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