Rest is an essential part of training, no matter what you’re working toward. The stress and load of your workouts must be balanced with downtime, those moments when your body hits the “rest and recover” switch and actively promotes muscle repair.
But rest doesn’t mean doing nothing at all. In fact, light movement and gentle activity can actually aid recovery, while overtraining and neglecting proper downtime can set you back or even cause serious harm.
So, after a challenging workout, should you just hit the couch, binge Netflix, and chill all weekend?
Surprisingly, the answer is not quite. Elite athletes may spend more time resting than training, but their recovery is far from passive. They’re intentional about how they recover because they know that rest is when the real growth happens.
In this guide, we’ll delve into the strategies pros rely on to maximize their recovery, including the distinction between active and passive recovery, examples of effective active recovery exercises, seven essential recovery tools and tips for runners, and how to optimize your sleep for optimal performance.
How To Use Active Recovery In Your Training
There are two main types of recovery: active and passive.
Passive recovery is exactly what it sounds like—lying down, doing nothing, and letting your body rest. While it has its place, research and training experts generally agree that active recovery provides more benefits for athletes.
Active recovery is all about giving your muscles a break while still keeping them gently engaged. It promotes blood flow, speeds up recovery, and helps prevent stiffness.
In other words, instead of collapsing on the couch after a tough run, you keep moving at a low intensity to aid the healing process.
And within active recovery, there are actually three different approaches:
Type #1: Between Sets
This form of active recovery happens during your workout, in the rest periods between hard efforts. Instead of coming to a complete stop, you stay lightly active and mobile—hence, “between sets.”
For runners, this might mean jogging a slow lap between fast intervals on the track, or walking back down the hill after a hard hill sprint.
In the gym, it could be something as simple as jogging in place, walking around, or doing dynamic stretches between lifting sets.
The goal is to keep your blood flowing and muscles engaged without adding extra strain. By avoiding a full stop, you help clear out metabolic byproducts like lactic acid more efficiently, which can reduce soreness and keep your legs feeling fresher as the workout goes on.
Type #2: Cool Down
A cool down is simply the practice of staying active after your workout instead of stopping abruptly. For runners, this often means a short post-workout jog at an easy pace, or even a brisk walk if you’re especially fatigued.
Cooling down helps your body transition back to its resting state by gradually lowering your heart rate and blood pressure. This is particularly important for endurance athletes, like marathoners, because it helps regulate circulation and reduces the risk of blood pooling in the legs after intense effort.1Mayo Clinic. (2021, October 6). Aerobic exercise: How to warm up and cool down. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20045517
In addition, moving gently after a hard session promotes faster clearance of metabolic waste and can ease post-workout stiffness. Think of it as giving your body a smoother “landing” rather than slamming on the brakes the second you stop running.
Type #3: Rest Days
A rest day might seem like the perfect time for passive recovery, but this is when staying mobile is most important.
“When an athlete plans a productive rest day, active recovery is the name of the game,” said Dani Singer, certified personal trainer and director of FIT2GO Personal Training.
“A day that is not spent on training is a day full of opportunity for mobility work. Use this time to address any muscle tension or joint stiffness you may be experiencing. For example, if you’re a distance runner, then you’ll likely find all sorts of knots in your hip flexors, hamstrings, and lower back. Use a drill like the “Squat to Pike” to identify and address any issues in these areas,” said Singer.
When we work out intensely, tiny tears form in the muscles. Eventually, our muscles repair themselves and it’s during this repair process that they grow larger and stronger (it’s also why we feel sore in the hours and days after a workout.)
Doing rest day workouts increases blood flow to those muscles, helping them to repair themselves faster and making us feel less sore.
Examples Of Active Recovery Rest Day Exercises
These light exercises will help you stay mobile and recover faster, so that your body is ready for the next intense workout.
- Walking, or power walking
- Cycling
- Pilates or yoga
- Swimming
- Mobility work
- Using a foam roller
- Gentle gym sessions (less than 50% your normal weight).
7 Rapid Recovery Tools and Tips For Runners
#1: Foam Rollers
Foam rolling is one of the simplest and most effective recovery tools for runners. A standard foam roller can help release tightness in the fascia, massage sore muscles, and improve blood flow, all of which promote faster recovery.
When rolling, move slowly over each muscle group, and pause when you hit a tender or tight spot. Take a deep inhale, then exhale as you gently roll through the area. Think of it as self-massage—controlled, intentional, and never rushed.
For runners, the key areas to focus on are:
- Calves: Roll from the ankle up to just below the knee to release tightness that often builds from miles on the road.
- Quads: Position the roller under your thighs and work from your hip flexors down to just above the knee.
- Hamstrings: Sit on the roller with it under your thighs and roll from glutes to knees.
- Glutes and piriformis: Cross one ankle over the opposite knee, lean slightly toward the raised leg, and roll the side of your hip and glute.
- IT band (with caution): Instead of rolling directly on the IT band, which can be painful and less effective, target the surrounding muscles—your quads, hamstrings, and outer hip.
Spend 1 minute per muscle group, and focus on the areas that feel the most sore or restricted after your run. Consistency matters more than intensity—a few minutes daily or after key workouts is far more beneficial than occasional, overly aggressive sessions.
#2: Massage Guns
Massage guns are a popular alternative to foam rollers, offering deep tissue percussion therapy with minimal effort. These handheld devices use rapid pulses to loosen tight muscles, improve circulation, and speed up recovery. Because they don’t require the active effort of supporting your body weight (as with foam rolling), they are especially well-suited for passive recovery, you can simply sit back and let the device do the work.
For runners, massage guns are particularly effective on high-mileage trouble spots like the calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. They can also help ease tightness after long runs or hill workouts. Use them for 1-2 minutes per muscle group, moving slowly over the area.
#3: Recovery Boots
Recovery boots function similarly to blood pressure cuffs, but for your legs. They resemble oversized, padded boots that zip up over the legs. Once activated, the boots inflate pneumatically, rhythmically compressing and releasing around your muscles—just like a blood pressure monitor inflates around your arm.
This dynamic compression helps increase circulation, flush out metabolic waste, and deliver blood to fatigued muscles, which can reduce soreness and promote faster recovery after a tough run or workout. Many runners use them post-long run or after heavy training weeks as a way to speed up the recovery process and get their legs feeling fresh again.
#4: Resistance Bands
Light workouts with resistance bands are a great way to keep muscles engaged and mobile on rest days. Bands can also be used for stretching, helping to release tension in key muscle groups that are often overworked during long-distance running.
Some effective resistance band stretches for runners include:
- Hamstring stretch: Loop the band around the bottom of your foot while lying on your back, then gently pull your leg upward to stretch the back of your thigh.
- Hip flexor stretch: Anchor the band behind you and loop it around your ankle, then step forward into a lunge to open up tight hips.
- Glute stretch: Lie on your back with the band looped around one thigh and gently pull your leg across your body to stretch the glutes and outer hip.
- Calf stretch: Sit with your leg extended, the band around the ball of your foot, and pull gently to stretch the calf and Achilles.
These band stretches not only increase flexibility but also promote blood flow and reduce tightness, keeping your stride smooth and efficient.
#5: A Plain Old Wall
If you don’t have any of the equipment I listed above, don’t fret. Simply find a wall and lie down perpendicular to it, bring your legs up into the air with your heels gently resting against the wall.
Hold this position for 6-8 minutes or until your feet start to tingle. This technique helps more oxygenated blood flow into your sore legs.
#6: Recovery runs
Runners should have recovery runs built into their programs. If you aren’t following a program, you can find one here in our database. Recovery runs are gentle runs performed at a much lower intensity than your normal training paces.
The benefit of these easy-effort miles is that they promote blood flow to the muscles, which helps flush out metabolic waste products and deliver oxygen and nutrients for faster repair. This gentle circulation can reduce soreness, improve mobility, and keep your legs feeling looser than complete rest might.
That said, it’s important to keep recovery runs truly easy. If you push the pace, they stop being recovery and turn into another stressor, which can lead to overtraining and injury.
Most runners should also incorporate at least one full day off from running each week to give the body a chance to recuperate fully.
The goal with recovery runs isn’t to build fitness but to support the adaptations from harder training sessions and keep your legs fresh for what’s ahead.
#7: Maintaining Hydration
Maintaining hydration is vital for athletes during workouts, but also on rest days. Drinking water with electrolytes is a great way to stay hydrated longer than you would if you were drinking just water.
Here’s a recipe to follow for a DIY electrolyte drink.
Sleep Strategies Every Athlete Should Know
We’ve all heard the old wisdom about getting eight hours every night, but did you know that athletes can aim for 10 hours of sleep?
“Getting above average sleep warrants above average performance,” said certified personal trainer and founder of The Fitness Tribe, Brandon Nicholas.
- Athletes – even us regular humans, after a hard workout – should get 9-10 hours of sleep each night because athletes expend energy and put strain on their muscles at a higher rate than non-athletes; therefore, athletes should sleep for longer periods of time comparatively, in order to fully repair and recover.
- Power naps can be an athlete’s best friend, but they have to be done right. A good power nap is a short rest during the day.
Power naps for athletes is only a 10-30 minute shut-eye at any point during the day. This brings out a two-three hour boost in energy and performance, while long naps that usually last for up to two hours can cause grogginess and is detrimental for your athletic performance later on,” said Nicholas.
- Additionally, naps should be scheduled so that they don’t interrupt your night’s sleep, the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School recommends short naps before 5 p.m. to prevent a restless night.
I personally enjoy a pre-workout power nap a couple of days each week. I usually set a timer on my phone for 25 minutes after I lie down. When I wake up, I don’t feel any sense of grogginess; instead, I feel recharged and ready to shift into a workout mentality.
- A consistent sleep schedule is key for athletes who require high amounts of energy to get them through tomorrow’s workout. Going to bed and waking up at a regular time will contribute to aligning your body clock. A regular sleep routine can speed up muscle recovery and boost the body’s ability to recharge.
- Keeping distractions like phones, computers, and TVs out of your bedroom can promote uninterrupted sleep, while solidifying your bedroom as a place to sleep, not a second living room or office.
I am guilty of this. When I crawl into bed it’s not sleep that’s on my mind, more often than not it’s, “what should I watch?” The truth is, our minds will start to associate a place (the bedroom) with sleep if we consistently train it to do so by using our bedroom for the sole purpose of sleeping.
Conversely, if I continue to watch TV in bed before attempting to fall asleep, it will be harder for me to fall asleep quickly than if I didn’t treat my bedroom like a movie theater.
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed. These chemicals, along with nicotine, have been shown to either prevent or interrupt sleep, according to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Why Rest Is So Important
If you aren’t completely convinced that rest is an integral aspect of a top athlete’s performance, here’s some insight from professional Triathlete and Rower Nick Karwoski.
When training for a particular race, event or goal, rest becomes as important, if not more important, than the training itself. The only way for your body to perform at its best is to make sure that you are giving everything it needs to recover. This means more than just rolling out or stretching; it means hydrating, fueling, sleeping and timing your days off that are optimal in your training. The harder you push your body and ask of it, the more it may need to recover in order to repeat that training session.”
Rest and recovery are essential to any athlete’s training program, whether they are a pro or training for their first half-marathon.
Use these tips and try to dedicate the same amount of time, effort, and concentration toward your rest as you would your workout.
Eating proper foods, maintaining hydration, stretching, and sleeping well are all pieces of the “feel-good puzzle.” When they all fit together, you perform your best!
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