Holiday Active Recovery

Being kind to your body during a hectic time of year

Dec 26, 2023

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

Team! 
Holidays are a time for joy and celebration, but let's be honest... we can often come away from this week feeling more exhausted than before the week began. So today, we are going to be kind to our bodies and our minds with this low intensity sequence where the goal is to move, feel good and set the stage for rejuvenation so that you are ready to crush the New Year! 
Enjoy! 
-Carla

This workout is a modification of an amazing Zone 2-focused workout from Train FTW. There are lots of great movements that can be done at low intensity for the simple purpose of warming up the muscles and joints and waking up the heart and mind in a way that leaves us primed for mental and physical recovery and ready for whatever lies ahead.

Warm Up

This warm-up is a little different than usual. I did this myself this week as a warm-up to today’s workout and really enjoyed it! Again, with many thanks to Train FTW.

Core Activation Sequence

TABATA 20 seconds of work/10 seconds of rest

Progress through each movement for 20 seconds of work/10 seconds of rest (Total of 15 rounds) until you have completed 3 rounds of all 5 movements

High Plank hold
Right side plank hold
Left side plank hold
Glute bridge hold
Cobra pose

Movement Practice

Take 5-10 minutes to select your movements/options. Your cardio options can include a walk/ruck, row, bike, elliptical, or stair climb. Any cardio activity that allows you to adjust the intensity to keep your heart rate around zone 2 (60-70% max heart rate (220-age)) is a good option for today. If no heart rate monitor, the goal should be to maintain nasal breathing. If you start breathing through your mouth, slow down and enter a zone of lower intensity. Ideally, select 2 different cardio movements, however, if this is not available to you, using the same one for both segments is perfectly fine.

For the weighted segments, keep the weights on the lighter side. Again, the goal is to move efficiently through the rounds at a Zone 2 intensity.

Workout

3 rounds

3:00 minute stationary bike
10 weighted Good Mornings (Option: hold a dumbbell or plate against your chest)
10/10 alternating goblet reverse lunges

1:00 rest

3 rounds

3:00 Row or jog
10 dumbbell or barbell bent over row - moderate weight
50-foot bear crawl (or 10 right/10 left alternating plank shoulder taps)

1:00 rest

Set a timer for 5 x 2:00 intervals (or EMOM 2:00 x 5 rounds). When the timer starts, begin the Dumbbell Farmer Carry. At the 2:00 mark, stop and perform 10 push-ups (or appropriate scale). When you finish the push-ups, pick up the dumbbells and carry until the 4:00 mark. Stop again and perform 10 push-ups, and so on every 2:00 until you have completed 10 minutes.

10 minutes

Dumbbell Farmer Carry ( moderate weight that allows you to hold onto the weight for 2:00 without needing to put the weights down.

Every 2:00 stop and perform 10 push-ups