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Why Warm-Up Exercises are Must Before Workout

Here are some of the best warm-up exercises for you that will help you prevent injuries during your workout sessions apart from reducing pain.

Most people who are short of time during working out tend to skip the warm-up and directly jump into the workout. Have you ever tried to skip the warm-up and landed up with a sprain in your ankle? Warm-up might sound lame, but there are a lot of advantages. In this article today, we will talk about the best warm-up exercises that will help you prevent injuries during your workout sessions.

Advantages of Warm-Up

Before we get into the best warm-up exercises, you should know the advantages of warm-up exercises. Some key advantages of warm-up exercises have been listed for your convenience.

Warm Up helps in increasing flexibility

The biggest advantage of a warm-up is it helps in increasing flexibility. The more flexible you are, the more convenient it becomes for you to exercise.

Lowers the risk of getting injured

As stated earlier, if we do not warm up before we get into our regular workout sessions, we might risk getting injured. Because when you step inside the gym, the body is stiff. It is only after the warm-up that it becomes ready for exercise. Warm-up increases blood flow the which helps the muscles get the required nourishment.

Lessens muscle tension and pain

Warm-up exercises also help lessen pain and muscle tension by reducing fatigue. Just after warm-up, muscles feel warm and relaxed. And you can move around freely. This is precisely why the pain caused by the movement of muscles is reduced to a great extent.

5 Best Warm-Up Exercises

There are numerous warm-up exercises that can help you ease your muscles. We have listed the best five warm-up exercises for you below.

Squats

Squats are one of the best warm-up exercises because of their versatility. It targets multiple muscles of the lower body, including the hamstrings, quads, and glutes. To overcome the initial difficulties because of the stiffness in the body, we can start doing warm-ups by doing half squads and then move onto full squads. It releases the muscles and makes it easier to move.

Process

It would be best if you stood straight with your hips apart and your toes either facing forward or slightly away from the sight.
It would help if you lowered your hip till you find your thighs are parallel to the floor.
It would help if you paused briefly with your knees bending halfway but not beyond your toes. Make sure you are inhaling while you bend.
Exhale while you stand back.
It would be best to repeat this exercise 10 to 15 times in each rep and complete at least 1 to 3 sets in the warm-up.

Planks

Planks are one of the best warm-up exercises, especially for people who suffer from back pain and wish to develop their back muscles. Doing this warm-up exercise regularly helps in improving the posture and balance of an individual.

Process

It would help if you lay down in a push-up position. Or else you can also do plank on your knees when you are warming up. Planks can also be done resting on your forearms or by fully extending your arms.
Your toes and palms need to be firmly planted on the ground before you start doing your warm-up. Make sure your core muscles remain tight, and your back is straight.
You need to hold your plank for a minimum of 30 seconds before you hop onto the second set.

Side Lunges

Side lunges are an exercise effective for your lower body. It helps strengthen your hips, glutes, and legs. Even in this case, if you find your body is too stiff, you can start warming up, making half lunges, and then as the tension in the body releases, you can move towards making full Lunges.

Process

It would help if you stood tall with your hips wide apart along with your feet.
Simultaneously you need to press into your right foot and then move on to the left foot.
While you are pressing your right foot, you need to bend your left leg down, keeping the right leg straight.
You need to stand up then and perform the same movements for your right leg. Initiate this warm-up exercise for both the right and left lunges.

Push-ups

Push-ups are a classic exercise for the upper body. But most of us find difficulties in doing push-ups when we are doing a warm-up. For a start, if you really want to do push-ups, you can start by doing push-ups on your knees.

Process

It would help if you sat on a plank kneeling on your knees.
Place your hands wide apart on the plank, with your shoulders straight.
Then you need to lower your body down towards the floor. Make sure your torso and back do not sag while you bend down.
Keep bending towards the ground till your chin and chest touch the ground. Then stretch your hands to avoid any hyperextension.
You can repeat this exercise eight to twelve times.

Triceps Warm-up

This is one of the best warm-up exercises for the triceps. It helps in loosening the triceps muscles.

Process

It would be best if you stretched your arms sideways so that they are parallel to the floor. Your palms should be facing down.
The arms should be rotated in a backward cycle keeping it straight.
After 30 seconds, you need to rotate your arms in the forward cycle.
You can repeat the movement in sets of 3 to ensure the tricep muscles is free.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be said that no matter how late you are for your workout sessions, you should never miss doing warm-ups before you plunge into a workout if you really wish to avoid accidents or getting injured. We should remember that when we hit the gym, the body remains stiff, and only after doing a few rounds of workouts, the body becomes ready for intense exercises. Usually, people slow jog to ease out their bodies, but apart from slow jogging, some of the best warm-up exercises are squats, planks, side lunges, push-ups, and triceps warm up.

These exercises are the most popular warm-up exercise. They are considered to be the best warm-up exercise worldwide because of the following reasons:

Firstly, they help in improving blood circulation. Secondly, these exercises reduce the risk of injuries by loosening the muscles. Thirdly, they increase muscle flexibility, and finally, these warm-up exercises help lessens muscle tension and pain.

Fun exercises That Help You Stay Fit Without Getting Bored

We are aware that not everyone likes to workout, but here are some popular fun exercises that will make your workout sessions interesting.

Exercising is all about discipline, commitment, and hard work. Even though it is not magic. It is in fact the result of a constant effort that you observe a visible difference in your physique, whether you wish to put on weight, or reduce weight. Here are some popular fun exercises that will make your workout sessions interesting.

There are various reasons why most people do not find exercise interesting.

Firstly, it is not something that gives you immediate results. It requires time and consistency to reap the benefits of exercise.

Secondly, the whole concept of working out following the same sets of exercise becomes boring and monotonous for people, and the most important reason is it requires a typical mind-frame that helps people overcome the physical strain they face when they step inside their jogging shoes for the first time or step inside a gym. The process of building muscles or melting fat is harrowing. Without the proper mindset, people tend to step down from their commitment soon after their body starts aching after a few stretch ups.

This is precisely why people must convert the habit of exercising into fun exercises so that following the regimen of daily workouts doesn’t become strenuous.

Today, we will share some tips with you that will help you convert your rigorous workout sessions into fun activities.

Fidgeting can be a good, fun exercise

Most people have a habit of fidgeting, but they do not realize that fidgeting can be a good exercise. Fidgeting involves random finger movements. That helps in improving blood circulation. So, if you have the habit of fidgeting, then don’t let go of it. Instead, make sure you fidget knowingly for at least 10 minutes if you sit for long hours in a day.

Turn your hobby into fun exercises

Exercise does not necessarily mean doing exercises by following a particular routine. Anything that involves body movements counts as exercise. So, if you were fond of yoga or dancing, but do not have the time to practice, now is the time when you can invest your free time into pursuing your long-forgotten hobbies like yoga and dancing. Dance is an excellent exercise, and so is yoga.

Go hiking with your friends

Very few people know that trekking and hiking are excellent exercises. So if you are someone who enjoys traveling, make sure you go hiking with your friends. Pick up a place nearby, pack your bags, tie your shoelaces and move out. This way you will definitely enjoy the exercise but will also get an opportunity to see the world.

Turn Walking into fun exercises

Even though you have a high-pressure job, have no time for traveling and trekking, you can surely find 10 to 15 minutes in a day to go for a walk. Brisk walking is one of the most effective exercises. The only thing you should keep in mind while going on a walk is maintaining a proper speed while walking. Leisure walks are not really effective.

Crawl with your toddler

If you have an active kid at home who is a toddler, he can surely involve you in many fun activities to keep him accompanied. These activities also work as exercises for grown-up adults because it involves rigorous movement of muscles. One such fun activity that keeps your baby accompanied is crawling. Strange but true, crawling is an excellent exercise and is also practiced by people when they decide to take a day off from the rigorous workout sessions. Crawling helps in active recovery.

Have an active meeting

If you are into a job where you are supposed to sit all day long and meet people on several agendas, you may change the routine a bit and tie up meetings with people out in the open doing physical activity.

For example, going on a long walk with your client, or involving your client in an outdoor sport that may interest both. For example, you can involve them in playing golf. This way, the work won’t bore you, and you can also make time for physical exercise.

Convert cleaning into fun exercises

Cleaning our room is a task that none of us can avoid. Did you know that cleaning not just helps you be organized, but it also works as an exercise? Cleaning can turn into fun exercises by simply turning on some loud music or playing games while cleaning to avoid boredom.

Take fun resolutions while playing video games

Most of us are gaming freaks and spend most of our time playing video games. This is why we find very little time for exercising. And mostly avoid exercise because we want to spend our time gaming. We can change this habit by involving fun exercises like taking small resolutions while gaming. For example, we will do 15 pushups every time we die. It makes exercising fun and helps us overcome our lethargy.

Play any musical instrument

Playing a musical instrument also works as a fun exercise. Be it a violin, guitar, piano, or any other instrument. The hand movements that are involved in playing the instrument also become a good exercise.

Join your kids in the playground or take your dog out on the run

If you have a dog at home or have kids who love going to the playground, make sure you take some time out to play with them in the playground. Whether you run with your dog or climb the monkey ladder with your kid to give him company, every small movement you make while you are in the playground turns into a physical exercise for you.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be said that if you are not much of a physical person and are not fond of exercise, you need not have to force yourself to go to the gym. Instead, you can turn these exercises into fun exercises by getting into the habit of fidgeting, which is otherwise a great finger exercise. You can also spend time dancing, plan a hiking trip with your friends, go for an evening walk, and crawl on the floor with your toddler to give him company, take fun resolutions.

In contrast, gaming, for example, doing 15 pushups every time you die. You can also learn to play a musical instrument, take your dog on the run, or play with your kid in the playground. These activities will help you turn your exercise into fun activities that will not just take the boredom out of your workout sessions but also help you stay fit. So, in case you spend too much time sitting at your desk we suggest you should involve yourself in some of these fun activities.

How to Figure Out How Much Weight Should You Lift

Lifting more weight than your body can resist can lead you to an injury. So, here’s how to figure out how much weight you should lift.

One common question that people who have never lifted weight ask their trainers is “How much weight should I lift?” When you step into your weight training session for the first time, your over-enthusiasm drives you towards lifting more weight than you should. This restricts you from maintaining the proper form of weight lifting and also increases your chances of getting injured.

First things first, limit your over-enthusiasm, when you enter the gym for the first time. Even if you are lured towards lifting more weight, it is advised that you restrain yourself until you consult with experts. Here, in this article, we are going to share few easy tips for girls and boys know how much weight should they lift.

Tips to know how much weight should you lift

Usually, when we are not aware of anything, we take the trial and error method, where we figure out how much weight should we lift by picking up different weights. But, if you wish to know, how much weight you can handle, and when your body is ready to lift heavier weights, you can follow a common strategy that has been developed by experts. This strategy involves three simple steps –

Make sure you are doing it right
Listen to what your body says
Make sure you keep to the allotted time

Make sure you are doing it right

One common mistake that amateur weight-lifters make is not following the correct posture. When they lift weights, they land up swinging their bodies which makes it easier for them to lift heavier weights. Because, the back muscles help in lifting the weight; however, this is not the correct form.

Ideally, when you are lifting weight, you should focus on the movement of a single muscle, and restrict other muscles from supporting it.

Steps to assess how much weight should you lift

If you wish to assess correctly what is the ideal weight for you, you need to follow the steps mentioned below –

Make sure you do not lift a weight unsupported.
Stand straight against the wall, or post, with your back resting on the wall.
If you wish to develop your bicep, lift the weight focusing on the hand movement, keeping the body still.

This way, you restrict your back muscles from supporting your bicep muscles; you will observe that you are picking up lesser weight than your expectation. Try testing weights maintaining this posture, to figure out how much weight you can handle. It also prevents back pain by avoiding injuries.

Listen to what your body says

Your body is the best indicator that tells you how much weight cans you handles, and it also tells you, when it is time to increase your sets. All you need to do is listen, and pay heed to what your body says.

Steps to test your strength

You must be wondering how to listen to your body right? Here, are a few indications that tell you how to test your strength.

When you are lifting a particular weight, analyze the strength you require while picking it up. Please remember, that the weight should not be too heavy or too light for you.
Make sure you lift the weight in sets of 5 to 10 in each hand, to understand whether you would be able to handle it comfortably or not.

How do you know it’s time to increase your capacity

Trying to lift a weight once, does not give you accurate results. It might seem easy for the first time, but if the weight you are lifting is not right for you, then you might feel the strain at a later stage. Therefore, to identify the correct weight lift a particular weight in sets of 5 or 10 in one set.

When you are testing the weight, ensure you are applying little effort in the first round. If you are applying a lot of effort while lifting the weight, or no effort at all, then you should know that the weight you are lifting is not right for you.
Once you lift a weight with little effort, and you see the effort is increasing with every set, until a time, you find it difficult to lift the weight; you will know that the weight is perfect for you.
To identify how many rounds should you do, and when is it time to stop.

It is important that you analyze your capacity. You should stop at a point, where you are not too stressed. For example, if doing 10 rounds of weight lifting tires you completely, and you are not able to pick up the weight, then we suggest, you limit your sets to 7 instead of 10, till the time you get so used to the 7 sets, that you can perform the sets effortlessly. You will know, it is time to increase your rounds of weight lifting when you start feeling effortless.

Make sure you keep to the allotted time

Taking long breaks in between sets increases your potential to lift heavier weights. Because your body is at rest; similarly, if you rush while exercising, you might end up decreasing your capacity to lift a weight.

Therefore, to analyze the correct weight you must keep to the allotted time. Neither do you rush, nor do you rest too much? Make sure you take a break of not less than 30 seconds and no more than 60 seconds in between the sets. This way you can figure out the exact weight you can handle, and the exact rounds of weight lifting you should do in each set. Remember to increase the round of sets when you feel you require little effort to complete the sets.

Conclusion

You can easily figure out how much weight you should lift if you follow a simple three-step strategy.

Firstly, ensure you are lifting the weight in the correct form.

Secondly, your body is the best indicator that tells you, what the correct weight is for you. Make sure you pay heed to the signs it sends you.

And finally, you should not take a break of less than 30 seconds, and more than 60 seconds in between the rounds.

When you can complete your rounds effortlessly, you will know it’s time to increase your sets or increase the weight. If you follow these steps, we are sure you can easily figure out how much weight should you lift during your sessions of weight lifting.

Top 5 Alternatives to a Pull-Up Rod

Pull-up is a great way to develop back muscles. we are going to suggest alternative ways of doing a pull-up without using a rod.

Pull-up is a great way to develop back muscles. It is very important for people who do desk jobs for nine to twelve hours a day to develop strong back muscles if they want to avoid back pain.

But, just because you don’t have a bar at home or don’t have the time to go to a gym because of a time-pressing job, doesn’t mean, you can’t do pull-ups at home.

Here in this article, we are going to suggest alternative ways of doing a pull-up without using a rod.

Ways to do pull-ups without a rod

Only, if you look around you will find plenty of alternatives that can be used as a substitute to a rod. If you wish to do your rounds of pull-ups at home; some of the best alternatives have been listed below for your convenience.

Use the door of your study room

If you do not have a rod at home for pull-ups, you don’t need to worry. Every house has a door. You can turn the door of your study room as a substitute for the metal rod, and do your rounds of pull-ups.

Process

You must be wondering how to convert a door into a rod. Just follow the steps below –

Open the door of your study room. Place the door bolt, and keep a mat at the bottom of the door. So, that the door does not move.
Face the door and cover the top of the door with a towel.
Lift your hands and place them on the top of the towel so that you can have a strong grip.
Lift yourself keeping your spine straight facing the door.
Hold yourself up for 5 seconds, and then bring yourself down. Follow this movement three to 5 times in each set. It is going to have the same effect on your back and shoulder muscles.

Walk up to the nearest playground to do your rounds of pull-up

If the gym is quite far, or you do not have sufficient money to invest in a gym, you can always choose to walk down to the nearest playground for your rounds of the pull-up.

Process

A lot of parks have monkey bars for children. You can use them for doing a pull-up. They are strong, and can bear the weight of an adult. In case, the park does not have monkey bars, it will surely have swings for children. You can use the bar of a swing set for doing pull-ups. Just stand in the middle of two swings, raise your hands and touch the rod, then gently lift your body up and down slowly. Swing set bars are perfect alternatives to pull-up bars. In case you are lucky, you might also find dedicated pull-up bars in the playground.

Use the branch of a tree and convert it into a pull-up bar

In case you stay in a place where you can’t find any metal rods nearby, you can still do your rounds of pull-ups holding the branch of a tree.

You’d be surprised to know that some branches of trees are really strong and can hold a man’s weight. All you need to do is find a tree, which has sturdy branches, which you can reach up to.

You need to make sure that the girth of the branch should be just right, so that you can hold them. Trees that have wide branches are mostly difficult to hold.

Process

Find a tree with strong branches. Make sure you can touch the branch of the tree comfortably.
Face the branch of the tree and stand tall.
Lift your hands to get a firm grip. Once you feel your grip is strong enough to lift yourself, breathe in to lift yourself.
Hold yourself up for 5 seconds then breathe out while coming down.

Make use of a smooth fence

Fences are generally strong, and if you can find a fence that is, smooth enough to drag your legs, during pull-ups. You can replace the pull-up rod with the fence. Most people avoid using fences for pull-up, because the surface of the fence is rough, and you might end up hurting your knees when your legs are dragged against the wall. It helps to develop the spine.

Therefore, if you are thinking of replacing the rods with a fence, just make sure the walls of the fence are smooth so that your legs don’t get hurt.

Process

Face the fence, and put your hands on top of the fence.
Lift your body in the air. Make sure you breathe in while lifting yourself.
Hold yourself up for five seconds, and then slowly come down while you breathe out.

Lay a broomstick across two different chairs to make it into a rod

This is the most common practice that can be followed at home to do pull-ups. Most people use this method because a broomstick and two chairs are things you don’t have to go around hunting for in a house.

Process

Place two chairs parallel to each other.
Place a broomstick on the top of the chair.
Lie on the ground in between the two chairs, and lift your hands to hold the broomstick.
Breathe in while you lift yourself holding the broomstick. Make sure only your upper body moves, while your lower body lies still on the ground.
Hold yourself up for 5 seconds, and then go down slowly while you breathe out. Follow this step again five to seven times in each set.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be said that “where there is a will, there is a way” if you make up your mind that you want to do pull-ups, you will surely find a way to do it, even if you cannot go to a gym or, don’t have a pull-up rod at home.

All you need to do is look around. The best alternatives to a pull-up rod can be the door of your study room, the swing set rod, or monkey ladder in the playground, a fence that has smooth walls, a branch of a tree, or a broomstick.

If all else fails you can still do your rounds of workout, using the railing of your house. All you require is the will to do it.

We are sure if you understand the importance of pull-ups, and after you read this article, you will surely find an alternative way to do your rounds of pull-ups at home. End of the day, what matters is the exercise, not the rod.

Don’t let excuses like not finding a pull-up rod restrain you from your regular rounds of pull-ups at home.

5 Weight Gain Exercises to Gain More Muscle Mass

Start your weight gain journey with these weight gain exercises that offer the quickest result. Start your training and put on weight quickly.

Most people have a misconception that only fat people hit the gym to lose weight. Did you know that exercise not only helps you lose weight but also enables you to gain weight? Yes, there is indeed an essential role of diet in gaining weight but, apart from diet, exercise can also help you, if you want to increase your body mass. Today, we will talk about a few common exercises that help you gain weight in a short period.

5 Easy Exercises to Gain Weight

The most common exercises that help gain weight are push-ups, bench press, pull-ups, bench dips, and squats. They allow you to increase your body mass index (BMI) which results in weight gain.

Push-Ups

Even though people, who wish to gain weight quickly, depend more on dietary supplements like protein shakes, and weight gain foods. Push-up is highly effective in bulking up body mass. There are different kinds of push-ups, but generally, people do the broad hands push-up to gain weight.

Process

It would be best if you lay down on the ground, resting on your stomach.
Your hands should be placed on the ground gently with your palms flat. Your elbows should be bent, and shoulders should be wide apart.
It will help if you put your toes on the ground, with your knees straight.
You need to push your body upwards with the help of your hands, and toes and make sure your arms are straight.
Ensure that apart from your hands and toes, no part of the body touches the ground, when you are lowering your body downwards in slow motion by bending your elbows.
Make sure you do at least 15 reps in each set.

In case you are suffering from back pain or low wrist flexibility, you should avoid push-ups.

Bench Press

The bench press is another exercise that helps in weight gaining. People who wish to gain weight quickly without dietary supplements should include this exercise in their daily workout schedule.

Process

You need to lie on your back, keeping your body relaxed.
Grab the bar used in the bench press by stretching your fingers.
Lift the bar, and stretch your arms completely.
You can move your hands either in the upward direction or lateral direction. And then bring your hands back to the initial position.
Make sure you bend your arms at a 90-degree angle.
You can repeat the steps in 4 to 5 reps in each round. Just make sure you grip the weight bar properly to avoid shoulder injury.

Pull-Ups

Pull-Ups are also a convenient way of gaining weight. However, in case you have weak wrist flexibility or neck pain, you should avoid doing this weight gain exercise.

Process

Place your palms facing outwards while you grip the bar. And, the hands should be in-line with your shoulders.
You need to lift yourself upwards and be at par with the bar. While you are pulling yourself upwards, make sure your feet are off the ground. Keep pulling your body upwards, until your chin is above the rod.
Lower your body slowly, until the feet touch the ground, while your arms remain straight.

Bench Dips

Bench dips are another joint exercise for people who wish to gain weight. Avoid doing bench dips if you have a back problem or a stiff neck because this exercise might strain them. It would help if you make sure that your chests are puffed, and pull your shoulders back while doing the exercise.

Process

The first thing you need to do while doing bench dips is placing a bench behind the back.
Make sure the bar is perpendicular, and should at the same time be stable.
It would help if you gripped the edge of the bench with your palms facing downwards.
It would help if you extended your legs forward while you bend your waist.
Breathe in and slowly lower your buttocks by pushing yourself in a downward direction.
Breathe out slowly while you are lifting yourself from the bench.

Squats

If you wish to gain weight by doing squats, avoid using a weight bar while squatting if you are an amateur, and make sure your knees do not go beyond your toes. However, those who want to put on some weight, Squats can be one of the best weight gain exercises to try.

Process

If you wish to do squats, you need to stand straight. And your feet should be in line with your hips.
It would help if you raised your hand perpendicular to the ground. For variation, you may join your palms in front of the chest.
While doing squats, make sure your stomach is tight.
It will help if you lower your buttocks in a sitting position while taking deep breaths.
It would help if you made sure the body remains firm, and your bent knees are not supposed to cross your toes.
You need to revert to the initial position and repeat this exercise 5 times in one set.

Apart from these exercises, you can also rely on dietary supplements, and protein shakes to gain weight quickly. Apart from this, you also need to make sure that you increase fat consumption and get adequate sleep if you wish to put on weight.

Conclusion

Yes, indeed, people rely more on food supplements in their weight gaining journey. But apart from these, they can also take the help of exercises to increase body mass and put on weight. All the weight gain exercises we have mentioned enable you to stay healthy, and at the same time, contribute to achieving the weight of an individual by increasing the body mass.

However, people should keep in mind that these exercises are incredibly strenuous and require a lot of time, effort, and precision. If done rightly at regular intervals, they can surely help you gain weight in the long run. But if you do not practice these exercises in the right form, they can also cause injuries.

Therefore, we suggest you take the help of experts who provide weight gain training to individuals and heed their suggestions while doing these exercises if you wish to gain weight quickly without getting injured. We should all remember that no matter how effective any of these exercises are, both gaining and losing weight are time taking processes.

Weight gain requires sheer hard work and dedication. If you have already decided to gain weight quickly, we suggest you should keep at it without being frustrated. Sooner or later, these exercises are surely going to show their results only if people keep practicing.

Make Your Off Days Productive With Active Recovery

Do you workout 7 days a week? Do you think this will make you healthier? You are wrong! To Get Fit, You Need Active Recovery. Know What It Is

We all know that doing regular workouts is highly essential to have a fit body. But, did you know that not exercising is equally important? You must be wondering how’s that even possible! It’s called active recovery.

The term ‘active recovery’ might sound alien to you now. But, we are sure that by the end of this article, you will understand completely what it is and why is it necessary for our body. To be specific, active recovery means active rest. It is the time we spend doing activities that are less intense compared to our regular sets of workouts. It involves easy body movements, which do not cause fatigue. Just like we all need a day off after we work for six days a week, our bodies also need rest days in a workout when it can relax.

Benefits of active recovery

There are multiple benefits of active recovery. Some common advantages of taking a day off from the usual workout session are –

When you are taking a break from the hectic usual workout sessions, you are allowing your body to rejuvenate. The body auto-recovers from the previous workouts, when the blood flow increases in the muscles and tissues with the help of active recovery.
Rest days in workout can also boost blood circulation that pumps in oxygen, and amino acid in the blood. This in turn equips muscles in the body to self-repair themselves.
Rest days in workout helps in flushing out waste products that are built in the body during exercise.
Active recovery also helps in providing people with a refreshing mental break from intense training.

You should turn your off days into active recovery days to reap the maximum benefits. If you are wondering what to do on rest days, here are a few suggestions for you.

Tai Chi

If you are fond of martial arts, well then tai chi can be just what you would want to practice during your rest days in workout. Tai Chi helps in building strength, creates balance, and makes the body aware. The slow-flowing movements involved in Tai Chi activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This system calms the body, along with the mind and helps you recover from stress. Tai Chi also helps in decreasing physical pain.

Yoga

Another effective and convenient option is Yoga. It is by far the best exercise you can do during your off days. If you are still thinking of what to do on rest days, it has multiple benefits when it is being used as active recovery.

Firstly, Yoga increases flexibility.
It teaches proper breathing techniques that help in regulating the heart.
Yoga promotes blood flow.
Yoga also repairs broken tissues and muscles in the body.

Light Resistance Training

If you have been so addicted to workouts that you can’t even think of skipping a day, then you can choose to do light resistance training instead of sticking to the usual routine.

Light Resistance Training has multiple benefits in store for you:

This kind of training is beneficial in two ways – firstly, it doesn’t let you stay away from your gym even for a day, and second, this kind of light resistance training helps in active recovery. Light resistance training includes a set of five to eight exercises in one set. Each exercise needs to be performed for 40 seconds followed by a break of 20 seconds.

The sets in this training are repeated in three to four rounds. However, it is not mandatory in case you feel too tired, you can choose to skip these rounds and simply go on a walk instead of following this regimen. Just let your muscles relax.

Crawling

Crawling is what toddlers do. Have you ever watched the movements of a toddler when they crawl around? It not only provides better grip to toddlers but is also a recommended active recovery method for adults. It helps an individual in the following ways –

If you are aiming towards building body strength, crawling is for you.
Crawling develops endurance in adults.
It helps in increasing focus.
It also helps in creating a better posture.
If you are crawling for five minutes a day, you are challenging your lungs, heart, and muscles. The main objective of crawling is to make a person feel exhausted.

Swimming

Swimming is one of our favorite options when we talk about active recovery. It is considered to be the lowest impact exercise option. It helps in many different ways –

Firstly, swimming allows your body to be weightless.
Secondly, when swimming is used as active recovery, it relaxes your joints.
Thirdly, Swimming stretches a human body in a way that can’t be stretched when on the land.

Walking or Running

If you do not have a swimming pool located anywhere near your house or the gym is quite far, then you might want to simply walk down the lane holding the hands of your loved ones. You should remember that going for a walk, or a leisure jog acts as an active recovery method because they stimulate blood flow, and helps in removing lactic acid from the body. You can also go out for a walk or hit the playground for a slow leisurely jog.

Conclusion

If you want your body to respond to the exercise you should make sure you take out rest days in a workout, where you give your body a chance to rejuvenate through a process of active recovery. If you can’t make up your mind about what to do on rest days, we suggest you can try practicing Tai Chi, if you are interested in martial arts. In case you are an easy person, then you can also spend the day doing Yoga. It is widely used as a method of active recovery.

For people, who are fitness freaks and addicted to workouts, a suitable option is light resistance training.

Otherwise, you can also opt for swimming on your off days. It is considered to be the lowest impact exercise option. If you do not have a swimming pool nearby and don’t have the energy to drive to a pool. You can choose to go for a walk, or on a light jog. Both Jogging and walking also help in active recovery. We advise you should mandatorily take a break from your regular workouts If you need your body to respond to the physical workouts.