Rest Days

pichu318

Does anyone else find these days hard? I understand that they are necessary, but I like working out.

I like being able to eat more because I am burning calories and I like having something to do, so I am too busy to think about eating.

What do you guys do on your rest days? Do you like them? I'm honestly looking for ways to cope with their existence haha.

Heatherthecyclist

I don't have rest days, I train twice a day at least (running, cycling, weights) and with mixture of hard and easy sessions, don't need them.

Willbenchforcupcakes

Rest days are an intellectual enjoyment most of the time. I don't necessarily enjoy them, but I take 1-2 a week because I know I need them.

When a rest day becomes a physical enjoyment, I know it's time to take a recovery week.

cwolfman13

it really depends on what you're doing as to how necessary rest days are. also, a rest day doesn't necessarily mean doing nothing. the more intensive your exercise is, the more necessary rest becomes as this type of exercise is very good for you, but it's also a major stress on the body and you need to allow your body to recover...recovery is where fitness magic happens...many people who fail to make leaps in their fitness simply aren't giving their bodies enough rest and recovery. try to look at proper rest as an elemental part of your overall fitness regimen and something that is essential to fitness gains. beyond that, without proper rest, the body will ultimately break down and you're at a much higher risk of injury...and instead of taking a day off, you could be taking weeks and months off (ask me how i know).

it is also good to mix up your workouts throughout the week to include more intense and less intensive workouts...this will also aid in recovery.

if you're doing resistance/weight training, you should not be working the same muscles or groups of muscles on consecutive days...so people will often do a full body program 2-3x per week or do a split which is typically 4-5 days per week.

i usually take 1-2 rest days per week. 1 weekend day is pretty much mandatory just to get *kitten* done around the house and out in the yard...not to mention making time to do all manner of fun activities with my kids (which often involves recreational activity like an easy family bike ride, a walk with the dog, a few hours walking around the zoo, playing in the park, etc). i also do restorative yoga most Sundays which is typically my rest day.

i enjoy my rest days because i enjoy balance in my life and i enjoy the recovery a rest day or two brings.

BrianSharpe

Depending on what you're doing, the intensity, your fitness etc you may not need "rest" days. Certain activities (running, weight lifting) require more recovery time but you can walk, bike, swim etc etc on recovery days and stay active 7 days per week if you wish.

elite_nal

Rest days are good. But it depends. Depends on the intensity of each training session you do, your activity level, your lifestyle etc. There would be times when I'll train 7 days a week. Sometimes I train 6 days a week with 1 rest day or 5 days on 2 days off. Basically, just listen to your body. Switch it up and see what works best for you at that time

SuggaD

I go for a long brisk walk in the morning (8-10 miles) and in the evening, I veg and watch TV.

mbaker566

I'll do something low impact, like yoga. or catch up on TV and movies I've missed. or catch up on house work

rainbow198

I don't take rest days as I don't really need them. Prefer to do moderate workouts 5 - 6 days a week rather than go hard and need completed rest days. Cardio is done daily (walking) and I focus on different body parts for strength training 3 - 4 days a week.

I do have a lighter workout day when I may walk at a normal pace for 2 or 3 miles or do Pilates etc., but I'm doing some active just about everyday.

Sam_I_Am77

pichu318 wrote: »

Does anyone else find these days hard? I understand that they are necessary, but I like working out.

I like being able to eat more because I am burning calories and I like having something to do, so I am too busy to think about eating.

What do you guys do on your rest days? Do you like them? I'm honestly looking for ways to cope with their existence haha.

I've gotten to the point where my training days are intense and even though I'm not typically sore or at least nothing more than mildly sore but my muscles are tired and nervous system definitely taxed, so I like my off days. I do my best to eat well and get a good sleep so when my next training day is up, I can hit it hard. I actually embrace my deload weeks as well and use them to their fullest.

I think this question is going to be different for everybody depending on their "training age", how they train, and their recoverability.

questionfear

I try to set my rest day(s) as a floating target. Basically, if I know I'll have a day where working out is tight, I'll make that my rest day; then I feel like I made a good decision for my stress and my health. And sometimes a "rest day" just means I'm not doing an organized workout, but that's because I know I have to do a crap ton of yardwork, or something equally physical instead.