What is an Active Rest Day?

Active Rest Days

It surprises me how often I have to explain this concept in person so, I hope this little post will answer some usual questions.

An active rest day is not a new discovery, study or fashion. It´s not a big deal at all :)

Let´s face it, our muscles need time to recover. When you’re working out, tiny tears are forming in your muscles. This is a good thing, because once they repair, you’ll be stronger and fitter than you were before. So, it’s very important that you take at least one day off of usual training a week. Pro athletes have rest days for some reason, think about it :)

Taking a rest day does not mean sitting on the couch all day long. We are active and healthy people or we are trying to build these habits.

Someone with good intentions added “active” to clarify the topic. Now we have two different names, “rest day” and “active rest day”, for pretty much the same thing.

An active rest day is meant to be a light or easy day where you’re still moving.

Your muscles (and your mind) deserve:

Go for a bike ride.
Go for a hike.
Go to the pool.
Play a different sport to whatever you are used to.

To speed your recovery, and get your blood flowing to help feed your weary muscles, take yourself for a 20-minute stroll, and then give your muscles some extra stretches.