Three Types of Recovery Workouts
A few weeks ago, I shared some strategies to make your rest days more effective. Remember: most of the time, the best thing you can do on your rest days is to rest! Terry Todd once told me the best strength athletes knew when to be lazy, and I strongly believe in that principle.
Sometimes, though, you might “need” to train on a scheduled rest day: you might need a mental health boost, or maybe a friend from out of town wants to hit the gym. Other times, you might be scheduled to train, but don’t quite feel up to a balls-out session. In those cases, you can choose one of these workouts to bridge the gap until your next “real” gym day.
Three Types of Recovery Workouts
Aerobic
This is a great day to use when you’re feeling physically antsy, stiff, or stressed, but aren’t up for your regular training. It won’t help your mental state as much as an athletic-style recovery day; and it’s more fatiguing than a pump day.
Begin with some type of low-impact cardiovascular work. This should be either moderately intense or very intense, and it should take roughly 10-15 minutes. Then move into a Crossfit-style circuit that does not involve heavily loaded movements. Instead, choose calisthenics, kettlebell exercises, or the like.
Here’s an example of an intense aerobic recovery day:
Assault Bike
2 miles easy pace (should take about 6 minutes)
Rest 4 minutes
1 mile all-out effort (aim for under 2 minutes)
20 minute AMRAP
Bodyweight Walking Lunge — 10 steps per leg
Pushup — 10 reps
Chin or Inverted Row — 10 reps
Sprint back to starting position
You can tack on some ab work to the end of this session if you like.
Athletic
Athletic days aren’t very physically fatiguing, so they’re a good choice when you’re sore, tired, or sleepy. They’ll sort of kick-start your brain, and hey — they’re a lot of fun, too.
Make sure to do a little low-intensity, steady-state cardio before you begin, because athletic days should involve some high-impact movements. Then move into a circuit that’s almost the opposite of the kind you’d use on an aerobic day. You’ll perform 3-4 explosive movements with plenty of rest; your goal is to maximize your power output without getting winded. Movements that involve jumping, sprinting and throwing are perfect for this circuit. If you’re feeling decent, you can include some light lifts that don’t involve eccentric loading, like deadlifts or box squats.
Here’s an example of an athletic recovery day:
Assault Bike
2 miles easy pace (should take about 6 minutes)
20 minute circuit with 60 seconds rest between rounds
Box Jump — 3 reps to a challenging height
Med Ball Throw — 1 rep for max height
Deadlift
65% 1RM x 15 x 1, 60 seconds rest between reps
Sled Sprint
1 plate on the sled, 20 yards, max effort
100 yards total, 60 seconds rest between sprints
Pump
If you feel good physically and mentally but just aren’t quite ready for a full training day, it’s time to bro out. Pick 3-4 exercises for the upper body and 3-4 exercises for the lower body, and perform them in a circuit at an easy pace and a low level of effort (around RPE 7). Great opportunity to hang out at the gym and just have some fun.
Pump days look like this:
Giant Set/4 rounds with 30 seconds rest between rounds
Leg Curl — 20 reps, nasal breathing only
Leg Extension — 20 reps, nasal breathing only
Leg Press — 30 seconds with 1 plate per side
Superset/4 rounds with 30 seconds rest between rounds
Seesaw Chest-Supported DB Row — 10 reps per side with a light weight
Seesaw Incline DB Press — 10 reps with the same weight
Lat Pulldown
4 sets of 20 with 30 seconds rest between sets, nasal breathing only
Shotgun to the Dick
Superset/4 rounds with 30 seconds rest between rounds
Choice Bicep Machine — 20 reps, nasal breathing only
Choice Tricep Machine — 20 reps, nasal breathing only
I’m planning to launch a new Train Heroic team in the near future, where we’ll be incorporating strategies like this to allow for flexibility while still optimizing performance. In the meantime, if you’d like some individual help with your training, click here to contact me for coaching!