Active Rest

How many times have you heard the excuse, "I hurt my shoulder, so I am going to take a week off from exercise." Another one, "My back is stiff, maybe I should rest it for a few days."

For most people, rest for a few days leads to weeks, which leads to months, which leads to possibly never again.

If your shoulder is hurting, you still have over 840 other muscles that need attention. That shoulder might need some minor rehab you may be able to do on your own. Ask a qualified personal trainer for some advice. If your back is sore, you may want to warm those muscles with some low impact exercises. Rest is good, but ACTIVE REST may be more helpful in some cases.

ACTIVE REST is a type of training used to aid in recovery after a strenuous workout. It helps to speed up the recovery process. It is exercise, but not the type that breaks down the muscle fibers. ACTIVE REST is short and effective (20 minutes max) and it keeps you in your regimen (give some people a week off and they begin to settle in a comfort zone away from exercise).

ACTIVE REST does not require much equipment or time: all you need is 20 minutes and some creativity.

I like to set up a circuit with about 8 to 10 different different low impact exercises: some for the upper body, some for the lower body, and some which work both. The weights are moderate and the intensity is very low. You should perform 20 to 30 repetitions per exercise and the only rest between sets is the amount of time it takes you to get to the next exercise. You should use only about 40% of your maximum intensity per set per exercise.

Go through the circuit once or twice and you're finished. When I follow this plan, my recovery time is cut in half.

We often look for ways to get out of a work out and when one body part isn't working, we neglect others. We only know one type of workout, when in fact there are different intensities. When you have a tweaked muscle look for solutions not excuses. When you have an ailment try to do the same--don't just rest, ACTIVE REST! Learn how to shift gears with your body!

Be careful. Some injuries are more serious; some require surgery and physical therapy rehabilitation. But remember that even though you are rehabbing your knee, for example, you still have over 840 other muscles that need you.

Yours in health and fitness,
Joe Divosevic
Co-owner and Operator, MAC FITNESS