A 5 Mile Run or a 5k Row as NOT an Active Recovery Day

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I’m going to say it again because it is that important to get in your head: “A 5 mile run or a 5k row is NOT an active recovery day.” When someone tells you this was their “active recovery day” it no longer becomes an active recovery day — it an actual workout. “But I went slow?” Doesn’t matter. A 5 mile run or 5k row still breaks down tissue and is still stressful on the body — not restorative in nature at all. Think about how many hinges you are doing during a 5K row!

Active recovery is this: it is a performance care segment. It is gently moving for 20 minutes, never getting stressed, & where breathing doesn’t exceed 6 reps per 20 seconds.

Here is an example of an actual active recovery workout:

25 minutes for quality of:

5 cat / cow

50m single arm farmers carry

8 lateral box step ups

2 min assault bike nasal breathing only

Here’s how to perform cat cow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9mfJWHaenc

Here’s how to perform a single arm farmers carry:

Here’s how to perform lateral box step ups:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3-ddw3zhZU

 

MICHAEL GAINES

Founder & Head Coach

My career started as a personal trainer at your typical “big box” gym franchise. Although it was a challenge from day 1, I was ready for it – clients at 5 am, clients at 9 pm; clients who aspired to be collegiate athletes; clients who had never exercised; clients who wanted a “quick fix” and crash diets; clients who were lost; and clients who were stepping into the gym for the first time.

It was a daily challenge working with a “one size fits all” program and platform created by executives focused on profit over people. Everyone is so different, so why is the program the same for each person?

I became continually frustrated – how was anyone supposed to hit their individual goals with a program created for an “average” person. How were my clients ever going to feel encouraged when their progress and success was based on impossible standards? It was wrong, and I was determined to do something better.

There needed to be a genuine collaboration of long-term strategies aligned with our member’s unique goals and lifestyles. Couple that with a safe place where they are heard, seen, and understood. Where programs for exercise, diet, lifestyle changes, conquering health battles, and gaining control are creatively designed, individually prepared, intelligently managed, and continually monitored. It took some time to get it right, but I finally curated a program in a place where each member is individually recognized, yet part of a like-minded community. A place we call The X…and a program that is Proudly Different.

My name is Michael Gaines, and I am the proud founder and head coach of The X. Before you ask…the answer is yes – I hold numerous certifications and have put in years of research that serves as the backbone of every individual program we curate. Our members are my family, and it’s hard to articulate the joy I get watching them triumph over their health, fitness, and diet battles. The results are real, long-term, and rewarding. Stop in and say hello. Tell us how you define success and we’ll help you get there!

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