Rest Day?

microb2702

I'm sure if I looked hard enough that there might already be a topic on this, but... How do any of you do rest days? Every 3 days, 4 days? Just the wkends? I had restarted my work out regimin & I have worked out great for 3 days, now I'm just wondering should I go ahead & take a rest day or keep going till the wkend? I mean I feel great, I just don't want to "over" do it to early & get burnt out. I know on those "rest " days I still feel like I need to do something. Any ideas/suggestions?

eldamiano

Standard requirement. I have no problems in resting for 2 days at a time, although I do try to run 3-4 times a week on average.

just_Jennie1

There's no problem with not taking a rest day. If you feel like you can do a little something then do it. When I get into a workout groove I don't like rest days.

Serah87

Every Sunday is my rest day!!

bobbijodmb

I listen to my body. I try to work out every day (knowing that this isn't going to happen though) If my body is feeling good, I work out because then it helps my mind to feel good. But there may be a day that I am busy, not feeling well, extra tired and I will take that as a rest day. Some weeks I may have none and others 1-2.

TR0berts

Take at least one rest day per week - even if you can push and do more. You don't want to overdo it and end up injuring yourself, so you're forced to sit and do nothing for an extended period of time.

If you really feel like doing something on your off days, keep it to a brisk walk and/or a stretching routine. That way, you'll still be doing something, but your body will be able to recover so you can give your workouts the full intensity they deserve.

FrnkLft

Rest days are important, depending on what you're doing and what your goals are.

If all you're doing is some typical cardio or light weight training, and you're just exercising to be fit, take them as you need them (provided you have the discipline to approach them this way) or just schedule a couple of them into the week so you have some down time to relax. Maybe just go for a walk on those days if you want to do something.

Otherwise, if you're actually training (you have some performance goals or you are on an intense program), you need to make sure you are spacing out your workouts to give your body time to recouperate, and in the case of lifting, to build muscle (provided you're also eating correctly). Rest days are very important in this case, so that you don't over do it, and so that you mitigate injury.

cwolfman13

Rest days are going to be highly dependent on how you are training. Also, a rest day doesn't necessarily mean you just sit around doing jack ****; I take active rest days...meaning I will do some yoga and go for a recreational ride with my kids or a nice walk or something.

Also, my workout days are of varying intensity...I'm not balls to the wall 6 days per week. Example of a typical week for me...

Monday: Recovery walking AM; lifting PM
Tuesday: 60 minute training ride
Wednesday: EZ 30-45 minute ride AM; lifting PM
Thursday: 60 minute training ride
Friday: Rest (I usually do some yoga in the evening when I get home from work...take the dog for a walk, etc)
Saturday: lifting AM; cardio cross train after lifting session (swimming, stair stepper, row machine, elliptical, etc)
Sunday: Long training ride (mileage/time varies and increases weekly until my 1/2 century event)

alathIN

I'm in a very well-coached tri-sports group, and the coaches have recovery built into each workout, weekly cycles, and seasonal cycles.

Our weekly cycle is: 1) build week, 2) big week, 3) recovery week. So every third week, we do about 20% less volume and the intensity is low. The goal of workouts in recovery week is to maintain fitness and warm up enough to get a good stretch. Also this is a good time to work on technique. Build week and Big week are where we start adding volume and intensity.

We also periodize our seasons. Right now we are in "swim focus" which means we are swimming a LOT, and relatively light on cycling and running. We are just about to start building up on running, then will start building cycling in the early Spring.

I also take every Sunday off, except for light stuff like family walks, family bike rides, and stretching.

Following this program has been great for me and has really taught me how HUGELY important recovery time is. First off, physiologically you need time to heal and rebuild. Not just from injuries, but even just normal training load. That's how training works: you stress yourself, then recover - and it's during the recovery when you are actually gaining fitness.

It's also really important psychologically. I have enjoyed this swim focus season, but I am starting to itch for running season to start - really looking forward to it. If I had been running hard, year in and year out for the past 10 years, I doubt I would feel that way.

I would definitely encourage you to build in recovery cycles to your week, month, and seasons.

microb2702

Thank you all so much for the info! I"m use to lifting atleast 3 days a week & cardio 3 days, but I have been out of rotation for about 6 months. I'm just getting back into it & right now I'm taking a rest every 2 days. I'm still trying to get my eating back on track which is harder than I thought since I need to eat every 3-4 hrs. I'm determined to get my health back on track & I'm super excited to be apart of this great "website" with people just like me!!:happy:

MoreBean13

Don't skip rest days- you do the work at the gym, but your body does ALL the work of your body actually changing during rest. If you hijack your rest days, you will actually get LESS results, even though you feel like you're doing more work.

If you feel like you need to keep going, you can feel free to do light cardio- walking, relaxation yoga, light swimming, or a recovery run (if you're already a runner).

How often you take rest depends on your level of fitness and the intensity of your workouts- people that have been running for years can run every day because their body is acclimated to it- new runners shouldn't do more than 3x/week. For lifting, each body part usually needs a 2 day minimum rest before you can work it again- but more experienced lifters actually need more rest, up to a week, because they're typically hitting each body part more aggressively. So it's hard to say how much YOU need, but probably a minimum of 2 days a week of rest/recovery activity.

HPLW0705

I technically have two rest days a week, but one of those days I do a lot of stretching. I am training for a half marathon and unfortunately, sometimes my knee protests loudly. Stretching helps me a lot and keeps me from hurting myself. Rest days are important, but I've found that making my own rest schedule words well for me. My rest days aren't always the same days every week, they're when I feel that I need them most.

fishgutzy

My typical "rest day" means I either only swim or only lift. A full rest day is usually forced on me by illness of my wife
My last full rest day was brought on by an allergy flare up from leaf blowing. My lungs got very tight and congested for a day.

AmyRhubarb

I always take Sunday off, and sometimes an extra day if I'm busy or feel I need the break. Rest day doesn't mean couch potato though (well, sometimes it does! ), I usually still get out to walk my dogs or something, just no planned, strenuous exercise.

I've found I also benefit from a full week off about every 8-12 weeks.

Huffdogg

More than anything else it depends on what kind of training you're doing. That dictates how much you might need to rest.