Should You Practice Active Recovery?

A healthy fitness routine isn’t just about training –– it’s also about strategic recovery. On some days, you can choose what’s called passive recovery, which means plenty of rest. But, more often, you’ll want to focus on active recovery, which involves low-intensity exercise. 

“Active recovery allows you to replenish tired muscles following an intense workout,” says Addison Tarr, physical therapist and strength coach at the Performance Therapy Center at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, in Santa Monica, California. 

“This puts you in control of your body, ensuring that you can perform at your best, and also helps prevent injury,” he says.

How does active recovery work? 

Active recovery is low-intensity exercise that helps your body recover from higher-intensity training sessions, Tarr says. It activates key stabilizing muscles, releases muscle tension, and helps your whole body reset.

This type of recovery works by increasing blood flow to the tissues that need it most following a workout, he says. Low-intensity movement allows certain muscle groups to activate and remove lactic acid and metabolic waste that have built up during exercise.

It can help reduce muscle soreness after workouts, says Rocky Snyder, a fitness author and certified strength and conditioning specialist. He notes that it can also boost athletic performance, because your body recovers faster from training.

What are the different types of active recovery? 

There are three forms of active recovery, making it easy to add low-intensity movement to your fitness routine. They include:  

1. Interval training: Active recovery is incorporated in interval training workouts. In interval training, you switch between short periods of high-intensity exercise and brief recovery intervals. For example, you might do a round of jumping jacks as fast as you can for 1 minute, then walk in place for 2 minutes, and repeat. 

2. Cooldown: When you make active recovery part of an exercise cooldown sequence, you do lower-intensity activities immediately after a higher-intensity workout. 

3. Rest days: On rest days, you don’t do any strenuous activity. This allows your muscles to recover and helps you avoid overtraining. But you can still practice active recovery in the days following strenuous workouts.

What are the best exercises for active recovery? 

Low-impact exercises that get your heart pumping –– at around 30 to 60% of your maximum heart rate –– are great for active recovery. 

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In fact, some of the best exercises for active recovery are some of the simplest, Tarr says. For example, he suggests lower-intensity activities like:

• Walking

• Swimming

• Biking

• Stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking

• Rock climbing

• Hiking

• Yoga

• Tai chi

• Stretching 

“These can all be forms of active recovery because they keep you moving, while helping your fatigued muscles recover,” Tarr explains.

How effective is active recovery? 

Active recovery can be effective in many ways, including: 

• Increasing blood flow to muscles: Low-intensity exercise promotes oxygen-rich blood flow to your muscles and tissues.

• Removing lactic acid buildup: Your body produces more lactic acid –– a substance that helps your body function –– during strenuous workouts. Studies show that active recovery decreases lactic acid buildup after high-impact exercise. 

• Reducing muscle soreness: High-intensity workouts can cause temporary muscle damage, inflammation, and pain. But recovery techniques, including active recovery, may reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness and help your body adapt more easily to intense exercise. 

• Improving athletic performance: Research suggests that active recovery may help your athletic performance by improving your endurance and power. 

Tarr believes that noncompetitive, easy movement that is performed for fun can also be a mood booster. That means it’s a reset not just for your body, but also for your mind.

What are the advantages of passive recovery? 

Passive recovery means that you’re doing very little, if any, physical activity. Tarr says that this is useful when you’re recovering from an injury or combatting exhaustion. (Improved sleep quality can also boost athletic performance.)

But keep in mind that resting too much can backfire. It might start to reduce your motivation to get moving again, Snyder says. So it’s best to use passive recovery strategically. For example, take naps occasionally but stick to a regular sleep schedule. 

“The body needs rest, so a blend of both passive and active recovery might be the best way to recover from exercise,” Snyder says.

How often should you practice active recovery? 

You can practice some form of active recovery after every intense workout, Tarr says. 

For example, you might go for a short walk to cool down from a run: “Small bouts of active recovery are a way to cool down the body,” Snyder explains.

“Active recovery can also be helpful in between days of intense training, especially if training gains have stalled,” he adds. 

How long should active recovery take? 

Your active recovery period should match the demand of your workout. So an experienced endurance athlete’s recovery session may take longer than a beginner’s, Tarr says.

Generally, 10 to 15 minutes of active recovery is ideal after strenuous workouts, Snyder says. And on the days between training, 20 to 45 minutes should be enough to see benefits.

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Written by:

Elizabeth Millard, CPT, RYT

Elizabeth Millard, CPT, RYT, is a Minnesota-based freelance health writer with 25 years of experience. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, apps, and patient education materials.

Edited by:

Lauren Savage, MA

Lauren Savage, MA, is a health editor at GoodRx, where she focuses on movement, exercise, and healthy aging. She aims to provide readers with the information they need to live healthier, more active lifestyles.

Reviewed by:

Mandy Armitage, MD

Mandy Armitage, MD, has combined clinical medicine with her passion for education and content development for many years. She served as medical director for the health technology companies HealthLoop (now Get Well) and Doximity.

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