After all of the punches, kicks, and bad-assery, the Active Recovery workout of Core De Force – the mixed martial arts program developed by Beachbody – is a lovely little break that you get to do one day a week.

Active Recovery

• Length:  21 minutes.
• Number of Rounds: N/A.
• Equipment:  None.
• Description:  Recharge for the week ahead with this rest day workout that focuses on form and technique to fight muscle stiffness and soreness.

Format:  The first half of the workout includes 10 low-impact MMA moves that you practice rather slowly so that you can focus on form.  These moves are performed for 30-40 seconds each, with boxer bounces in between each move. The second half of the workout is a variety of stretches.  Each stretch is performed for 30-60 seconds each.  The cooldown at the end of the other workouts tend to be around 2-3 minutes total, so the stretch portion of Active Recovery is nice and long – at 10 minutes – to give your body a chance to recharge and recover.

First Half:  MMA Practice (10 minutes)

1.  Jab, cross

2. Front uppercut, rear uppercut, hook

3.  Rear knee, switch knee

4.  Roll back, roll forward

5.  Rear snap kick, switch snap kick

6.  Side kick

7.  Side kick, nondominant stance

8.  Front up elbow, rear up elbow, front slashing elbow, rear slashing elbow

9.  Slip front, slip back

10.  Rear push kick, front push kick

Second Half:  Stretches (10 minutes)

1.  Chest stretch

2.  Upper back stretch

3.  Left shoulder stretch

4.  Right shoulder stretch

5.  Left quad stretch

6.  Right quad stretch

7.  Right IT band stretch

8.  Left IT band stretch

9.  Right hamstring stretch

10.  Left hamstring stretch

11.  Right runner’s lunge stretch

12.  Left runner’s lunge stretch

13.  Child’s pose

14.  Downward dog with alternating calf stretch

15.  Left glute stretch

16.  Right adductor stretch

17.  Left adductor stretch

18.  Right glute stretch

19.  Left seated twist

20.  Right seated twist

Here’s a time-lapsed video showing the stretch portion of this workout:

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The verdict?  If you are the type of person who considers yourself to be uncoordinated or have a difficult time picking up on the MMA combinations, I recommend actually starting here before day 1.  The first half of this workout is really great to introduce newbies to basic MMA moves so that you can get comfortable with some of the combinations performed in the MMA workouts.  As a whole, it’s a nice recovery workout.  I liked the opportunity to slow down some of the MMA moves to focus on my form, which sometimes you don’t really get the chance to do when you’re quickly moving through the MMA combinations.  The elongated stretch was also nice.  It was definitely a nice recovery workout.  It didn’t make me sweat, but the movement felt great!

Interested in Core De Force?  You have a couple of options to buy it.  You can get a challenge pack that comes with Shakeology, or a performance pack that comes with two of my favorite performance supplements – Energize and Recover.  You can also check out the base kit or deluxe kit.

Need support?  It just so happens that I coach people through at-home fitness programs, like Core De Force!  So, if you order the program through one of the links on this site, I’ll be happy to work with you to help you stay on track and plug you into one of my online accountability groups!

Have questions?  Comment below or send me an email at distilledjill@gmail.com!