Active Recovery vs Rest Days: Which One Do You Actually Need?

Rest days are important for any fitness discipline regardless of the goals that an athlete or enthusiast may have. That’s because recovery is the key to maximizing training. One downside to rest days are that many people are so enthusiastic and passionate about training and being active that it can mentally drain them at times.

Fortunately, there are active recovery days that can scratch that itch without crossing the threshold into a full-blown training day. If you’re not familiar with active recovery days and how they are different than complete rest days, then congratulations. You’re about to add a new tool to your kit that can help you reach your full fitness and athletic potential.

Why Off Days Are Just as Important as Training Days

We established that rest days are important, but why? When you train, you’re breaking muscle fibers and tissue down. The repair and recovery happens on those rest days. The process of leads to a form of supercompensation, tissue remodeling and recovery of the central nervous system (CNS). The final result? Muscle growth, strength increases, and improvement in muscular endurance,That can’t happen, though, unless time is devoted for that process to occur and nutritional support is provided. 

Does that mean you have to spend a rest day at home lying in bed all day? Absolutely not, nor should anyone be expected to. Humans are meant to be active, and that is where active recovery days can come into play.

What Is Active Recovery?

If we were to define an active recovery day, it could be as time spent performing a lower intensity pattern or movements that encourage blood flow without placing extra training stress on the body. Standard examples of active recovery exercise include walking, light cycling on a stationary bike or actual bicycle, swimming recreationally or laps in a pool at a moderate rate, and mobility work or stretching such as yoga or Pilates.

Active recovery can also be activities such as golf, shooting basketball (not full intense games), or hiking with friends. The key is movement for the sake of movement that doesn’t require applying serious intensity or effort.

What Is a True Rest Day?

A rest day can be defined as a day devoted to minimal activity for the sake of maximizing recovery from exercise as well as preparation for the next day’s planned training activity. Again, no one is expected to be immobile, but a rest day shouldn’t involve any strenuous activity and is beneficial when specific recovery is planned. That could include a scheduled nap, maintaining a low resting heart rate, addressing soreness through massage therapy, and engaging in hobbies or activities that won’t require much physical commitment that can enhance one’s mood.

Most training plans include one to two rest days per week, but if you have had trouble sleeping in recent days, notice a change in mood, or your heart rate variability (HRV) has changed, those are signs that an extra rest day could serve you well.

Active Recovery vs Rest Days: Key Differences

Looking at active recovery days and rest days side-by-side, there are a few noticeable differences between the two concepts. Active recovery days are designed to promote activity whereas rest days are not. The intensity of the two are different as well. If you are doing anything over a 20% effort, it is more geared for active recovery than for rest. 

People that are more experienced in fitness and sports could benefit somewhat more from active recovery days, but that doesn’t mean beginners shouldn’t consider them. Rest days are required for everyone. One full rest day a week minimal can go a long way in promoting recovery.

Benefits of Active Recovery

Some people may question why they should do active recovery days at all if rest days are so important. That may make sense on the surface, but once you see all the benefits that active recovery have to offer, you’ll see why they need to be a part of your training plan.

Increased Blood Flow and Lactate Clearance - Movement in general helps promote blood flow throughout the body. Research in 2010 verified that the increase in blood flow promoted by active recovery clears lactate significantly faster than passive rest. (1) This means that when you go back into a full training day, your body will be better prepared for the work that is about to come thanks to that lactate being processed out. Even if you’re dealing with a muscle strain or other issue that has affected your workouts, active recovery in a way that doesn’t impact the affected area can serve you well.

Reduction in Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) - DOMS can be a symptom caused by a very intense training session. Many people reading this may have immediately thought of a hard leg day as an example. If someone is affected by DOMS, then light activity or active recovery at a 30-40% effort level can help temporarily alleviate the associated pain and stiffness greater than being immobile. (2)

Maintains Training Habits - If there is an instance where something unplanned comes up or a life occurrence keeps you from training, committing to an active recovery day can simply help you maintain the habit of training and not allowing yourself to skip the activity completely. That can be a great way to reinforce the commitment and maximize potential.

Psychological Momentum - Aside from the self pat on the back for finding a way to stick to your goals, active recovery days have been shown to help manage the cognitive stress-recovery state, preventing "under-recovery" which manifests as mental burnout and loss of motivation. (3)

Benefits of Full Rest Days

Active recovery days are great, but don’t use them as an excuse to avoid a rest day when you know you need it. Full rest days are also vital to the recovery process as well as overall health and wellness for a variety of reasons.

CNS Recovery

When you train, your central nervous system is responsible for firing electrical signals to force your muscles to contract. Unlike your muscles, which benefit from increased blood flow, the nervous system requires an unloading of stress to shift from a sympathetic state (fight-or-flight) to a parasympathetic state (rest-and-digest).

CNS fatigue can linger for as long as 48-72 hours after the conclusion of activity. (4) Beginners are likely to instinctively rest to recover, and advanced lifters know this already. Intermediate lifters are those most likely to grind it out and ignore the signals. Don’t. Your CNS will thank you for taking the extra time for recovery, and you’ll thank yourself with the greater results that come from when you do train.

Hormonal Reset

Intense training can lead to a spike in cortisol, and this spike can be retained with insufficient rest. This can impact protein synthesis negatively. Furthermore, intense exercise causes your body to secrete catabolic (breakdown) hormones to mobilize energy. This can interrupt the body’s process for producing testosterone. Men need the rest day, which should include quality sleep, to maintain production.

This is also a issue for active women as well. High intensity training with little rest can result in chronic physical stress and a decrease in estrogen. The hypothalamus downregulates the pulsatile release of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH). Without that, the pituitary gland stops signaling the ovaries to produce estrogen and progesterone, which can lead to a shutdown in ovulation.

Injury Prevention

Last, but certainly not least, is injury prevention. If you resume training before you’re fully recovered, then the body naturally will be at a greater risk of suffering injuries. This is especially true in older adults. Powering through and trying to get back to action on a rest day by choice could lead to even more rest days without a choice because of an injury. You need them anyway, so use them now and stay healthy so you can resume training another day.

How to Choose: Signs You Need Active Recovery vs Full Rest

If the concept of active recovery days is new to you, then you need to know when to implement them and when to take a full rest day. Ask yourself these questions, and let the answers dictate what you do that day?

How well did I sleep last night? - This one should be straight, simple, and non-negotiable. If you didn’t sleep well the previous night, rest. Take a nap, or lay in bed and do your best to relax if you can’t sleep. If you feel good and got a good night’s sleep, then active recovery could serve you well.

Am I sore or in pain? - If you’re dealing with DOMS from an intense workout but can still move without compromise, then you may be able to do an active recovery day. If you can’t move normally or are in pain, then rest is a must. If you need a 1-10 scale, then 0-4 can be an active recovery day. Anything over 5, and you should lean towards a rest day instead.

How has training performance been lately? - If your progress and workouts are where you expect them to be, then an active recovery day can be a great way to keep that momentum going. If you’ve struggled in training or been forcing yourself to train, a day off is needed.

What mood am I in? - This is where it could get tricky. Sometimes, we are in bad moods because we didn’t do anything active. Other times, it could be that we’ve done too much and haven’t stopped. This is a time when the decision is individually based. If a walk outside would do you good, then take it. If it’s a day that you’d just rather stay in bed and do nothing, do that too. Don’t force yourself to go outside your mental comfort zone if it won’t help you.

How Nutrition and Supplements Support Recovery — Both Strategies

Protein Timing

You don’t need to necessarily rush to get your post-workout protein in after an active recovery session, but protein should still be a major part of your nutrition plan every day. Having consistent servings throughout the day will help maximize recovery and prepare you for the next day’s session. Get that protein in from food first, but a whey isolate shake can be a great ally if you need protein quickly.

Creatine Even on Rest Days

Aside from stimulants or energy supplements, your supplement plan should be consistent on active recovery and rest days, including creatine monohydrate. Creatine on a rest day can be a secret weapon if strength and performance are priorities for you. Whether you take it in the morning or afternoon, rest day or active recovery session, make creatine a foundational part of the day.

Electrolyte Replenishment 

Dehydration slows down blood circulation, which actively hinders the primary purpose of active recovery of flushing out metabolic waste. You may not need a sugary drink on an active recovery day or a rest day, but an electrolyte supplement to help with hydration never hurts and can be a great benefit on warmer weather days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Today is a rest day, but I feel really good. Can I make it an active recovery day instead?

If you answered the questions above to confirm that you could handle an active recovery day, then you can take one. You should also plan on a full rest day in place of the one you’re giving up to do active recovery. Don’t make skipping rest days a habit.

Should I take my supplements on active recovery and rest days?

Yes, especially creatine monohydrate and protein supplements. You may not need to take an energy supplement on an active recovery day, but the rest of your supplement plan should remain unchanged.

How many days can I train in a row before I need to take a rest day?

This depends on the person and the amount of activity you’re performing. Most people should take a rest day after two or no more than three consecutive days of intense activity. If you’re alternating training days with active recovery days, then you could potentially go up to five days before a full rest day is needed. At minimum, all fitness enthusiasts should plan on at least one complete rest day a week, and two would be better for most.

References

1. Menzies, P., Menzies, C., McIntyre, L., Paterson, P., Wilson, J., & Kemi, O. J. (2010). Blood lactate clearance during active recovery after an intense running bout depends on the intensity of the active recovery. Journal of Sports Sciences, 28(9), 975–982. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2010.481721

2. Dupuy, O., Douzi, W., Theurot, D., Bosquet, L., & Dugué, B. (2018). An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 9, Article 403. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00403 

3. Kellmann, M. (2010). Preventing overtraining in athletes: Beyond monitoring of training loads. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11(4), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2010.02.002 

4. Thomas, K., Brownstein, C. G., Dent, J., Parker, P., Goodall, S., & Howatson, G. (2018). Neuromuscular fatigue and recovery after heavy resistance, jump, and sprint training methods. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 50(5), 992–1007. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001520