Rest Day Questions?

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dxtra30
dxtra30 Posts: 498 Member
edited March 2016 in Fitness and Exercise
If I'm doing a strength training workout for 5 days in a row (M thru F) non stop for about 60 min a day. 3 days a week I do Kettlebell workouts and 2 days I do cross-fit training. So should I be resting for both weekend days or just one? By resting on the weekend does this help with muscle inflammation or muscle growth?

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  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
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    I'd rest both days with that routine. You can workout 6 days/week if one or more or the workouts are light or only cardio. The rest days are important for muscle recovery.
  • dxtra30
    dxtra30 Posts: 498 Member
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    galgenstrick wrote: »
    I'd rest both days with that routine. You can workout 6 days/week if one or more or the workouts are light or only cardio. The rest days are important for muscle recovery.

    Thank you.
  • oilphins
    oilphins Posts: 240 Member
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    I don't know your routine with a kettle ball but It depends also what body parts you are training. If your doing say arms on Mon, say shoulders and chest Tues, and back and legs on Wed, and then alternate back to arms Thursday and so forth, you could just take one day off on the Weekend. It takes your muscles 48 hours to grow so try not to do the same body part back to back days.
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
    edited March 2016
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    dxtra30 wrote: »
    If I'm doing a strength training workout for 5 days in a row (M thru F) non stop for about 60 min a day. 3 days a week I do Kettlebell workouts and 2 days I do cross-fit training. So should I be resting for both weekend days or just one? By resting on the weekend does this help with muscle inflammation or muscle growth?

    I'm assuming you're taking rest between sets? Typically strength training is fairly slow moving, big weights, low rep and rest? If so I'd say you don't have to have two rest days, maybe not further strength training but cardio or circuit/core training wont do you any harm. Do what you body tells you, if I have the energy I like to get in on a rest day do some core and take time to stretch of and use a foam roller. However if its been a long week, hard training etc, I'll just rest up both day.
  • sventheviking
    sventheviking Posts: 45 Member
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    I wouldn't say the rest is necessary for muscle recovery. They will help with connective and soft tissue as well as CNS recovery. Muscle is incredibly resilient due to whats known as the repeated bout effect.
    If muscle needed as much rest as people seem to think then construction workers and the like would obviously just fall apart but they don't.

    The connective soft tissue is a different story though. Tendons and cartilage take far far longer to recover than muscle. The CNS can grow fatigued from lack of rest. Most people that think they are overtraining are actually under recovered.

    So yes take the two rest days at most have one day of active recovery meaning foam roll LIGHT cardio, stretching etc this should be short 20-30 minutes at most. One day of full recovery.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Depending on the box & programming, the level of strength training you do at crossfit could vary tremendously. Actually, same with the KB's, depending on what you are doing.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    ...when you say "strength" I'm assuming a "heavy" program of low rep at a high % of your max...this alone is pretty brutal on your CNS and rest is going to be pretty important. I couldn't imagine doing that 5x per week and then kettlebells and then a bunch of crossfit stuff...it would seem to me that you are doing your body a disservice at minimum.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    If you have to ask, you're probably fine. You'll know when you need a rest day.

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