With National league rugby fast approaching comes the inevitable Sunday mornings after a game where you feel like you have been hit by a train. Now seems as good a time as any to talk about the ways in which we can impact our recovery through both active and passive recovery. I suppose the first issue is to determine what exactly passive and active recovery are.
Active recovery is when you actively take up an activity that’s main purpose is to aid the recovery process. Some light cardio, yoga, foam rolling or meditation are often great examples of this.
Passive recovery is the opposite to active recovery. Watching TV, sleeping etc… essentially passive recovery is more about the not doing something that could inhibit recovery rather than replacing it with something to aid recovery. Having said that, passive recovery has its place in the recovery process.
let’s talk about active recovery and a few of the options we have when it comes to actively working to recover quickly. Some of my favourites are Yoga, Light Cardio, Sports Massage and Percussive therapy. We could look at lots of different options but we would be here all day.
Yoga –
Yoga can be an incredible form of recovery. We know the benefits of stretching in general but when partnered with the mindfulness involved in yoga as well as the isometric strength work. Yoga is quite a well rounded mobility development tool which is great for recovery.
Light cardio –
A gentle run or a light bike can be a great way to simply increase blood flow and flush out toxins as well as clearing your head.
Sports Massage –
For me this is the best tool for increasing muscle quality. A massage can target areas of tightness or stiffness and acutely target the areas that need targeting.
Percussive therapy –
Again a percussive therapy gun is for me an alternative to sports massage. Although not as good as sports massage it can be a more affordable or alternative.