How often do you have a rest day?

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Replies

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Seems to be a consensus that a rest day is a good thing. How often and how you interpret "rest" depends on the individual. Trust your body and your brain to tell you.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,476 Member
    Sunday - Lift
    Monday - Rest
    Tuesday - Lift
    Wednesday - Rest
    Thursday - Lift
    Friday - Rest
    Saturday - Rest

    So 4 rest days a week for me.
    Though when I was doing marathon training I would only take 1 or at most 2 rest days per week.
  • jaydude4
    jaydude4 Posts: 7 Member
    I do heavy lifting and a little bit of cardio every now and then, I usually just take a day off out of the week (preferably Saturdays because that's when I tend to go out). I also listen to my body and try not to force going to the gym if the mood is not completely there, because I've learned that not a lot of outcome will come out of it.
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    scottb81 wrote: »
    What kind of workouts are you doing? It makes a difference.

    Yeah, definitely. My lifting routine is full-body and I'd never do that two days in a row. Muscle grows while you sleep; beating them up while in recovery is counter-productive. On off days, I just do easy stuff like walking.
  • rmitchell239
    rmitchell239 Posts: 124 Member
    SkiMummy wrote: »
    I have been doing almost daily exercise for a month now, and it has become quite a strong habit.
    Obviously I am thrilled about this, but I was mentioning to my DH how much my legs hurt right now, and he pointed out that I never take a day off.
    And this got me thinking - how often should I take a day off from 'proper' exercise.
    I am trying to move more on a daily basis anyway, but I am talking about time off from a specific workout?

    Your body will tell you. If you are sore in that area you probably do not need to work it. Your muscles need rest to recover properly. The more in shape you get the less recovery time youll need. Im currently dont ng about every 5 days or so. At minimum once every 7~10 days.
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    I train Monday, Wednesday & Friday. I've tried going four days a week and found it counter productive and my strength gains lag and I feel beat up.

    Like others have said, it's really dependent upon what you're doing. Age is also a factor. I'm 50 and even in the past couple of years I've noticed my recovery isn't what it was before.
  • QueenKristine77
    QueenKristine77 Posts: 67 Member
    rumijs wrote: »
    I guess it depends on what you define as "rest" and the reason for resting. Technically I don't take any days off from exercising. I strength train 3 days a week, do HIIT 3 times a week, and have a "slower" active rest day with yoga, 3 mile run (below race pace), or something similar. I do listen to my body. If I absolutely need a day off because of tweaked muscles or something, then I'll take a full rest day. But that's actually pretty few and far between because I watch form and intensity throughout the week.

    This pretty much sums it up for me as well. I take a day if needed but it doesn't happen often.

  • SkiMummy
    SkiMummy Posts: 33 Member
    Wow - thanks for all the great advice.
    I vary my workouts, as I am slowly settling into a rhythm that works for me.
    I rotate between the elliptical, bike riding (outside) and Pilates.
    I also aim for 20,000+ steps a day and 30 flights of stairs.

    But tomorrow has now been declared a rest day!
    I will still aim to do the steps and the stairs, but give the 'proper' exercise a miss.
  • DennyB1964
    DennyB1964 Posts: 31 Member
    I go Tuesdays, Thursdays and either Saturday or Sunday (lifting and walking/running). I'm thinking about training both weekend days instead of just one, but I'm still on the fence about it.

    On my off days, I'm still walking about 3 miles for work as well as going up and down stairs all day, so it's not really a full rest other than the fact that I'm kind of used to it. If I know I haven't done much of anything all day, I'll sometimes throw in some cardio or yoga.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    The need for full on rest days varies with the types of exercise you're doing , intensity, how long you've been exercising, whether you're getting enough sleep. Biking, for example, is something you could do 7 days a week, 365 days a year as long as you're not emulating riding through the Pyrenees on the Tour de France. On the other hand a newer runner would find Scott's running schedule a recipe for injury (he's probably one of the more experienced runners on this site and his advice is solid)

    Monitor your fatigue levels and take a day off when you feel you need it.
  • foursirius
    foursirius Posts: 321 Member
    About twice a week. On rest days I'll still walk around or ride my bike but it's not overly strenuous.
  • BeginnersBootcamp
    BeginnersBootcamp Posts: 90 Member
    Depends on your routine. If you separate muscle groups and give 48 to 72 hours for muscle tears to repair between working them again, then you may rarely feel like you need a rest day. I keep my weekends clear so I can do a quick full body routine or run if i want, but will also be okay if I rest
  • Justthisgirl1994
    Justthisgirl1994 Posts: 226 Member
    Once a week! Once in a while it's twice a week if I'm too busy.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,138 Member
    I train heavily Mon-Fri. On the weekend I'll do gentle yoga, long walks (strolling as opposed to power walking!) and remain generally active. I count it as active rest and it buys me some extra calories. I listen to my body as well, I might need an extra day here and there.
  • Mich4871
    Mich4871 Posts: 143 Member
    I take 2 rest days usually. One is a full rest day, where I catch up on my regular errands and chores around the house. The 2nd is usually a semi-rest day where I may take a walk around our reservation with my kids or go to a yoga class.

    I run 5 days a week, and strength train 3 days a week. I will be throwing in tennis lessons 1-2 times per week starting next week as well.
  • for_ever_young66
    for_ever_young66 Posts: 2,881 Member
    I used to take off once a week but now I've upped it to twice. When I go to the gym, I usually go very hard and there have been too many times when I was so sore, I had to take off for almost a week. The muscles need to recover, especially as we get older. When you rest and come back, you'll be surprised at how strong your body becomes and you'll crush your workout big time.

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