you run a 5k race today \u2014 taking a walk or a leisurely bike ride tomorrow would be active recovery.<\/p>\n

Flopping on the couch and binge-watching your favorite program would be passive recovery.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0studies sponsored by the American Council on Exercise<\/a>, active recovery comes out ahead of its passive counterpart for endurance and power.<\/p>\n

Active recovery was superior at:<\/p>\n