What does "rest day" mean to you?

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SuggaD
SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Be a couch potato for the day or easy activity, e.g. walking & stretching?

If it weren't for my workouts, I'd get no activity in whatsoever. My fitness band says I take around 800-1000 steps on non-run days (desk job w/ long hours). I need to take a rest day 2x this week before my race this weekend, but I don't want to be a complete couch potato. Is it still a rest day if I walk a few miles and stretch?
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  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    For me a rest day is one where I only have some core strength training to do. Or maybe a 30 minute run at easy pace. I almost never have an actual "do nothing" day unless it is right after a race.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    It means whatever I want/need it to mean that day.


    Sometimes it's a walk.

    Sometimes it's work around the house. Which, this winter, in Connecticut, often means shoveling snow.

    Sometimes it's not a d@mned thing.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    I would count stretching, mobility work, light stroll as a rest day.

    Hiking 6 miles just to "do something"? Not so much...
  • ElyseL1
    ElyseL1 Posts: 504 Member
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    A rest day for me is taking a casual three to five mile hike with my dogs with lots of stopping to take in the scenery. It varies for everyone.
  • iofred
    iofred Posts: 488 Member
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    Just doing the amount of steps my Vivofit tells me .... and abdominal training
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    some times i have an active recovery day where my workout is specifically designed to keep me moving, and recover from a more intense work out, eg 30 of cycling after a 2 hour run, or swimming for 45 minutes after a 2.5 hour bike ride.

    full rest days for me are an opportunity for mental recovery and just to catch up on errands and school work.
  • lbetancourt
    lbetancourt Posts: 522 Member
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    rest day is not going to the gym which is on tuesday. today. i am a sloth.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    It means no rigorous work. I will usually still walk my dog and what not on a rest day...walk around the zoo with my kids, etc. Walking around doesn't really impede recovery...but I don't lift, I don't ride, I don't run, etc. I basically take it pretty easy
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Full rest days (Mon/Tues for me) is sit on my at keister at work and eat mass calories.

    Active rest days for me, like Jimmers, is some foam rolling and stretches, maybe a mile or two walk.
  • 7seas_sailing
    7seas_sailing Posts: 224 Member
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    My rest day is on Sunday. I don't go to the gym (they're cosed anyway), I go to church with the family, and I do everything I can to take a good Sunday afternoon nap.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
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    For me, rest day is laundry day. So, with washer in the basement, dryer upstairs in the sun room, and 4 slobs (er, I mean wonderful sons and a doting husband), that means not much rest, lol.

    Seriously though, Sunday is my rest day. Yoga/stretching/core is my only purposeful exercise.
  • Brolympus
    Brolympus Posts: 360 Member
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    Non-lifting day. Some light cardio if I can fit it in. EXTRA SLEEP :).
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
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    All relative to many things.

    You mention a race. How important is this race for you? If very important, a consistent, proven tapering plan is needed. You might not have one unless you have some practice seasons to determine what works for you and what doesn't.

    Also - what is your current fitness level? I have a couple of pro-cyclist friends for whom "resting" days consist of 2 hour rides at a fairly reasonable clip... the days before a major event. Your mileage may vary - I'd be useless during a race if I tried that. So my taper week now consists of about 2 very easy days, one short, very hard effort day, another two easy days and one final preparation way with very short, very sharp efforts. If I don't do these the effort at the beginning of a race feels inordinately hard!

    I had another teammate, not elite, who was so nervous on the week before races that he was reduced to an anxious bundle if he took days fully off. So he was better off doing light riding instead of being fully rested, just in terms of sanity and mental preparedness.

  • MommysLittleMeatball
    MommysLittleMeatball Posts: 2,064 Member
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    Since my main focus is running my rest days are yoga and core - adding arms and back strength training to the mix.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
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    tycho_mx wrote: »
    All relative to many things.

    You mention a race. How important is this race for you? If very important, a consistent, proven tapering plan is needed. You might not have one unless you have some practice seasons to determine what works for you and what doesn't.

    Also - what is your current fitness level? I have a couple of pro-cyclist friends for whom "resting" days consist of 2 hour rides at a fairly reasonable clip... the days before a major event. Your mileage may vary - I'd be useless during a race if I tried that. So my taper week now consists of about 2 very easy days, one short, very hard effort day, another two easy days and one final preparation way with very short, very sharp efforts. If I don't do these the effort at the beginning of a race feels inordinately hard!

    I had another teammate, not elite, who was so nervous on the week before races that he was reduced to an anxious bundle if he took days fully off. So he was better off doing light riding instead of being fully rested, just in terms of sanity and mental preparedness.

    It's a 1/2 marathon...my first. I want to finish strong and have fun. I have a goal time in mind, but its not aggressive as I took too much time off during the winter.

    Fitness-wise, I'm very fit (of course, I'm always working at improving my fitness). I usually don't take full rest days. My regular weekly routine consists of 20-30 miles a week running, 100+ miles cycling, walking the dog regularly, weights 3x per week, swim 3 hours per week.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    edited March 2015
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    SuggaD wrote: »
    tycho_mx wrote: »
    All relative to many things.

    You mention a race. How important is this race for you? If very important, a consistent, proven tapering plan is needed. You might not have one unless you have some practice seasons to determine what works for you and what doesn't.

    Also - what is your current fitness level? I have a couple of pro-cyclist friends for whom "resting" days consist of 2 hour rides at a fairly reasonable clip... the days before a major event. Your mileage may vary - I'd be useless during a race if I tried that. So my taper week now consists of about 2 very easy days, one short, very hard effort day, another two easy days and one final preparation way with very short, very sharp efforts. If I don't do these the effort at the beginning of a race feels inordinately hard!

    I had another teammate, not elite, who was so nervous on the week before races that he was reduced to an anxious bundle if he took days fully off. So he was better off doing light riding instead of being fully rested, just in terms of sanity and mental preparedness.

    It's a 1/2 marathon...my first. I want to finish strong and have fun. I have a goal time in mind, but its not aggressive as I took too much time off during the winter.

    Fitness-wise, I'm very fit (of course, I'm always working at improving my fitness). I usually don't take full rest days. My regular weekly routine consists of 20-30 miles a week running, 100+ miles cycling, walking the dog regularly, weights 3x per week, swim 3 hours per week.


    you should rest and do nothing more than yoga an a 2-3 mile run the two to three days before the race.
  • blktngldhrt
    blktngldhrt Posts: 1,053 Member
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    Rest day is usually a break from my current program. It's a day I don't bother with recording calorie burn.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    rest day = rest.

    meaning resting.
    doing nothing outside of my daily or necessary chores.

    Sometimes that means I sit on the couch. Sometimes that means I clean my house- like big cleaning- not putting the dishes away.

    rest means to me no scheduled workouts. Sometimes that's a coach and a giant pizza.

    It's okay do to nothing.
  • Lisah8969
    Lisah8969 Posts: 1,247 Member
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    My rest days are Tuesday and Thursday. Thursday after work I have activities that keep me from doing any type of workout...light or otherwise. On Tuesday, some times I will take a leisurely 2 or 3 mile stroll and some times I will come home after work and do nothing. Both are equally satisfying.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    Generally speaking, leading up to a race (of which kind and your level of fitness I do not know) it is a bit of a good idea to use your rest day for some walking, stretching and/or light yoga. It will help keep your body and muscles moving.

    Over the winter months I'll occasionally have a rest day as a complete couch potato day (thanks to my desk job). But generally speaking I am usually at the barn cleaning horse stalls and riding on rest days. Or out hiking and doing outdoor activities with friends (swimming, etc). This summer I have a couple back to back weekends of racing. My week between will consist of light runs, stretching, foam rolling, and light strength training.

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