Rest Days..Important or not?

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reggie2run
reggie2run Posts: 477 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Do you think rest days are important?

Should you/ do you take them or are they just a waste of time?

And if you do take them, how often in a week do you take rest days?
And what do you do on your rest day(s)? Absolutely nothing? Or if you do something, what do you do on your rest days?
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Replies

  • bluiz13
    bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
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    i think they are important especially if you are hitting your workouts hard - no matter what they are....running, lifting, major cardio....all those muscles need a rest in order to heal....i typically take 1 full rest day and some weeks it is 1 full rest day and 1 light workout/walk rest day....when i get back into the swing of things with my workouts - hoping by the week after next - i'll be back to 5-6 days a week with a mixture of walking, running, spin class, zumba and weights...then dec 2nd i'm starting a 12 wk 1/2 marathon training program that has 2 rest days built in - i'll probably stick to the 1 true rest day and the other i'll just take a light lunch time walk cause i dont like to be "inactive" anymore lol....

    i'm never completely inactive any more, well with the exception of the last 4-5 wks lol since my surgery....i still park too far away, take the stairs, keep moving throughout the day as much as i can....i dont like to be idle anymore...
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    I prefer the term recovery days; lower intensity, lower impact but still active. As long as you're mixing things up you can be active 7 days a week if you wish and still manage your risk of overuse injuries.

    Yes, they're important, your tissues do need time to recover from long runs or heavy lifting sessions.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    You can only train as hard as you can rest.

    True story.
  • testease
    testease Posts: 220
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    You can rest when your dead.

    I train every day, but never the same muscle groups every day, always get about 24-48hrs between muscle groups.
  • Mslajackson
    Mslajackson Posts: 46 Member
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    I love my 'mercy' days, they are important to give your body some time to get ready for the upcoming workouts.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I'm very active, work out 4-6 days a week (strength and cardio). In addition I walk to and from my office 5 days a week for a total of 3 miles a day. I value and NEED my recovery days!!!!!
  • pwnderosa
    pwnderosa Posts: 280 Member
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    I haven't been taking a full rest day lately, but I do have lighter days where I just go walking or dancing but not super intense. I wonder if I'm not taking enough rest but I don't really feel like I need more. I do take a day off between strength/weight training stuff and if I do really high impact cardio stuff, usually go low impact the next day.
  • PicklePlum
    PicklePlum Posts: 192 Member
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    I'd do yoga or clean the house on my "rest days." About 2-3 days/week.
  • llayc013
    llayc013 Posts: 24
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    rest days are completely important... a person trains religiously... your body & central nervous system need time to recover and be ready for the next training session you have... constant training will wear a body down, make em tired....rest...
    luther
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Rest days just seem to happen for me. Today is going to be one. I had to be to work for 8 and I don't do mornings. I'm going straight from work to babysit my sons kids (8,5 & 3) until they get home from a party so today will be a non exercise day. I do try to mix up what I do and not do the same activity 2 days in a row. Yesterday I ran so if I were going to do something today it would have been to hit the road on my bike before this big rain storm hits probably and tomorrow will likely be a weight day.
  • DenyseMarieL
    DenyseMarieL Posts: 673 Member
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    I take rest days. I run 3 miles every other day. I tried to do it every day, but since I'm relatively new to it, (started 2 months ago) my body said 'no way'.
  • gauchogirl
    gauchogirl Posts: 467 Member
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    They're 100% important because muscles aren't actually built in the exercise stage -- they're built in the rest/recovery stage. The work tears down muscle fiber. During rest, the body heals the small tears making them stronger. That's how muscles grow. If you don't let them rest, they will never fully heal and you don't get stronger.
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
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    You can only train as hard as you can rest.

    True story.

    I just recently learned the importance of recovery days. I'm taking today off after doing double the last three days (Tues: boxing a.m. and cardio p.m., Wed: lifting a.m. and running 6 miles p.m., Thurs: kickboxing a.m. and Bikram yoga p.m.) Resting today and tomorrow I'm lifting and running a 5k race.
  • belladonna786
    belladonna786 Posts: 1,165 Member
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    They're 100% important because muscles aren't actually built in the exercise stage -- they're built in the rest/recovery stage. The work tears down muscle fiber. During rest, the body heals the small tears making them stronger. That's how muscles grow. If you don't let them rest, they will never fully heal and you don't get stronger.



    This is why I rest
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
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    Listen to your body. In other words some weeks are back to back workouts and other times you may need a day or two off of a formal workout. Once you find activities you enjjoy and look forward to its easier to decide if you're thinking up excuses (then push through it) or if you truly can benefit by rest time.
  • LisaLouisiana
    LisaLouisiana Posts: 145 Member
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    I can only tell you what works for me.

    I like to exercise every day, but I make it a point to listen to my body. There are times my legs tell me I need to back off on them, so I'll do something else until they're good to go. Sometimes that's a day, but recently it was four days. I'm looking to get fit and trim and I'm not looking to hurt myself. There are times where it's obvious that I need to eat a little more.....so I'll eat 150 - 200 calories more that day, but those days are rare......but if my body tells me that is how it needs to be, then that is what I do. Now I make sure that I do that in a healthy, nutritious way. I'll eat some extra veggies or a chicken breast or something along those lines, not a bag of cookies. This isn't about a treat for me, it's about giving my body what it needs. Also on rare occasion, I need a rest day and I take it. I go about my normal activities, but I'm not going to do anything that I normally do for the sake of exercising. I think it's good to move on rest days. I think it's important to move everyday. Your heart can pump the blood completely around your body without help, but when you move and your muscles contract, that helps force the blood back to your heart. Just sitting on the couch is not helping your heart, so do a little something. So if you need a rest day, still move, just try giving your body a break, too. Good luck with your journey. :)
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
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    I try to do something everyday, on lighter days I do Yoga or just take the dog for a walk. If I take a day off, its because I have something else going on and don't have time to squeeze in a workout.
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
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    Every Sunday. Otherwise I'd burn out on exercise and quit altogether. Having one day a week I'm "working toward" keeps me motivated and helps me push through since a lot of the time, I still don't really WANT to work out.
  • llayc013
    llayc013 Posts: 24
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    rest is essential for the max potential in goals..
  • OddChoices
    OddChoices Posts: 244 Member
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    Very important especially if you strength train. When you weight train, microtears appear in the muscles. Hence the burn. The muscles rebuild themselves stronger during the rest period. That's why you will find that you might be extra hungry on rest days. The body needs rest and nourishment to recuperate.

    My rest period is never more than two days in a week. I workout schedule is something lime this:

    Day 1: biceps and back
    Day 2: triceps, shoulders, chest
    Day 3: legs
    Day 4-6: repeat

    Cardio is 3-4 times a week.

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