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Exercising is one of the best ways to rejuvenate ourselves, to feel fresh and alive! We feel extremely alive after a hardcore, whether it is mentally or physically. Nothing compares to that rush of blood that goes through your body after a workout. But, what about after? Do you go hardcore and then skip that recovery workout, or do you stretch and soothe those muscles?
We feel an urge of pride that we feel when our workout clothes are soaking with sweat as a result of our hard work and determination. However, we also can’t deny the unbearable urge of soreness that we are attacked with once we wake up the next morning! Every inch of our body is in pain as our muscles struggle to get back into their shape and recover from the intense workout.
When are Active Recovery Workouts Appropriate?
The only circumstances under which an extra active recovery workout is discouraged are injury or immense pain. Otherwise, we don’t recommend lying down or resting if you’ve just done a high-intensity workout.
Our muscles experience exercise-induced muscle fatigue, which is when the muscles become so sore and overworked that they cannot perform at their optimum level as they did before a hardcore workout.
When our muscles are hit with a trauma caused by a close impact that causes them to tear. You might not necessarily feel the pain immediately, but you will feel it after a few hours when your body has finally accepted the trauma.
Similarly, our muscles are covered with tiny blood capillaries that are bound to tear during a hardcore workout, and we don’t realize it until the next day. But when you do active recovery exercises after a hardcore workout, it’s easier for the body to cope with these minor tears and recover faster.
Reasons to Do a Recovery Workout
We understand that sometimes we get so exhausted that we can’t wait to get over our routine and rush home after the gym. However, it’s much healthier to take a few minutes off and then follow up with a light active recovery workout Here are our reasons for it why this method is better.
1. Helps Relax Muscles
The active recovery workout is designed to help your body relax and cope with the high-intensity workout that it just did. These exercises will allow your body to gradually get rid of the extra metabolic waste that accumulates when you are super energetic and active. Through an active recovery workout, you give your body the chance to relax and slowly bring your heartbeat to a normal pace.
2. Helps Reduce the Lactic Acid
The chemical lactic acid builds up in your muscles when you work out. It causes soreness and pain during and after a workout. Bringing up your oxygen levels and burning the lactic acid is the only way you can get rid of the pain and stiffness you may feel after a high-intensity workout regime.
3. Helps Muscles Rejuvenate
When we cause trauma to the muscles through high-intensity exercises, we need to give them the chance to settle down. They cope with the intense blood flow much better when you cool down gradually. Steadily bringing down their performance and stretching adequately ensures they continue performing properly.
4. Encourages Blood Flow
Active recovery exercises, especially those that encourage stretching, are the best thing you can do for your muscles after a workout. Stretching helps open up our blood vessels that ensure that the blood keeps passing through our muscles effectively and efficiently.
5. Reduces Soreness
The steady flow of blood in our muscles helps to reduce the soreness to a great extent and helps to recover any damaged blood vessels. It reduces the chance of serious injuries and manages post-workout muscle pain.
6. Helps To Maintain A Proper Workout Routine
Everything in life that we plan on doing efficiently, be it a project, an event, or even our exercise routine, should have a defined beginning, middle, and end. The key to a proper, efficient workout is always an appropriate warm-up, workout, and an active recovery workout. These three things together make up a safe and complete workout regime for you.
Best Ways to Do a Recovery Workout
The best three ways of doing an active recovery workout are by:
1. Swimming
This activity lets you breathe fresh air as the cold freshwater will hit your body. It also allows your body to cool down and come back to its regular temperature. The movements that we do in swimming allow our body and muscles to stretch and encourage blood flow.
2. Yoga
Yoga has infinite benefits as it is, but it is considered the best method of active recovery. It’s comprised of a series of stretching exercises that eliminate the built-up lactic acid in our muscles. It helps encourage an easy and efficient blood flow. It also includes breathing exercises that again help increase the level of oxygen in our blood that again helps in recovering muscle damage that may occur post-workout.
3. Walking
This is a simple yet healthy activity because it gives our body the chance to gradually bring down our heartbeat and ensure blood flow throughout our body.
Are you looking for more workouts? Check out our other articles on exercise and working out!
