While Rich Froning may not take a rest day, many of us follow CFHQ’s guidance of 1-2 recovery days a week. The (sometimes hotly debated) question is whether rest days should be active or not. Since complete rest needs no guidance, let’s talk about active rest. What do you do? Here are some common active rest day routines.
1. Running / Cycling / Swimming
Many athletes revert to moderate or sometimes even time trial speed endurance days – arguing that endurance is a different modality (oxidative) and is rarely practiced in a typical high intensity CrossFit workout. While running can be harder on the joints, cycling is definitely low impact and swimming is arguably a phenomenal functional mobility workout. Unless you are competing in an Olympic distance triathlon, these will definitely augment your weekday CF workouts.
2. Learn and practice new sports
There is nothing like a rest day to finally master ultimate frisbee, canoeing, rugby or any family backyard team sport you have been neglecting. It is unlikely that this will match the intensity of the WODs, so I consider them active rest.
3. (Warrior) Yoga
After two thousand years yoga needed an adjective like ‘power’ and ‘warrior’ to make it OK in high intensity circles. So be it. While my flexibility is certainly not on par with even beginner yogis, nothing fixes up my tight muscles and tendons like a good 30 minutes of Ashtanga Yoga.
4. MobilityWOD
I can’t imagine life without my Voodoo bands, lacrosse balls and daily stretches so well designed and dished out by Mr. K-Star.
5. New Skills
I left it last because some of us are prone to turn a slow form practice into a full-fledged WOD. What starts out as an effort to fix something about that false grip quickly evolves into a madman’s rush to make the Iron Cross that day. Don’t do it. Skill training on rest days should focus on slow form and one or two technical glitches. Without breaking a sweat.
