Active recovery involves low-intensity movement (Zone 1 cycling, easy swimming, walking, yoga) that promotes blood flow, lactate clearance and metabolite removal without adding significant training stress. Passive recovery is complete rest — appropriate after extreme events (marathon, Ironman), illness or acute injury. Research consistently shows active recovery reduces DOMS, maintains movement patterns and accelerates metabolite clearance compared to passive rest. However, active recovery must be genuinely light — 30% of max effort maximum — or it adds training stress rather than removing it.
Key points
- Active: light movement promoting blood flow
- Passive: complete rest
- Active superior for DOMS and metabolite clearance
- Active recovery must be truly light (<30% max effort)