Active Recovery: An Essential Workout

Rest and be thankful.

--William Wordsworth

Three days on. One day off. Two days on. One day off.

It's a rhythm we've been doing for six years with the Spartan Workout of the Day.

That's how we approach the week.

We kick off on Monday, but you can start the sequence on any day of the week that best suits you.

You go hard for three days. You push yourself. Wednesday should be a grind.

Then, day 4, you give your body a break.

That's Thursday in the Workout of the Day: Active Recovery.

It's 'active' in that you apply yourself just as you would in your workout.

Find at least 20 minutes of constructive activity that you apply towards rejuvenating your body and mind.

Lean into recovery, it's important. Apply yourself to feeling better as a reward for the hard work you put in. Be grateful for the aches and pains because they let you know the training is working.

Here are some active recovery activities to consider:

• Acumobility
• Animal movements like the Bear Crawl
• Drinking water
• Meditation
• Napping
• Stretching
• Walking in the woods
• Yoga

The important thing is that you don't stress yourself out on an active recovery day.

Yes, you read napping in that list. My rule of thumb for active recovery days is to nap if I'm getting stressed out about what I should be doing. Some days the best, most active and smart thing to do is to just enjoy a 20-minute power nap. Or I enjoy a big glass of cold water for minutes. That's a great workout activity.

Today's Challenge:  We start workouts with quotes because we find they are a great way to learn important lessons. They also come in handy when training when things get tough. How's your memory? Find a quote you like. Memorize it.

Want more bodyweight workouts? Eliminate your excuses. Download the Spartan Bodyweight Workout Plan.

The mission of the Spartan Workout of the Day is to empower all Spartans to get to the starting line by providing workouts, training plans, training articles and exercise tutorials. Whatever your ability, Spartan wants to give you the skills and conditioning needed to enjoy our races.