Active Recovery Workout:
It is important when you are participating in a high-intensity training program to have recovery days. At The Maddox Method, we program active recovery days into our competitor’s track twice per week. Active recovery helps by lowering the intensity, but still keeping the body moving. The main components of our active recovery days are: low to moderate intensity cardio, midline stability, and mobility work. The Maddox Method programs percentages of effort for the cardio piece. This helps the athlete stay within a low to moderate intensity. This will help to flush the body, and prime it for the next day of training. Mobility work helps to flush some of the lactic acid build-up and aids in minimizing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. The athlete will still be sore, but active recovery is a better alternative to sitting around and doing nothing on a rest day.
Read More Dealing with Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Today’s active recovery consisted of 35 minutes on the Concept 2 bike erg with several different variations of wood chops every 5 minutes on the 5-minute. For the wood chops, I alternated from high-to-low, to low-to-high, and then kneeling dynamic wood chops. I used Crossover Symmetry bands for the standing wood chops and a medicine ball for the dynamic wood chops, but there are plenty of other types of equipment you can use such as a plate, a dumbbell, a kettle bell, or any type of resistance bands. The wood chop is an explosive movement that targets the core, helping to develop strength in the obliques and abdominal muscles, and improve mobility with the trunk. It also helps to improve hip and shoulder stability. The bike erg was performed at about a fifty percent effort, while the wood chops were performed at about sixty percent effort. After this thirty-five minute bout, I focused on some mobility with static stretching.
2 minutes each side:
- Single leg saddle
- Dragon pose
- Twisted cross
- Pigeon pose
- Hip drop stretch
- Double leg saddle
Read More Active Recovery Days for Mind and Body
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