Should you take a day off from the gym?

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d2footballJRC
d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am a 360 pound guy and I've been walking on treadmill, bike, and stairclimber at my local gym daily for about 45 minutes to an hour a day then about 15-20 minutes doing light upper body weights. I'm on day 5 and I literally feel like an old man walking, my calves burn so bad. I am tempted to take a day off to let them rest but I don't want to get into a bad habit either of not going to the gym. I was wondering is it a bad thing to add 1 day of not going to the gym into a gym routine? I was thinking of doing a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat gym routine with Wed. off. I just don't think right now my body can handle 7 straight days of working out. Tips? Advice?

Replies

  • zeeeb
    zeeeb Posts: 805 Member
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    nothing wrong with taking a day off.

    or doing a beginners yoga class to stretch everything out to change things up.

    i usually work out 5x a week at the gym, and on the weekend I don't work out. sometimes i'll go for a walk, sometimes i won't. and i love to do yoga when i can. to strech out. when i'm feeling a twinge in my neck or back, i do yoga, it generally tends to straighten it out so i don't have to go to the chiro if it's just mild.
  • skinnyhappy
    skinnyhappy Posts: 152 Member
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    Yes, rest! Otherwise your muscles won't have a chance to repair themselves and grow.
  • maparapa22
    maparapa22 Posts: 23
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    Listen to your body as much as you can, you can really injure your body if you don't. I like to "cross-train" so days I don't run or walk I do weights and then that way I just give my body another area to work on. I also swim which is low-impact and doesn't put too much strain on your body. Good luck and keep up the good work :)
  • rairye
    rairye Posts: 27
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    Yes, rest! Otherwise your muscles won't have a chance to repair themselves and grow.

    Exactly.. Pick a day and tell yourself that is your rest day(s) I push through M-Sa and I know that Sunday I just rest :) You shouldnt have any problems
  • eates
    eates Posts: 334 Member
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    Short answer, yes- it gives your body time to heal and recover
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
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    Rest is crucial for allowing your muscles to adapt to a new level of activity. The alternative is a much greater chance of injury. Your body is still working hard on your days off, so don't stress about it.
  • Gilbrod
    Gilbrod Posts: 1,216 Member
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    If you don't rest, then you start hating workouts more and more. Which in turn, makes most people quit. Also, if you don't rest, your body won't heal either. If you can push through it, great. But be careful.
  • shiggyshane
    shiggyshane Posts: 215
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    you need at least 2 days rest so you can some back stronger the next week you dont want to over work yourself..
  • pope369
    pope369 Posts: 159 Member
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    Try working different muscle groups on the days you're giving the others a "rest"?
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    I had a very fit neighbor who did 2 days on 1 day off .

    I'm just beginning on some gentle things that my PT okayed. So I'm not really in the swing of things yet.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    first, your calves (and probably other body parts) are burning because you're new to exercise and you're going through that first two week phase where you're building up excess lactic acid. it sucks, but it goes away. I remember the first week I climbed stairs, it felt like each of my thighs had a scuba tank attached to it. That feeling went away after a week or so.

    both now and after the lactic acid issues go away, its important for your body to have time to recover. 5x per week for exercise is PLENTY! and, as you build up endurance/strength and start doing more, 4x per week would be fine.

    losing weight starts with your mental focus and knowing your goals. Its 70% (or more) nutrition. exercise will help improve your cardio health and, once you've burned enough fat, help you look toned. However, while its good to get into an exercise routine, its MUCH MORE IMPORTANT to eat the right things. when I started my current weight loss journey on January 23, I went 2 1/2 months without doing ANY exercise. I lost roughly 20-23 pounds during that period by simply eating better. I then felt it was time to start adding some cardio to my lifestyle routine so I added stair climbing and jogging. in April and May. In June, I added resistance and interval training and reduced the straight cardio stuff.

    In short, you do not have to change everything at once. Changes in your eating are the MOST important thing. Let your body start to adjust to a healthier eating pattern and then add some exercise. However, whether you add the exercise now or later, you do not need to go everyday. Currently, I exercise 3 days on, 1 day off (the 3 days on amounts to an intense work-out, a lighter work-out, and then another intense work-out)...but if my body is telling me that I need an extra recovery day, I give it the extra recovery day.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    Thanks for the tips, I think I am going to make today a day off then. I have thought about alternating the activities but I was told that I want to do cardio like treadmill, stair steppers, and bike to lose weight. I have been the 15-20 minutes of bench pressing and other weight machines to just build some upper body strength as I went along.

    @hmalin1: I've been working on the diet. I have cut out fast food and soda. Been drinking a lot of Propel Zero and water in place. Diet wise I've been put on some medications from my dr. so my appetite has really curved downwards, so I'm trying to use this time to set good habits in place of bad habits. Working on portion control and more. Started taking multi-vitamin gummies (where were these when I was a kid!) daily as well.
  • Rainbow011
    Rainbow011 Posts: 61 Member
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    A rest day is essential. I usually only train 5 times a week, occasionally 6. You should at a minimum have at least one rest day.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    Started taking multi-vitamin gummies (where were these when I was a kid!) daily as well.

    heh. I'm wondering where cell phones were when I was a kid...or, more importantly, how did I make it through childhood without a cell phone, but my elementary school kid feels like she *needs* one.
  • pnieuw
    pnieuw Posts: 473
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    My gym is across the street from my office, so I work out M-F. I do nothing on Saturday and Sunday, except normal stuff around the house. If I did it every day, I'd hate it and quit. I also find I come back stronger and with more energy on Monday when I've had two days of rest.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    Started taking multi-vitamin gummies (where were these when I was a kid!) daily as well.

    heh. I'm wondering where cell phones were when I was a kid...or, more importantly, how did I make it through childhood without a cell phone, but my elementary school kid feels like she *needs* one.

    I had a cellphone in 8th grade. Parents gave it to me to call after basketball practice and football practice. Good luck with the kid wanting a cell phone though. I have a 2 year old and he knows how to open up his apps on my iphone. I work at a data center and we do on site tech for a lot of the local schools and it's amazing the gadgets kids today carry around. Personal laptops, cellphones, gameboys, ipods, and ipads.
  • ambermichon
    ambermichon Posts: 404 Member
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    YES take a rest day for your muscles and body to recuperate!
  • geekymom57
    geekymom57 Posts: 176 Member
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    I'm a pretty pragmatic person, and I want my weight loss formula to be based on what's realistic for me, so I do what I think I can sustain for the long run. There is no way in my current life I could go to the gym 5-6 times a week, so I don't think it's reasonable or realistic to build that into the new habits I am trying to develop. My personal goal is to exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes--pretty minimal but attainable and I've never NOT made that goal once I set it.

    Now that I'm pretty much on track with that, I've tweaked it a bit so that it's more functionally based, e.g., at least three times a week AND if I am going out for drinks/dinner, etc. with I build in enough exercise to offset the additional calories I'm consuming. I think it's a more realistic way of looking at what I will need to do to maintain a lower weight, once I've reached my goal.

    ,
  • OperaGurl04
    OperaGurl04 Posts: 5
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    I was thinking the same thing as you a couple weeks ago!
    I've found what works for me is to not over-do it otherwise I just get frustrated and I lose my motivation... that's just how I am.

    I would definitely take a day off - and if you feel guilty for doing so then just take a light walk around your neighborhood or something so that you're still staying active.

    I also found that cardio & ellipticals are the best for me to actually lose pounds - but I LOVE the abdominal crunch machine b/c it makes me feel like I'm really going to lose the belly! LoL.

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