If you have ever trained at New Image you will know that we build our clients’ programs around 5 week training blocks. These blocks, or microcyles, are designed to progressively load your body to force it to change and to then vary your workload to avoid plateaus.
This ensures that your body continues to progress as it adapts to a higher level of physical stress through training, and also that you regularly unload your body through active recovery so that you don’t burn out or hurt yourself.
This is the scientific approach taken to training athletes for optimal performance, and it is how we help you reach your goals.
Why do I need to have a recovery week?
Week 5 of each client’s training block at New Image is active recovery week. I know some clients (and our clients are some of the most committed people I know) don’t really like pulling things back on Week 5. They’re excited with the changes they’re seeing from their hard work and want to keep going hard. Here’s the thing: if you’re going to have longevity in the gym, your body NEEDS to unload for the week. Take an active break for Week 5, and then the following week, Week 1 of the next microcyle or training block, your body will be shocked into further adaptation when you train hard again.
Why do I need to stay active during my recovery week?
We’re all a bit confused about what recovery means. The proliferation of “cheat days” (which I HATE) in a lot of nutrition and exercise programs out there has lead to a lot of people thinking recovery means “blow it all to hell”. Doing nothing at all does pretty much nothing at all for you.
Generally an active recovery is far less intense than your regular training and has less volume. What is active recovery for a marathon runner, someone who has been training regularly for years and a beginner are of course going to be completely different. Your exercise prescription, and how the dosage of exercise is planned and cycled, is unique to you and your goals. Just one of the reasons we know the best results come from working with an experienced, YOU-centric trainer
I use Week 5 to unload my body or simply mix up my training. I love this week of my training block, as this is really when I see the hard work brought to life in my training. Week 5 is when my body responds to the previous four weeks of training and I see adaptations and feel fantastic.
What do I do for active recovery?
For me, active recovery can mean simply mixing up my training and doing something different to give my body a break. For some people, a mix of light cardio and resistance training or Pilates will be the perfect active recovery workout. One of my main goals in the gym is to build or maintain muscle size and reduce body fat. This active recovery workout I’m sharing below included longer, lighter sets with mostly bodyweight exercises. Instead of resting between sets, I’ve incorporated cardio bursts between resistance sets as I’m not going as heavy.
I have also incorporated a technique called blood shunting into this session by completing an upper body exercise for two minutes followed by lower body for two minutes. By shifting blood from one part of the body to another, you maximize the calorie burn of the workout.
Give this workout a go and let me know what you think!
Active recovery session
Cross Trainer: 20 minutes
2 minutes @ 60% effort
2 minutes @ 90% effort
Wide Lat Pulldown x 1 minute
TRX Low Row x 1 minute
Standing Spin x 2 minutes @ 80-90% effort
Dumbbell Incline Chest Press x 1 minute
Push Ups x 1 minute
Standing Spin x 2 minutes @ 80-90% effort
Dumbbell Shoulder Press x 1 minute
TRX Y/T/W Row x 1 minute
Standing Spin x 2 minutes @ 80-90% effort
