Should you take an active recovery day or a rest day? What’s the difference?

Rest days are crucial to give your muscles time to rest and recover, especially after doing strength training or an intense workout. I remember my physical therapist always reminding me, “Take your rest days.” You’ve probably heard fitness enthusiasts discuss active recovery days, too. Just like exercise, both are important for your overall wellness and to help you enhance performance and prevent burnout. Let’s look at the difference and how you know when to take a rest day and when to take an active recovery day.

What are rest days?

During a rest day, you abstain from engaging in intense physical activities and allow your body to repair, which can lower your risk of injuries and burnout. A total rest day is a full day where you aren’t working out or being active. Try to make sufficient time to rest your muscles and avoid moderate or vigorous exercise. 

What are active recovery days?

During active recovery days, you still avoid vigorous workouts like high-intensity interval training, heavy weightlifting, or a long-distance run. The goal is to still allow your muscles to recover while doing lighter activity and being a little more active than a total rest day. According to the American Council on Exercise or ACE, active recovery involves engaging in lighter activity during or following a higher-intensity workout to promote recovery.

What exercises should you try on an active recovery day?

The most common forms of exercise for active recovery days include:

• Jogging
• Light cycling
• Walking
• Yoga
• Stretching

Aim for exercises that promote muscle health and recovery without putting extra strain on your joints. You’ll still get benefits like improving blood circulation and flexibility, boosting your mental health, and diminishing muscle soreness. Try to avoid overdoing active recovery, which can have the opposite effect and impede muscle repair.

When should you take a rest day or an active recovery day?

When you’re strength training and targeting a specific muscle group, it’s important to allow a rest day in between workout sessions so you don’t overwork that muscle group and increase your risk of injury. Whether you need to take a rest day or an active recovery day depends on your activity level, your goals, your lifestyle, and other factors. Most fitness professionals recommend including both for optimal health.

If you’re not too fatigued and you have some time to get the benefits of light exercise, you could take an active recovery day and try a new yoga routine and some light jogging. Active recovery days help you keep up with your fitness routine and continue fine-tuning your fitness. When you need a mental break, an active recovery day can perk your mood without feeling like it’s too much. At the same time, rest days give you the necessary time to rest, which helps you avoid overtaxing your muscles and joints and helps you feel stronger to power through that next workout. 

It’s best to listen to your body and balance both rest days and active recovery days. You can also work with a personal trainer to develop a suitable, personalized workout plan.