Top 10 Active Recovery Stretches to Speed Up Healing

You just finished a challenging workout. Your muscles ache, and you feel fatigued. As an athlete, you're used to these feelings. You know they are a regular part of pushing your body and improving performance. But what if there was a way to reduce soreness and speed up recovery so you could perform at your best again sooner? Active recovery stretches. These stretches promote blood flow to the muscles, helping to alleviate soreness and boost recovery. Alongside stretches, incorporating the best recovery tools for athletes—like foam rollers, massage guns, and compression gear—can further enhance your recovery routine. This blog will explain the importance of active recovery for athletes and share effective active recovery stretches to help you recover faster, feel less sore, and stay consistently active without setbacks.
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Pliability’s mobility app is an invaluable tool to help you achieve your recovery goals. In addition to helping you warm up and cool down, the app offers a library of stretches to help you recover from various injuries.

Why are Active Recovery Stretches Important?

Active recovery, also called active rest, involves less intense movement than regular workouts. That can mean anything from yoga to light stretching to a walk or a leisurely jog. 

An active recovery day generally features easy workouts, no more than low to moderate intensity. For example, suppose you’re training for a marathon. In that case, you can use an active recovery day to walk a few easy miles or take a gentle yoga class to work on flexibility. 

How Active Recovery Stretches Benefit Your Body After Hard Workouts

It’s easy to get carried away by the feel-good sensations you get from exercise, whether you find it meditative, empowering, or therapeutic. But remember: Leave room for active recovery instead of going full speed with your workouts daily and never taking time to rest. Your body needs time to relax between hard exercises to repair itself correctly and return stronger.

Plus, if all your body gets is physical stress without rest, you can reach the point of diminishing returns, or the point at which more exercise doesn’t result in any more progress. 

Why Active Recovery Is the Key to Building Strength Without Burnout

“Think of it this way: If you don’t give your body time to adapt to the physical demands, it will never get a chance to ‘catch up’ and get stronger,” Lindsey Corak, a certified personal trainer at Life Time Athletic Boston and TEAM Burn program lead, tells SELF.

But that doesn’t mean you must avoid all activity on your rest days. Here's why active recovery should be part of your weekly workout routine.

Active Recovery Stretches vs. Passive Recovery: What’s the Difference? 

Planning an “active recovery” workout on rest days is a great way to give your body a break without being sedentary. Unlike passive recovery days, where you’re sitting on your couch all day binge-watching Stranger Things, active recovery days involve movement.

Both active and passive recovery days are essential for giving your body the adequate rest it needs. Sometimes, you’ll want to schedule an active recovery day to help increase blood flow to sore muscles; other days, you’ll want to sleep in to help fatigue. Make sure both types of rest are regular parts of your workout routine.

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Top 10 Active Recovery Stretches

1. Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor: Unleash Your Hips

Rank beginners and seasoned lifters alike experience tight hips and a notorious pinching sensation in the front of the pelvis when squatting or hinging. The half-kneeling hip flexor stretch alleviates pain and pinching while priming you for better glute engagement and trunk posture. 

Benefits of the Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor

The half-kneeling hip flexor stretch can be performed anywhere in the gym or at home. It quickly alleviates the pinching sensation in the front of the hip and can be performed conveniently between squats or deadlifts. 

How to Do the Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor

• Place a pad on the floor or find a soft surface to kneel on. 
• From here, square your hips so they face forward with your kneeling shin pointed directly behind you. 
• Set your ribs by exhaling completely and compressing your abdomen as if you were bracing to take a punch. 
• Squeeze the glute of the kneeling leg with increasing force until you feel relief in the front of your hip. 
• If you don’t feel anything, double-check and make sure your pelvis is posteriorly tilted. 
• Tuck your hips and don’t arch your lower back at all.

2. Quadruped Overhead Shoulder: Unlock Your Pressing Power

If your strict or push presses resemble an incline bench press, the culprit may be inadequate shoulder extension. A common compensation for poor shoulder extension is to flare the ribs and arch the back to artificially point the arm vertically. This stretch explicitly targets compensation to improve your pressing power.

Benefits of the Quadruped Overhead Shoulder

The quadruped overhead shoulder stretch can be performed with one or both arms, depending on your needs. It effectively stretches the muscles and posture required for a good front squat.

How to Do the Quadruped Overhead Shoulder

• Take a full kneeling position with a bench roughly a foot or two before you. 
• Turn one arm over so your palm faces forward, lift it before you, and set the elbow on the bench. 
• Place your free hand on the floor and set your ribcage by exhaling fully and tucking your pelvis. 
• Lean forward slowly until you feel a strong pull in the lats and upper back. The goal is to have your torso parallel to the floor, but don’t force it.
• Once you can get your torso parallel to the floor, attempt to lift your elbow off the bench slightly and hold it for a short time (three to five seconds). 

For example, avoid tilting your torso to either side in the hip flexor stretch. This stretch can also be performed with both arms while holding a light implement like a PVC pipe.

3. Spider-Man With Reach: Release Spinal Tension 

Most of us spend many days sitting down, which isn’t conducive to performing well in the gym. To alleviate spinal compression, back pain, and tight pecs, the Spider-Man stretch with an added overhead reach is just right.

Benefits of the Spider-Man With Reach

The Spider-Man stretch with reach simultaneously stretches the upper and lower body. It can be performed easily between sets of other movements or as part of a comprehensive warm-up.

How to Do the Spider-Man With Reach

• Assume an exaggerated half-kneeling position with the back hip extended as much as possible, and the corresponding arm planted on the floor. 
• Take the arm opposite your back leg (if your right knee is on the floor, use your left arm) and slowly twist to reach upward towards the ceiling. 
• Allow your trunk to rotate, but keep the hips somewhat straight. 
• Exhale as you rotate your thoracic spine and actively reach your raised hand away from your planted hand. 
• Hold for several full breaths before reversing and repeating as needed. 

4. Upper Trap/Scalene Stretch: Soothe Your Neck

If you’re saddled with a desk job or spend much time staring at your laptop or phone screen, neck pain might be all too familiar after a long day. A neck stretch like the upper trap/scalene stretch can help alleviate tension in the traps and cervical spine after a long day at work, allowing you to focus on getting the most out of your workout. 

Benefits of the Upper Trap/Scalene

Hand pressure allows for the precise, delicate application of additional force. This stretch relieves neck pain commonly associated with forward head posture caused by too much screen time. 

How to Do the Upper Trap/Scalene

• Place the arm of the side you’ll be stretching behind your back to fix the shoulder. 
• Tilt your head laterally away from your fixed shoulder by contracting the sternocleidomastoid muscle. 
• Think about pinching an apple between your shoulder and the side of your head. 
• Once you’ve reached the end of your range of motion, place your free hand on the side of your head. 
• Alternate between applying mild additional pressure and actively, but gently, pushing back against your hand. 
• Perform several repetitions before switching sides. 

This stretch also works by tilting the head forward and tucking the chin. Pay special attention to balanced alternation between using your free hand to increase the stretch and pushing back against it. Performing both is key for getting the most value out of this stretch.

5. Supine Assisted Hamstring Stretch: Target Your Tight Hamstrings

Even if you don’t have a job that involves a lot of sitting time, taut or weak hamstrings can still inhibit performance in the gym. You can’t perform a picture-perfect hip hinge if the back of your leg is locked up, so having an effective hamstring stretch in your arsenal is crucial.

Benefits of the Supine Assisted Hamstring Stretch

The supine assisted hamstring stretch provides a safe way to stretch the hamstrings from the floor if injured. Unilateral performance allows you to focus the stretch on one leg at a time if a mobility imbalance is present. 

How to Do the Supine Assisted Hamstring Stretch

• Lie on your back with legs extended. 
• Use your core and hip flexors to lift the target leg as high as possible while allowing your knee to bend somewhat. 
• Stop when your thigh is perpendicular to the floor, or when you start to feel your pelvis tuck or rotate. 
• From this position, lightly grasp the back of your knee with one or both hands. 
• Do not fully rest the weight of your leg in your hands. 
• From here, actively begin to squeeze the quadriceps to straighten your leg. 
• Continue until you feel a noticeable pull in the hamstrings or your knee locks out fully. 
• Hold your end position for several seconds, contracting the quads the entire time, before lowering and repeating with the opposite leg.

6. Piriformis Stretch: Release Your Glutes

The piriformis stretch targets your piriformis muscle, which runs from the base of your spine to your thigh bone. This muscle can affect how well you move your: 

• Hips
• Back
• Legs
• Buttocks

How to Do the Piriformis Stretch

• Start by sitting on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. 
• Keeping your right leg flat on the floor, lift your left leg and place your left ankle on your right knee. 
• Slightly arch your back and lean forward until a stretch is felt in your buttocks. 
• Hold this stretch for 30 seconds, then repeat with your right leg on your left knee. 
• Repeat 2 or 3 times with each leg.

7. Cat-Cow Stretch: Move Your Spine

The cat-cow stretch targets your back muscles. 

How to Do the Cat-Cow Stretch

• Begin with your hands and knees on the floor, with your spine in a neutral, relaxed alignment. 
• Inhale as you let your belly sink toward the floor, pressing your chest forward. 
• Lift your head, relax your shoulders, and begin to exhale. 
• Round your spine upward, tucking your tailbone and pressing your pubic bone forward. 
• Relax your head toward the floor and repeat. 
• Do this several times in a minute.

8. Standing Calf Stretch: Stretch Your Calves

As the name suggests, the standing calf stretch targets your calf muscles. 

How to Do the Standing Calf Stretch

• Start by standing near a wall or chair for support, with one foot in front of the other and the front knee slightly bent. 
• Keep your back knee straight, both heels on the ground, and lean forward toward the wall or chair. 
• You should feel a stretch along the calf of your back leg. 
• Try to hold this stretch for 20 to 30 seconds. 
• Switch legs, and do at least 2 or 3 repetitions on each side.

9. Overhead Triceps Stretch: Open Your Shoulders

The overhead triceps stretch targets your triceps and the muscles in your shoulders. 

How to Do the Overhead Triceps Stretch

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and roll your shoulders back and down to release tension. 
• Reach your right arm up to the ceiling, then bend your elbow to bring your right palm down toward the center of your back. 
• Bring your left hand up to gently pull your right elbow downward. 
• Hold this stretch for 20 to 30 seconds before switching arms. 
• Repeat on both sides 2 or 3 times to get a deeper stretch with each repetition.

10. Standing Bicep Stretch: Stretch Your Biceps

The standing bicep stretch targets your biceps and the muscles in your chest and shoulders. 

How to Do the Standing Bicep Stretch

• Stand up straight. 
• Place your hands behind your back and interlace your hands at the base of your spine. 
• Straighten your arms and turn your hands so your palms are facing down. 
• Then, raise your arms as high as possible until you feel a stretch in your biceps and shoulders. 
• Hold this stretch for 30 to 40 seconds. 
• Repeat 2 to 3 times.

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