Here at True Strength, we truly believe in the power of active recovery. Active recovery typically involves performing light exercise, sometimes even including light resistance training, to help your muscles recover faster and grow more after intense bouts of weight training. Through the use of active recovery techniques, we can limit the effects of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS. This essentially means that you won't be as sore in the several days following an intense workout, which not only makes you feel better, but also enhances muscle growth.
A new study published in December's issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has further confirmed the efficacy of active recovery. Researchers at the National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Denmark discovered that various forms of active recovery, including massage and active exercise, can reduce the effects of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). The researchers took 20 healthy female volunteers and made them perform high intensity exercise that induced DOMS after 48 hours. Once DOMS was present, the volunteers underwent either 10-minutes of massage in the affected area, 10-minutes of light resistance training using elastic bands, or no treatment. The researchers concluded that both massage and active recovery relieved DOMS better than doing nothing at all, with active recovery being slightly superior than massage.
What we can take away from this is after a workout, don't just sit on the couch and suffer the soreness - stay active! Get a massage or try and fit in a light workout - any attempt at active recovery will be better than doing nothing at all.
You can view the abstract from the JSCR here: http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2013/12000/Acute_Effects_of_Massage_or_Active_Exercise_in.16.aspx
Joe King, M.S., N.A.S.M.
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