Skip to main content

Is too much sitting down negatively impacting your workout recovery? New study

Small changes can make a big difference over time.

Man sitting on couch wearing headphones relaxing on phone
Thirdman / Pexels

I didn’t realize how much I was sitting down until I started thinking about it. I’ve never been a completely sedentary person, but when I considered the amount of hours I was on my butt, I figured I could do better, and I’ve improved a ton since then. 

Previous research reveals that sitting on your butt and being sedentary increases the risk of the most prevalent types of heart disease. Researchers also reported a significant 40-60% bigger risk of heart failure when sedentary behavior was longer than 10.6 hours per day, not including time sleeping. For that study, researchers defined sedentary behavior as any waking activity with low expenditure while lying down, sitting, or reclining.

Recommended Videos

Are we sitting too much?

Small changes can make a big difference over time
Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels

More recently, researchers wanted to understand if too much sitting negatively impacts workout recovery. Are we sitting too much on those days when we aren’t working out? Here at The Manual, when something is impeding our gains and hampering our fitness goals, we want to know about it. Let’s look at the research. 

The study

A male athlete doing leg extensions on a machine in a gym.
Antonio Diaz / Shutterstock

In a pilot study released in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, participants performed an intense lower-body workout specifically designed to push them to the max. Researchers tracked their recovery over several days and measured various markers, including perceived exertion, muscle soreness, and strength retention. Participants reported their daily sitting time and took blood samples to measure markers of muscle inflammation. Peak torque tests were used to determine muscle function and force. 

The results

A large clock on the wall and a couch with pillows inside a home
Engin Akyurt / Pixabay

When compared to the participants who were more active throughout the day, participants who spent more time sitting:

  • Had higher levels of muscle soreness
  • Perceived their workouts to be more challenging
  • Took longer to regain their strength

The researchers theorized that being sedentary for a longer time period restricted blood flow and limited the amount of nutrients and oxygen being delivered to the muscles. Less nutrients and oxygen slows the process of muscle repair and recovery. 

The takeaway

Man drinking coffee sitting relaxing on couch with cat
Pexels / Pixabay

It’s important to keep the oxygen, nutrients, and blood flowing to help your muscles recover on those days when you’re less active and you aren’t working out. Small changes can make a big difference over time, and you can try using a standing desk, stretching regularly, and getting up to walk and move around throughout the day. I remember when I was a kid; I would randomly do a bunch of jumping jacks or start jumping around and waving my arms about dancing and singing. 

Our bodies are designed to move, and if we want to improve our workout recovery and continue powering through to our fitness goals, we probably need to be a little more mindful of how much we sit down. Time to get up off my butt.

Steph Green
Steph Green is a content writer specializing in healthcare, wellness, and nutrition. With over ten years of experience, she…
Topics
Here’s what 30 minutes of the Japanese Walking method can do for your health
All it takes is half an hour to get these proven benefits, from better blood pressure to body composition.
Man walking through sunlit trees

Walking is natural and beneficial for your wellness, so it’s worth putting one foot in front of the other. Whether you’re going around the block with your dog, exploring new places on foot, or just spending some time strolling outside, walking has been proven to lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and more.

The Japanese interval walking method, also known as interval walking training, is increasingly popular in the fitness world, to the extent that many are forgetting about those 10,000 steps. This method also provides proven benefits.

Read more
Are endurance athletes getting enough protein? Hot-off-the-press study
Do endurance athletes require as much protein as strength athletes to optimize performance?
Happy man smiling crossing marathon finish line

Since protein is key for muscle growth, those looking to sculpt a more muscular physique and boost strength often consume more protein. Gym junkies and bodybuilders are frequently heard discussing the role of optimal protein consumption in making those gains. What about endurance athletes who are more focused on completing marathons and triathlons than powering through the big three compound lifts? In weightlifting, protein plays a crucial role in building muscle strength, but what about its impact on longevity and endurance? Let’s look at recent research.

Interesting research

Read more
Do hiking poles really help your balance in the great outdoors? Here’s the study
To use hiking poles or not to use hiking poles? What does the research show on the benefits?
hiking poles

Some people prefer their trusty hiking shoes, while others won’t go without their favorite drink flask for much-needed hydration. I prefer my cushiony hiking shoes and vast trails with tall trees canopying the path ahead, with waterfalls as gleaming treasures along the way. Researchers have found hiking is accessible and can reduce depression and blood pressure while improving overall health and wellness. 

In our busy, digital modern world, where we spend a lot of time indoors, hiking provides a welcome escape into nature and a way to get our muscles moving. Many avid hikers use hiking poles, also known as trekking poles, to enhance stability, balance, and posture while hiking and to help reduce strain on the joints, especially on varying terrain. Trekking poles are lightweight and adjustable and are usually used in pairs by backpackers, hikers, and trekkers. They originated in Finland and were designed for Nordic walking.

Read more