Rest/Recovery days

YOLO145
YOLO145 Posts: 98 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Do you schedule rest days or do your thing during the week and take it as it comes?

Replies

  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    It's all dependant on my goals & activity level and how fast I will recover.

    Mine is programmed around my next powerlifting meet as well as how often I'm catching for my baseball team. So its a very complexed situation and I have to keep in mind how much each activity is going to effect each other on a daily basis.

    If you are asking for advice, we would need to know your goals and current experience level from what you need to rest from.
  • YOLO145
    YOLO145 Posts: 98 Member
    @Chieflrg My main goal is weight loss, so calorie deficit. Cardio 5x a week, 30-60 mins depending on how many extra calories I want to be able to eat..Secondary goal is to get stronger. I do splits, and my legs are all DOMS from yesterday, but upper body is feeling rested from Monday's workout.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    On a monday morning i look at my diary for work/social commintments and decide in my 3 running days, then i work in some cross training and rest/walking days... i also go by how i feel and take a rest day if i need it.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I don't pre-plan them. If I'm tired and need one I take one. If life happens and gives me one, so be it. Even on most "rest" days, I am doing something to improve my health or recovery
  • KarenSmith2018
    KarenSmith2018 Posts: 302 Member
    when life forces a rest day then i take a full rest day but it will still include walking our dog for an hour. I do active recovery days where I will walk or do yoga, some stretching and foam rolling. I workout 5 days a week with a mix of running and CrossFit.
    listen to your body. it will say if it needs more rest than you are giving it.
  • nyponbell
    nyponbell Posts: 379 Member
    edited July 2017
    I don't split so take a rest from my lifting the day after I do it (my goal is three times a week). But unless I am far too tired/drained/other things, I try to at least get a good walk in. Anything between 2-10 km, with 5-10 km being distances I try for at least once a week (each). I try to listen to my body - a deficit and good eating habits will help me lose weight and while I know that for me, my exercises are important, I also don't want to be in extra pain for no other reason than I am "supposed to" work out that particular day (or the following day I am completely useless!). Especially in the beginning I find that I need more/longer periods of rest (from weights, not movements in general), and I am ok with that.

    Edited for spelling! My phone, I blame it.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    When I'm actually following a training plan leading up to a race my recovery day is pretty much set by the plan but even then I usually opt of active recovery and will take an actual rest day very occasionally.

    Keeping moving can actually help alleviate DOMS even though it may feel like getting out of bed will kill you or your stairs look like Mt Everest..... something low impact & low intensity (walk, easy bike ride, easy swim etc) usually does the trick for me.
  • Kida_Johnson
    Kida_Johnson Posts: 33 Member
    Every Friday. Friday is reserved for dinner out with my fiance and usually an early bedtime for I usually have a race on Saturdays. And when I do have a race on Saturday, I usually do yoga in place of my normal workout.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Scheduled. I'm following a running training program that has them built in.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Scheduled - I make Saturday & Sunday my designated rest days. Keeping my workouts to the work week has done wonders for the sustainability of my program. The only active things I do on weekends are things I'd do for fun anyway.

    Unless you're doing a really light program/schedule, you've got to make sure you take your rest days. Overtraining is way too easy for motivated individuals and doing so is a sure recipe towards injury and/or burnout.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    edited July 2017
    Depends on training volume...I'm not sure I could get adequate recovery doing a body building split and 60 minutes of cardio 5x per week...guess it would depend on the cardio and how aggressive it is...

    I follow prescribed rest days when I'm on a training program for a cycling event due to the volume...in most cases, these are active recovery days, not sitting around doing nothing days...little yoga, nice walk, etc..

    Not really training for anything right now and my volume isn't such that I really need a rest day but I usually take Thursday off for the simple fact that it's nice to get up in the morning and have one day to just drink some coffee on the patio and watch the sun come up.

    Monday: AM 10 mile (~40 min) conversational pace bike ride
    Tuesday: AM sprint intervals (20 min); PM lift (full body program)
    Wed: AM 10 mile (~40 min) conversational pace bike ride
    Thur: Drink Coffee on the patio day...maybe some yoga in the evening
    Friday: AM 10 mile (~ 40 min) conversational pace bike ride; optional lifting PM
    Saturday: Usually go for a longer ride or hit the climbing gym...getting a mountain bike soon, so Saturday will likely be hitting the trails.
    Sunday: AM lifting; general recreational activity, chores, etc...

    Of course, sometimes life happens...I'm pretty flexible.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,676 Member
    I usually run 5 days a week, walk 7. My days off are usually Monday and Friday, but I rearrange those to fit my schedule or to allow me to run outdoors on a nice day rather than a hot/wet/freezing one. I'm not training for anything specific right now, so I am pretty flexible, making it up as I go. I usually do some sort of cross training on at least one of my non-running days, either bike or hike.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    YOLO145 wrote: »
    @Chieflrg My main goal is weight loss, so calorie deficit. Cardio 5x a week, 30-60 mins depending on how many extra calories I want to be able to eat..Secondary goal is to get stronger. I do splits, and my legs are all DOMS from yesterday, but upper body is feeling rested from Monday's workout.

    If your primary goal is weight loss with a secondary goal of strength gain, correct? The amount and type of stress of your cardio being so frequent concerns me. You are also including eating as a reason for cardio which can effect your energy for strength gains. Something to consider.

    Also splits are more than likely not optimal for your experience level. You might consider doing a full body program.
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
    I'm very routine in general, so Monday - Friday I hold myself to doing 2 hours of live/instructed classes each day and then follow up with either weights or cardio for a 3rd hour minimum.

    Weekends I rest totally except for errands and chores. I find that my body responds better to my weekday routine when I take weekends off. One day of rest isn't enough recovery for me. Plus... routine.

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