What Is An Active Recovery Workout... And How To Build Your Own. It's Easy!

Yesterday you killed it!

You had a great workout.

You flung around some kettlebells...

Knocked out some heavy squats...

Flew through some burpee circuits...

And today you are feeling it. You're crazy sore... it hurts to move... you know you need to rest. But you want to do something too.

Kindal rubbing her glutes because she's crazy sore form a workout.

(But you love this sore feeling a little right? It lets you know you did something... you pushed hard. It is a satisfying feeling.)

But what do you do without making your soreness worse?

This is what an active recovery workout is... or a rest day workout.

It's a low intensity workout... that allows you to still move... create blood flow to help your muscles recovery faster... but doesn't strain you or damage muscle tissue further.

Kindal
big idea

When you're really sore... a lot of people want to sit and do nothing.

But this is a huge mistake. If you sit and do nothing... your body will tighten up fast.

You have to move on recovery days. You will feel so much better.

Three Keys To An Active Recovery Workout

Blood Flow

It really comes down to blood flow.

Blood carries oxygen and nutrition to your muscles and joints. And after a tough workout... it's all about recovery. You just damaged your muscle tissue.

On your rest day, if you just do your normal routine... i.e. probably sitting most of the time...

Your muscles will stay in one position nearly all day.

Sitting squeezes and pools blood away from your butt and other leg joints.

Your lymph system will not function has efficiently when you don't move.

Your muscles will get tighter if they don't move... they'll be more sore... your movement will be more limited.

You have to get up and move to increase blood flow and help your body recover.

Low Intensity

It needs to be easy.

You don't want to further damage your muscle tissue and dig the whole deeper.

But this doesn't mean you can't do a bodyweight circuit or some form of strength training... although I hesitate to call it strength training.

We'll get into what I recommend in a second.

Big Movements

Active recovery workouts use big movements... not small isolated movements.

I'm talking big joint movements and moving in ways you don't typically move.

Again we'll talk about mobility in a second.

But most women (and men) just go for a jog or walk.

This is good... but it's still very repetitive. Use your recover to move your body in ways that strengthen joints.

Workout With Kindal LIVE Workout With Kindal LIVE

Workout With Me LIVE For 14 Days FREE!

  • Bullet point

    3 LIVE streamed workouts every day

  • Bullet point

    Get LIVE training from me for faster results

  • Bullet point

    Try small group training for FREE!

Start FREE Trial

My Recommended Active Recovery Workout Styles

Stretch Session

It can be a yoga session or your own stretch session.

But this is a great chance to work on flexibility... something most women who are into strength training don't do enough of (and visa versa).

Kindal
big idea

It's always funny to me... and I fit this stereotype too.

But there seems to be yoga women. These women love yoga and pilates... it's their jam. They don't strength train much if at all.

There are strength training women. These women love weights and kettlebells... it's their jam and they don't do yoga much at all.

There are runners. They love running... it's their jam and they don't do yoga or strength training much if at all.

We tend to silo ourselves... not realizing that all training is beneficial.

Break out of your box at least once a week if not more.

Here's how I prefer to do my stretch sessions.

  • Bullet point

    I pick six stretches I want to really improve on.

  • Bullet point

    I go through each stretch... holding it for at least 1 minute.

  • Bullet point

    I repeat the list of six... three times... each time trying to go a little further.

I love yoga a lot... but I have found this repeating of stretches has helped my flexibility more than anything I've done in the past.

Frog

This is one of my favorite stretches for the hips. You don't need sliders... sliders just help you sink into the stretch as you hold it.

Kindal doing frog stretch to work on hip flexibility.

Knee In Corner of Wall

Love this stretch. If you sit a lot during the day ... you need this stretch after a tough workout. (This is a great stretch every single day.)

Kindal doing knee into the corner of the wall stretch.

Sphinx and Cobra Pose

Stretch your abs... shoulders... even the front of your hips with these stretches. Plus I believe it's good to put your spine into extension.

Kindal doing sphinx pose for post workout recovery.
Kindal doing a cobra pose to help stretch the front of her body.

There is a lot you can do including trigger ball therapy to help make your stretch sessions far more effective.

Mobility Sessions

This is a big one.

Mobility is nothing more than trying to move your joints through a full range of motion.

The more you move your joints... over time... the more range of motion you'll get... especially when you pair this with stretching.

Most of the time when I pick my six stretches from above... two of them will be mobility focused.

Exercises like:

Shoulder Dislocates

You can use a PVC pipe or a belt... a golf club... or broom stick. But dislocates are great for building should mobility and opening your chest too.

Kindal doing shoulder dislocates with a pvc pipe.
Kindal going through the full expression of a shoulder dislocate.

Hip Circles

I LOVE hip circles. If you sit a lot during the day... your hips will get crazy tight . Circles... both standing and kneeling... will get your hips moving.

Do these before you do stretches like pigeon or lizard.

(Use a box as a guide to get your leg at least that high... it's a great tip.)

Kindal starting to do a backward hip circle while standing.
Kindal trying to get her leg as high as possible.
Kindal doing forward kneeling hip circles.

Shoulder Pulses

OMG!!! If you have tight shoulders or you sit a lot during the day... these are must do.

You have to keep your:

  • Bullet point

    Heels against the wall...

  • Bullet point

    Your butt...

  • Bullet point

    Your low back if possible...

  • Bullet point

    Your shoulders...

  • Bullet point

    Your head...

  • Bullet point

    Elbows...

  • Bullet point

    And forearms...

Everything against the wall.

Then you pulse and it's hard. Get your arms as high as you can... while keeping everything on the wall.

Kindal in the starting position for shoulder pulses.
Kindal trying to get her shoulders as high as she can.

Side to Side Deep Lunges

Stretching your groin out is so important. Most women never do it and again... if you sit a lot during the day... this is a must.

Use your hands to help you and FOCUS hard on keeping your heels (on the bent leg) down on the ground.

Kindal going into a deep side lunge using her hands to help.
Kindal keeping her heel down and pushing her knee as far forward as possible.

There are so many other great mobility exercises for active recovery workouts:

  • Bullet point

    Weighted arm circles

  • Bullet point

    Laying down overhead arm reaches

  • Bullet point

    Hanging from a bar

  • Bullet point

    Downward dog to upward dog flows

  • Bullet point

    Monkey squats

  • Bullet point

    And more.

I will write and do YouTube videos for all of these exercises and give you some routines as well.

Workout With Kindal LIVE Workout With Kindal LIVE

Workout With Me LIVE For 14 Days FREE!

  • Bullet point

    3 LIVE streamed workouts every day

  • Bullet point

    Get LIVE training from me for faster results

  • Bullet point

    Try small group training for FREE!

Start FREE Trial

Run With Some Bodyweight Exercises

I never see enough women do this...

Kindal leading a workout with bodyweight exercises and running.

During your run set your watch for 2 minutes... and every 2 minutes do:

  • Bullet point

    25 pushups

  • Bullet point

    50 squats

  • Bullet point

    60 second plank hold

Think about this...

If you run for an hour... you will complete 30 sessions of this little circuit.

That's a lot and lot better than just running.

If that's too much... make it every 5 minutes. That would be 12 total sessions.

Make your exercises easier... remember we are trying to recover.

  • Bullet point

    Do your pushups from your knees... or off a bench.

  • Bullet point

    Add more movement by doing pushup circles or pushup reaches

  • Bullet point

    Do squat pulses or squats with a kick or leg circle

Adding in some mobility to your bodyweight exercises is a perfect way to make an active recovery workout even more effective.

Play

Finally... do something you probably have not done in a long time... play like a kid.

Kindal living her fitness and doing some active recovery workouts.

Even better play like a kid... with your kids (if you have kids).

I'm not kidding either:

  • Bullet point

    Frisbee

  • Bullet point

    Football

  • Bullet point

    Rock climb

  • Bullet point

    Roller blade

  • Bullet point

    Golf

  • Bullet point

    Dance

Anything that requires you to move your body in new different ways.

Anything that requires you to get off your butt on a rest day and move some.

The other weekend, Dan and I went to our local beach and played frisbee for over an hour.

It was so much fun.

Running... cutting... changing directions... doing little sprints to catch the frisbee.

We were moving in ways we almost never do anymore. It felt really good too... not just a physical break and rest from traditional workouts...

It was a mental break too. True play... I know something adults don't get enough of these days.

Workout With Kindal LIVE Workout With Kindal LIVE

Workout With Me LIVE For 14 Days FREE!

  • Bullet point

    3 LIVE streamed workouts every day

  • Bullet point

    Get LIVE training from me for faster results

  • Bullet point

    Try small group training for FREE!

Start FREE Trial

What Will Your Rest Day Workout Look Like?

That is more than enough to keep your rest days busy for the whole year.

I think it's so important to move every single day.

Did you know when I work with a new client the number one issue holding them back more than anything else????

It's mobility.

It's the accumulation of their daily movement routine... the same routine they tend to repeat day in and day out.

Active recovery workouts will unlock your body's ability to move.

Get after it and share with me on social media if you did an active recovery workout today and what exactly you did.

If you want help with training go checkout Fit Women's Weekly LIVE ... we are actively enrolling new members.

Workout With Me For FREE! Get a 14 Day Unlimited Class Pass!

Workout With Me For FREE! Get a 14 Day Unlimited Class Pass!

Kindal starting a turkish get up
Fit Women's Weekly Live Logo

FREE 14 Day

CLASS PASS

  • This is no cookie cutter - boring workout program

  • Get access to 16 LIVE streamed workouts per week

  • Talk to your trainer LIVE for instant feedback

  • Finally learn to exercise for your body and skill level

  • Level up your strength and sculpt real muscles

  • I Want To Workout!
Kindal starting a turkish get up
Fit Women's Weekly Live Logo

FREE 14 Day

CLASS PASS