Rest Days/Cardio

newwed412
newwed412 Posts: 68 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
I have a couple of questions:

How many rest days do you take. I try to incorporate one rest day but I feel so guilty when I am not working out.

Also do you have to do cardio each day?? I run every other day and on days I run I do upper body strength training also. On the days I don't run I do legs. Should I incorporate some kind of cardio on the days I don't run before I do my leg workout??

Replies

  • iofred
    iofred Posts: 488 Member
    my resolution for 2017 is to have 50 days for the year. I too struggle to keep them, as I feel a day not worked out is a day not lived .... doh. I am currently on 2/50
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
    I have a rest day every Monday. For the rest of the week I'm in the gym everyday for 1-1.5 hours doing strength training followed by 30 minutes of incline walking.

    Since my main focus is strength training, I always do some form of not very fatiguing cardio afterwards.
  • spiveaa
    spiveaa Posts: 1,387 Member
    I have every 5th day off and do cardio everyday.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    i have 1-2 rest days per week. i alternate running and stationary bike, doing full body strength/resistance on my bike days. a rest day might include walking or yoga but thats all.

    i NEVER feel guilty for a rest day.
  • Roobyzooby
    Roobyzooby Posts: 189 Member
    I walk, stationary cycle and have just added in an elliptical trainer as an alternative to the bike, I walk and bike (or trainer) Monday to Friday and just do the bike on a Saturday. Sunday is no exercise day and Monday is weighin day.
  • beerfoamy
    beerfoamy Posts: 1,520 Member
    I class Sundays as a rest day, although I do Pilates in the morning. Mon to Fri I swim each day, do Body Combat and BodyPump on Thurs and usually have 2 or 3 squash games. Saturday do 3 classes at gym (LBT, Pump and Pound) so think I am ok to call Sunday rest day haha. Also Tues I only do little swim and nothing in evening.
    I get moody if I do nothing for a whole day and then don't want to 'get back into' it the next day.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I take as many rest days as I need, so typically that is 2 or 3 per week. However, I am full body lifting about 3x per week so I definitely need those rest days to properly recover and progress. Depending on how hard you are going and what you are doing as well as your recovery, you may need less.

    You definitely do not have to do cardio everyday if you don't want to. I do zero cardio (mind you I am pretty active day to day, not that I would recommend no cardio to others, but point is it is not necessary and is not in line with my goals at the moment)
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    edited January 2017
    I only rest when needed! However, my rest days are usually active rest day with either a nice walk or yoga. Don't ever feel guilty for taking a rest day. You work hard and it's your reward to your body! As for Cardio there is no rule that you need to do it at all. It is good for your heart, but is not necessary to do everyday. Do what feels right for you.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    do some yoga on your rest day.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    There are a lot of factors...training history, your ability to recover, the intensity of your workouts, etc. that determine when and how many rest days you need.

    Don't feel guilty taking a rest day if you need it.

    You don't have to do cardio everyday, but it likely won't hurt anything if you do.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    I don't take rest days and I don't have days dedicated to doing cardio either. Because I jump rope, and I enjoy it, I usually end up doing it 7 days a week regardless. My jump rope sessions last between 10-20 minutes each, and sometimes there are multiple ones in a day.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,749 Member
    edited January 2017
    It's on the rest days that your muscles rebuild. However, you can do active rest by doing a different kind of activity or a lower stress activity.

    I'm a runner, training for a marathon. I usually have two non-running days each week. One of those I'll usually do some cross training like stationary bike, yoga or Pilates, which use different muscles. I also walk every day, because I have a large dog who needs to be walked. Last marathon I ran 6 days a week without problem, but this time I feel a bit more worn down, so I think I'll do better with more rest. It's a good idea to listen to your body. If you are hurting more, sleeping less, your HR is higher at rest, or you just feel tired and grumpy all the time, it's time to cut back.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Capt_Apollo wrote: »
    do some yoga on your rest day.

    This^

    If you really feel the need to do something - do yoga. This is great for working flexibility & balance.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    No, I don't take rest days. Yes, I do cardio daily.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    One day a week.

    I usually enjoy it with a longer walk, sometimes yoga or just taking a nice day off and foam rolling.

    Rest days are super important!
  • fitmama282
    fitmama282 Posts: 36 Member
    I do cardio 6 days a week, and weight training/strength training 5 days a week. Saturday is my rest day, not really rest, that is the day i clean house.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    I do cardio 5-6 days/week and strength training 3 days/week. On Sundays (my scheduled rest day), I either go on a long walk or hike, take a yoga class, or sit on the sofa all day watching football and HBO.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    In the summer, I take a rest or active recovery day when my training schedule tells me to. In the winter, when my body tells me to.
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  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    edited January 2017
    I workout every morning 30 or 50 min on a stationary bike about 10 min after my head leaves the pillow its my routine for waking up. Average HR is 125-130 minimum 30 min 90% of the time its 50min. Some days when I'm super stressed I ride 30-50 min before bed as well--

    Weights I do 3 on 1 off to hit all body parts twice a week so two rest days every 8 days
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