🚴‍♂️ What an Active Recovery Day Is Supposed to Feel Like

📰 COLLEGIATE ELITES WEEKLY

Issue 034 — February 3, 2025

Ever stop and think about what good recovery day looks like?

Light. Intentional. Productive.

You should walk out better than you walked in.
Not exhausted.
Not stiff.

Not wondering if you “did enough.”

That feeling, calm, loose, ready, is the signal you did it right.

And most athletes never learn this.

⛔️ THE BIGGEST MISTAKE ATHLETES MAKE WITH RECOVERY

Most athletes think recovery days are supposed to feel like one of three things:

• Lazy

• Boring

• A step backward

So they chase sweat.
They add weight “just because.”
They turn recovery into another workout.

That mindset doesn’t build resilience.
It stalls progress.

An active recovery day isn’t a throwaway.

It’s a performance tool and when used correctly, it sets up every hard session that follows.

🚫 WHAT ACTIVE RECOVERY IS NOT

Let’s clear this up.

Active recovery is not:

• A hard lift with lighter weights

• Conditioning “just to get a sweat”

• Making up for missed work

• Sitting still all day and calling it rest

If you leave feeling drained, sore, or foggy, you missed the assignment.

Recovery isn’t about doing nothing.
It’s about reducing stress while improving readiness.

Here’s what that feels like when it’s done right.

🧘 YOU RELEASE TENSION

This is the piece most athletes never train — and the one that matters most.

A good recovery day:

• Lowers background tension

• Improves coordination

• Helps the body feel organized again

You should feel calmer and more in control afterward.

If heart rate stays elevated or you feel wired after the session, intensity was too high.

🦵YOUR BODY FEELS LOOSER, NOT BEAT UP

Recovery work should restore movement, not take from it.

You should notice:

• Less soreness

• Easier joint motion

• Better positions in basic patterns. (squatting, running, jumping)

The body should feel more capable, not worn down.

⚖️ EFFORT LIVES AT A 4-6 OUT OF 10

This is where athletes overshoot.

Active recovery lives in the middle:

• Enough movement to drive blood flow

• Not enough stress to interfere with tomorrow

Breathing stays controlled.
Conversation stays easy.

If it feels like a grind, it’s no longer recovery.

🧒 WHY THIS MATTERS FOR YOUTH ATHLETES

Youth athletes already carry a heavy load:

• Practices during the week

• Tournaments on weekends

• Multiple sports layered together

Without recovery, adaptation never sticks.

Active recovery:

• Protects consistency

• Reduces overuse issues

• Allows training to compound instead of pile up

At higher levels, recovery isn’t optional.
It’s expected.

Learning how to do it early is a competitive advantage.

🎯 FINAL THOUGHT

A great active recovery day should:

• Feel light, but purposeful

• Improve movement quality

• Reduce soreness and tension

• Set up the next hard training session

If you leave better than you arrived, the day did its job.

That’s not doing less.
That’s training smarter.

Be Elite.

✅ TAKE ACTION

📍 In Seattle?

Come train with us in person at the Collegiate Elites weight room.
Get hands-on coaching, structured training, and the same environment our college athletes trust to stay sharp. 👉

🌐 Not local?
Train with a former college athlete — online or in your area. 👉