Off Day

Options
alie319
alie319 Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is there merit in taking a day off? I am a college student doing the insanity challenge. So i have been doing it for six days, and then on the seventh day i will do a different (Usually less intense) workout. Some times i will take the 8th day off and others i will just go right back into insanity. I can't decide if it makes me feel any better when i take the day off and I'm wondering if it is even necessary

Replies

  • rllewell
    rllewell Posts: 234
    Options
    Just like the Bible, I workout 6 days and then rest on the 7th. Now there are many times I do some sort of physical activity on the 7th day but it is usually NOT intended as a workout, just something fun like a hike, walk, mountain bike ride, etc.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
    Options
    You are very young, which means you recover faster than most of the people on this site, so you don't need as much rest. I personally would recommend still taking a day off just for your mental health. Burnout is not just a physical consequence of overtraining. But if you really like to be active every day, just try it for a while and see if your weight loss stalls, if your performance gets worse, you start feeling unusually tired or sore, start developing any nagging injuries, etc. Those are signs of overtraining. If you don't experience any of that and you are getting plenty of sleep and eating a proper diet, you are probably okay.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Options
    Take the day off. Proper rest is just as important than the work
  • jimmie65
    jimmie65 Posts: 655 Member
    Options
    Depends on your goals.
    If you want to get stronger and develop more muscle, your body needs a day off. Muscles don't grow when you work them, but grown when you rest them after working them.

    And it doesn't matter how old you are.
  • furenaef
    furenaef Posts: 157 Member
    Options
    i work out 7 days a week, and i still make gains. no days off
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
    Options
    I think taking a day off rejuvenates me and helps me to do better in my next workout after proper rest. However, I also find that too many rest days in a row makes me more sore when I get back to my workouts. So I try not to take mor than 2 in a row unless I'm sick or something. And I still do something active on rest days, usually walking.
  • alie319
    alie319 Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    Thanks guys, all of your responses are really helpful! I took the day off today, I'm going to see how i feel tomorrow when I do Insanity and go from there.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
    Options
    And it doesn't matter how old you are.

    Yes, it does. Younger people do not need as much rest as older people in order for their bodies to recover from training. Any good S&C coach at any college program in America will tell you that.

    Now, if she's doing a really heavy strength training routine, then of course she's not going to experience as much gain doing it every day as she would if she took rest days. But she's doing Insanity. She's 19. Her body can handle it better than a 40-year-old's.

Categories