strength training/off days

aclockworkblonde
aclockworkblonde Posts: 21 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Thanks to you guys I have stopped focusing so much on huge cardio burns and really embraced strength training. For those of you who love to lift, what kind of exercise do you do on the days when you're not hitting the weights?

My last job had me walking 15 miles a day (and I lost no weight/inches during that time) so walking is not something I'd like to do anymore apart from taking my dog out.

Any suggestions for the most effective non-strength training exercises for off days?

Replies

  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    On off days I either do Cardio or an Ab workout.
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    I don't have off days. I work one muscle group a day so I'm always lifting weights. I also do 30 minutes of cardio daily.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 12,191 Member
    I lift 3 days per week and only do scheduled cardio 1 day per week....(I used to do scheduled cardio 6- or 7- days per week!). So, on 3 days of the week, I basically "rest", or might do "unscheduled" cardio (i.e. play tag with my kids, or go walking with a friend, or do NOTHING!)
  • jjking54
    jjking54 Posts: 113 Member
    I lift three days a week, and do cardio at the end of each strength workout (anywhere between 30-45 minutes -- usually stationary bike). I'm going to start adding a fourth day or cardio this week on my indoor trainer (cycling) at home because I'm establishing my base miles before outdoor riding season starts.

    I lift "heavy" (but am by no means a strongman) so on my days off I rest.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
    Some low intensity cardio and stretching. Or I get out of the house/gym and do some random active activity like hiking or snowboarding.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Go for a walk. Or do some mobility work/flexibility work.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Or simply do nothing at all.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    The progressive program I am following recommends none, so that is what I do. It instructs that muscle is built on rest days.
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
    It's called an off day for a reason.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    The progressive program I am following recommends none, so that is what I do. It instructs that muscle is built on rest days.

    It also depends on what you count as "rest". Simply going for a walk the day after squat day won't make all my gains suddenly evaporate...
  • newidentity316
    newidentity316 Posts: 12 Member
    Alot of weight lifters do H.I.I.T. I really enjoy it and it's effective for me. Basically you can do it with whatever you want like running, elliptical, stationary bike ext. You warm up around 2-3 min. Then you do around 8 rounds of 45 seconds working as hard as you can and then 1:30 min rest followed by a cool down.

    There a many ways to do H.I.I.T. you can Google for more info. It helps to switch up doing lots of different things to keep your body guessing.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    I fish or sit on my *kitten*...
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    I recently added another day of heavy lifting to my routine, so I now have two rest days. On Friday, I'll do pretty much nothing outside of bedroom aerobics. :bigsmile: On Monday, I may do some light cardio (such as a walk, but you don't really want that - but taking the pup for a walk is good, too!) or a barbell complex - light weights.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    Biking, a quick run, heavy bag work, and on the rare occasion, absolutely nothing.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    I have a 3 day split, and right now I'm training for a 5K on Tuesday and Thursday, then I do whatever I feel like on Saturday (walk, Zumba, kickboxing), and rest on Sunday. I do a whopping 12 minutes on the arc trainer after lifting on Monday and Wednesday, but I have nothing left in me on leg day, so that's all I do on Friday.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Or simply do nothing at all.

    its' an off day.

    rest- sleep- cook- do things around your house.

    I sew.

    it's a REST day. So REST.
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    Off days are just that... they are for rest and recovery. If you are lifting heavy then it would be a good idea to take the time to rest or maybe a little active recovery, like some leisure biking or something like that. Any kind of activity where your HR is slightly elevated but you typically will not get winded.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    I run, or swim in warmer months, or one of my favorite things is to take a yoga class (I've really let my flexibility slack so it feels really good) and I play in a women's indoor soccer league.

    Or just rest. I usually have at least 2 full rest days a week.
  • rahlpn
    rahlpn Posts: 551 Member
    I either hike at a park, bike when it's warm but lately I've been doing HIIT (Fitness Blender 20 minute) on 2-3x per week. I do Strong Lifts M-W-F.
  • aclockworkblonde
    aclockworkblonde Posts: 21 Member
    thanks for all the replies! It is hard for me to accept the whole rest concept…psychologically I feel like if I'm not moving I can't lose weight. I still have some mental hurdles to jump.

    Definitely will look into HIIT. I've heard that it is really good for increasing afterburn, but would something like that disrupt the recovery process of the weight lifting?
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    thanks for all the replies! It is hard for me to accept the whole rest concept…psychologically I feel like if I'm not moving I can't lose weight. I still have some mental hurdles to jump.

    Definitely will look into HIIT. I've heard that it is really good for increasing afterburn, but would something like that disrupt the recovery process of the weight lifting?

    well there's your problem exercise doesnt lead to weight loss- calorie deficits do.

    So here- do these exercises on your days off- it will help.

    Table push aways
    Fork Put downs.
  • RaeLB
    RaeLB Posts: 1,216 Member
    Rest :happy:
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    I do HIIT for my cardio, sometimes on weight days, sometimes by themselves. I do have one complete day of rest a week usually, about the only thing I do that day is walk the dog and maybe drink a couple of beers. I have problems not working out also, so I try to find fun things to do with friends on the days I don't go to the gym or a class.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Yoga! The stretching parts feel really good. They feel better than rest :) I don't always do it long in total, but I love stretching out well on recovery days for whatever parts I've worked hard the day before.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It depends really on your fitness goals. Maximizing strength and muscle gains requires a lot of rest...so you will find that people who are really trying to increase and maximize those things...they're really not going to do a whole lot outside lifting and resting.

    I personally like to ride my bike, so I'll just go out for a nice ride for an hour or so at lunch...nothing too intense generally. Right now I'm gearing up for a 1/2 century and then a metric century so I'll be doing a bit more cardio in the coming weeks and only lifting a couple of times per week...but that'll really only be for about 12 weeks or so and then I'll be back to lifting 3x weekly and just getting out on my bike and tooling around a few days per week.

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