rest day strategy?

amandaeve
amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
edited November 18 in Fitness and Exercise
I started a new work out program with the goal to add muscular strength and tone. It’s a one-hour intense workout I’m doing every other day (3-4 times a week). I also ride my bike 4 days a week for 90 minutes a day (I commute to work so it’s actually 45 minutes 9 hours apart). I also occasionally do 40-70 mile rides (3-6 hours). While the biking gets my heart rate in my top zones for half of the time, and tires me by the end of the week, the rest of me is habituated to biking so I wouldn’t call it an intense workout. My strength has been slowly decreasing over the years while my aerobic activity has been the same. My question is, should I focus on having the most activity on my workout days and intersperse full days of rest here or there, should I spread the activity out every day making each day a little less intense, or not bother trying to factor in rest and just do what’s convenient (which would probably come to 1 rest day a week)? I still stretch and walk, so by rest day I don’t mean complete inactivity.

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited May 2017
    Strength decreasing? Are you fueling your new workout programme properly? Is it a structured plan with progressive overload?
  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    edited May 2017
    I just started the new program last week. My overall strength has decreased with my previous activity, hence the starting a new plan. I don't expect to note changes until about 4 weeks into it. But I think I'm fueling well. Taking 30g protein, 5g creatine, + carbs just after the workout, carbs and amino boost just before the workout and working in about another 100 grams of protein activity day (I have 112 lbs. lean mass).
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    amandaeve wrote: »
    I just started the new program last week. My overall strength has decreased with my previous activity, hence the starting a new plan. I don't expect to note changes until about 4 weeks into it. But I think I'm fueling well. Taking 30g protein, 5g creatine, + carbs just after the workout, carbs and amino boost just before the workout and working in about another 100 grams of protein activity day (I have 120 lbs. lean mass).

    How big a deficit are you running?
  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    I've maintained the same weight since March at an average of 2100 calories a day. My goal is to average 1900 a day, but haven't gotten there yet.
  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    I thought I maintained at 2400-2600, but I haven't lost anything since March at 2100. And this is an average, some says are less, some are more.
  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    Well, this thread died :(
  • JustinRa
    JustinRa Posts: 10 Member
    It sounds like you're overthinking things. If you're working out hard, it makes sense to rest from moderate to intense exercise a day or two per week - just eat right. Your body needs real rest!
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    JustinRaphael wrote: »
    It sounds like you're overthinking things. If you're working out hard, it makes sense to rest from moderate to intense exercise a day or two per week - just eat right. Your body needs real rest!

    No, it really doesn't. In fact, I have yet to see a single person who gets better results from sitting on their *kitten* versus some form of active recovery. I don't mean go out and do HIIT sessions on off days, but anything to keep muscles moving with little to no load tends to assist with recovery. Walking, stretching, foam rolling, low-intensity cycling, etc. all help quite a lot with recovery, so long as it isn't allowed to deepen a caloric deficit.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    JustinRaphael wrote: »
    It sounds like you're overthinking things. If you're working out hard, it makes sense to rest from moderate to intense exercise a day or two per week - just eat right. Your body needs real rest!

    No, it really doesn't. In fact, I have yet to see a single person who gets better results from sitting on their *kitten* versus some form of active recovery. I don't mean go out and do HIIT sessions on off days, but anything to keep muscles moving with little to no load tends to assist with recovery. Walking, stretching, foam rolling, low-intensity cycling, etc. all help quite a lot with recovery, so long as it isn't allowed to deepen a caloric deficit.

    It really depends on how deep into overtraining that person is.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    assuming you are counting your daily bike ride into your activity? (since its daily and planned)

    are you eating back workout calories? (at least a portion)

    I wouldn't do a sit on your *kitten* rest day, but an active one - yoga, foam rolling, stretching always helps me (I do tri specific training 5-6 days a week and strength 3 but made sure I always do those 3 in some combination)
  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    OK, what I gather from this is that there's no reason not to bike during my hard days OR my rest days. I'd still walk/stretch/yoga on any day I did neither, so I think I'm okay there. I'm only shooting for a deficit of 1,750 calories a week, which if I keep eating exactly as I have been, just adding the workouts will create exactly that. Thanks, everyone! :smiley:
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    JustinRaphael wrote: »
    It sounds like you're overthinking things. If you're working out hard, it makes sense to rest from moderate to intense exercise a day or two per week - just eat right. Your body needs real rest!

    No, it really doesn't. In fact, I have yet to see a single person who gets better results from sitting on their *kitten* versus some form of active recovery. I don't mean go out and do HIIT sessions on off days, but anything to keep muscles moving with little to no load tends to assist with recovery. Walking, stretching, foam rolling, low-intensity cycling, etc. all help quite a lot with recovery, so long as it isn't allowed to deepen a caloric deficit.

    It really depends on how deep into overtraining that person is.

    Considering all of the things that the human body readily adapts to, I'm willing to wager that you'd be hard pressed to find more than a handful of people here who ever actually toed that point, let alone got deep into it. I do however, see a lot of "zomg I had a bad workout today, clearly overtrained", and after a single recovery day, was right back up to speed, which is absolute nonsense. That's not a state of overtraining; it's a *kitten* day. There's a world of difference.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Considering all of the things that the human body readily adapts to, I'm willing to wager that you'd be hard pressed to find more than a handful of people here who ever actually toed that point, let alone got deep into it. I do however, see a lot of "zomg I had a bad workout today, clearly overtrained", and after a single recovery day, was right back up to speed, which is absolute nonsense. That's not a state of overtraining; it's a *kitten* day. There's a world of difference.

    Just wanted to say I totally agree with you! People most of the time don't overtrain, they under recover, meaning they don't properly fuel (eat) or rest (sleep) for the stresses they put their body through. True overtraining is very, very rare. If you're recovering properly (eat+sleep) rest days are fine to take if you want but are totally not necessary.

    As far as the OP, I'd just keep my intense bike rides and strength training on separate days (if possible). As far as calories go, I'd keep them @ the 2100 and see how it goes. Strength training not only does the obvious (strength) but also will help your metabolism become more efficient because it has to work harder to build/maintain muscle, and by doing so you'll use more calories. The last thing you want to do is strength train and not be eating enough.
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