How do you know when to take a break day?

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Angelica0530
Angelica0530 Posts: 43
in Fitness and Exercise
I do 30 day shred which is a 20 minute workout and nothing else. Today should be day 3 but my calves are killing me. I don't want to lose momentum since I only just started. What's a good schedule for this program and what if anything should I do on my off days? Thanks!

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  • SaltNBurnBoys
    SaltNBurnBoys Posts: 170 Member
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    Jillian has actually been quoted as saying she never intended the 30DS to be done in 30 straight days.

    Your body is saying to take a rest day. Take one.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Jilllian recommends following the programme 6 times per week, the 7th day being a rest day.

    However, if you are new to exercise then your muscles might need a more gentle introduction so try 3 x per week initially, adding in more sessions when you feel up to it. It's not worth pushing through if you're in pain and risking an injury that could set you back a lot longer.

    Perhaps take a walk today instead.
  • JonnyQwest
    JonnyQwest Posts: 174 Member
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    I don't take muscle soreness as a sign of needing to take a rest day.....when you need a rest day there won't be a question, your body will literally not allow you to workout. Typically happens to me about the 10th day in a row without rest. Muscle soreness is good....genuine pain in your joints or an injury is different.
  • Angelica0530
    Angelica0530 Posts: 43
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    Yeah it really is just muscle soreness not genuine pain. I think I'm going to try to tough it out and see how I feel tomorrow morning.
  • lookaheadfcsus
    lookaheadfcsus Posts: 14
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    Listen to your body. If it hurts just to be alive, that means a rest day. You won't be able to perform when in pain anyway - so it would be wasted resources, better put to use either tomorrow or another day.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
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    Sore doesn't mean a rest day. Looking at your running bag and crying means a rest day.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    I don't take muscle soreness as a sign of needing to take a rest day.....when you need a rest day there won't be a question, your body will literally not allow you to workout. Typically happens to me about the 10th day in a row without rest. Muscle soreness is good....genuine pain in your joints or an injury is different.

    Doing this is seriously overding it and could lead to injury if not, lack or progress.

    Overtraining is a real thing.

    You should, at a bare minimum, take 1 day every week for complete rest. No exercise at all. If you must do something, go for a light walk. If you are a beginner to exercise, you should take every other day off and allow your body to recover and adapt to exercising. As you get fitter and stronger, you will be able to exercise more and more. Personally, I still take a rest day every other day. I just push harder and longer on the days I do exercise. I love to reach my limits, but, unless I'm doing something completely different every day, one cannot push their limits and make their limits further away if they do it every day. You need rest and recovery.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
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    I don't take muscle soreness as a sign of needing to take a rest day.....when you need a rest day there won't be a question, your body will literally not allow you to workout. Typically happens to me about the 10th day in a row without rest. Muscle soreness is good....genuine pain in your joints or an injury is different.

    Doing this is seriously overding it and could lead to injury if not, lack or progress.

    Overtraining is a real thing.

    You should, at a bare minimum, take 1 day every week for complete rest. No exercise at all. If you must do something, go for a light walk. If you are a beginner to exercise, you should take every other day off and allow your body to recover and adapt to exercising. As you get fitter and stronger, you will be able to exercise more and more. Personally, I still take a rest day every other day. I just push harder and longer on the days I do exercise. I love to reach my limits, but, unless I'm doing something completely different every day, one cannot push their limits and make their limits further away if they do it every day. You need rest and recovery.

    ^^^This

    You don't just "need" rest and recovery.

    You don't actually gain strength and fitness until your body is able to adapt to and heal the muscles you've been using. That takes 24-48 hours. You can get around this by working different groups on different days, but you still need adequate rest. That's at least one full recovery day a week.

    Let me summarize - fitness happens during rest.

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