Many people have a love/hate relationship with rest days because they want to relax and recover from the grind of the workout week, but then they get that little itchy feeling that they must do something or they’re going to regress. It also may be that they simply like being active and want to do more than chill out on the couch watching Netflix.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with taking a complete day off as it can help you move closer to your goals if you do so every once in a while. However, a little activity can be beneficial as well, and if it will mentally serve you well to get something done, then you should do it without pushing yourself too hard.

What Is Active Recovery?

Active recovery team, also known as active rest days, are days when you don’t have a weight training session scheduled (think: non-lifting days) but still want to engage in some low-intensity physical activity.

Active recovery can take many forms, but the key is to keep movement and impact lighter than your normal training load. Whatever activity you choose to do should be shorter in time than your usual training training sessions, and should leave you feeling recovered, not as though you just finished a workout.

Active recovery days can be as simple as going on a hike, a bike ride around the neighborhood, basic yoga or Pilates, or even a walk and stretching session. Active recovery workouts can be completed on scheduled rest days as written in your workout of choice, or as needed.